XRP is playing a pivotal role in Valantis’ latest expansion into liquid staking as it acquires one of Hyperliquid’s leading staking platforms, stHYPE. This strategic move allows Valantis to strengthen its position within the rapidly growing decentralized finance landscape on Hyperliquid.

Valantis Acquires stHYPE to Boost Liquid Staking

Valantis, a decentralized exchange protocol, has acquired Staked Hype (stHYPE), known for being the second-largest liquid staking token (LST) on the Hyperliquid blockchain. While the terms of the acquisition remain undisclosed, the implications are clear — Valantis is doubling down on expanding its decentralized liquidity ecosystem.

stHYPE was the first LST launched on the HyperEVM network and currently holds nearly $180 million in total value locked (TVL). With this acquisition, Valantis Labs will now oversee the development, scaling, and maintenance of stHYPE, setting the stage for wider adoption of liquid staking on Hyperliquid.

Leadership and Strategic Direction

While Valantis takes control of the day-to-day operations of stHYPE, its founder Addison Spiegel — who also leads the Thunderhead team behind the original project — will continue to contribute as an advisor. His guidance is expected to support the long-term integration of stHYPE into Valantis’ broader liquidity infrastructure.

How Liquid Staking Dominates Hyperliquid’s Ecosystem

Hyperliquid’s prominence in the DeFi space is driven largely by its dynamic liquid staking sector. According to DeFiLlama, more than half of Hyperliquid Layer 1’s $2.26 billion TVL comes from liquid staking activities. stHYPE has played a vital role in that growth, supported by an ever-increasing number of DeFi protocols and user participation.

DEX Integration and Trading Milestones

Prior to this acquisition, Valantis had already built LST-specific trading pools tailored for stHYPE and hHYPE. These pools have proven to be highly effective, accumulating close to $70 million in TVL and generating an impressive $500 million in trading volume.

A visual breakdown of TVL growth in liquid staking pools including stHYPE and hHYPE.

Broader Plans for Integration and Liquidity Expansion

According to a recent press release, Valantis intends to deepen stHYPE’s integration across its decentralized exchange and the HyperCore infrastructure. The goal is to create a more robust liquidity network that caters to users across the Hyperliquid ecosystem.

HyperEVM, introduced in February of this year, is also seeing rapid scaling. With over $2 billion in TVL and nearly 100 active protocols, it’s become a go-to environment for developers and investors looking for high-throughput decentralized finance solutions.

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This strategic acquisition, built on the capabilities of XRP and the broader Hyperliquid environment, positions Valantis as a front-runner in the evolving liquid staking arena.