Injective's native token, INJ, rose 27 percent over the past 24 hours, outperforming other Layer 1 tokens including NEAR, Sei, and Cosmos Hub. The move follows a proposal by 21Shares to launch a fund that would directly hold INJ and engage in proof-of-stake staking.
The proposed fund targets institutional investors seeking exposure to Injective's yield. It would hold INJ directly and employ discretionary staking to capture network rewards, passing yields to fund holders without requiring them to manage on-chain operations.
Injective is a Layer 1 blockchain focused on DeFi applications—perpetuals, spot trading, and lending—with an architecture optimized for high-performance execution and cross-chain interoperability.
The 27 percent price increase reflects market anticipation of institutional capital inflows. The outperformance against peers highlights rotation toward DeFi-centric Layer 1s with clear institutional on-ramps.
The proposal is currently in its conceptual phase. Full launch would require facing regulatory frameworks and structuring the product to meet traditional financial market compliance standards.
Staking funds for institutions are becoming a primary vehicle for on-chain capital allocation in proof-of-stake protocols, particularly among larger investors seeking direct yield capture without direct protocol participation.
