Solana staking protocol Marinade achieves SOC 2 Type 2 compliance

Marinade Finance, a leading Solana staking protocol, has achieved SOC 2 Type 2 compliance after months of rigorous auditing, becoming one of the first in the staking ecosystem to meet this gold-standard security certification.

This milestone not only validates its operational excellence and institutional readiness but also clears the way for Marinade to serve as the exclusive staking provider for upcoming U.S. Solana exchange-traded funds.

Summary

• Marinade Finance said the SOC 2 Type 2 certification follows months of auditing by BDO.
• SOC 2 Type 2 compliance demonstrates Marinade’s operational effectiveness and makes it ready for upcoming Solana exchange-traded funds.
• The milestone shows that blockchain protocols can still meet global security standards and remain decentralized, said Marinade chief compliance officer Hadley Stern.

Marinade, which has become one of the first protocols in the staking ecosystem to achieve this, shared the details on X.

The platform said compliance with the information security standard Service Organization Control Type 2 comes after months of a comprehensive audit by BDO. 

https://twitter.com/MarinadeFinance/status/1948755740396499440

Audits focused on Marinade Finance’s (MNDE) security controls, access management systems and staking infrastructure. It also involved an examination of the protocol’s validator operations, data confidentiality and privacy protections.

Crypto-friendly bank Custodia Bank achieved SOC 2 Type 2 certification in January 2025.

Why is this important?

The SOC 2 Type 2 is a cybersecurity compliance standard developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. It’s a compliance standard that goes beyond the checks on an organization’s security controls at a specific time provided for by Type 1 certification.

Marinade Finance achieved Type I compliance earlier this year.

As for SOC 2 Type 2, the audit seeks to evaluate the given organization’s operational effectiveness around the controls in question over an extended period. Mainly, this takes into account a period of 6-12 months.

In this case, achieving SOC 2 Type 2 certification puts Marinade on the map as a potentially great platform for institutional clients. The main take is the “operational security and compliance readiness”.

Certification is great for various organizational milestones, including institutional partnerships and regulatory approval processes.

Marinade eyes new Solana staking market

According to Marinade, getting SOC 2 Type 2 “clears the path” for the protocol to become the main staking platform for the highly anticipated spot Solana exchange-traded funds. 

Several Solana ETF applications are before the SEC, with experts recently noting high chances of approval in coming months. Firms that have picked Marinade for staking solutions include Zodia Custody, BitGo and Canary Capital.