This article is brought to you by Injective.
The Canary Staked INJ ETF (ticker: INJC) began trading on November 5, 2026, aiming to give U.S. investors a way to hold INJ, the native asset of Injective, through an ordinary brokerage account. The fund holds spot INJ and stakes most of it, so staking rewards build up inside the fund instead of being paid out to shareholders.
If you have wanted INJ in your portfolio but haven’t set up a crypto wallet, INJC is designed for you. This guide explains what the fund is, why it matters for Injective, how staking rewards grow your holding, how to buy shares and the risks to know.
Key Takeaways
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INJC is a spot INJ ETF sponsored by Canary Capital, listed on Nasdaq, and the first U.S.-listed ETF to hold INJ.
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Under normal conditions the fund intends to stake at least 90% of its INJ through third-party staking providers, with BitGo Bank & Trust holding the keys.
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Staking rewards are added back into the fund, so each share grows over time. There are no cash payouts.
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Shares trade in U.S. dollars during market hours, while INJ itself trades around the clock.
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INJC holders get INJ price exposure plus staking without managing wallets or validators, but they cannot vote in Injective governance or use their shares in onchain applications.
Why an INJ ETF Matters
An ETF lets people invest in INJ the same way they buy a stock, through the brokerage they already use. Before INJC, owning INJ meant opening a crypto exchange account or setting up a wallet, and staking it meant choosing a validator and managing the process yourself. INJC puts both steps behind one ticker.
That opens INJ to a much wider group of people. Many investors, financial advisors and institutions can only buy assets that trade on a regulated U.S. exchange and sit with a qualified custodian. For them, an ETF is often the only practical way to hold a crypto asset at all. With INJC, INJ joins a very short list. Before this launch, only about 15 digital assets had a U.S. spot ETF, including bitcoin, ether, Ripple, Solana and Chainlink. Out of the tens of thousands of tokens tracked on CoinGecko, INJ is now one of roughly 16 that U.S. investors can buy through a spot ETF.
The launch also fits where Injective has been heading. Injective is a blockchain purpose-built for finance, and much of its recent work has focused on connecting onchain markets with the regulated financial system.
|
Date |
Milestone |
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November 2026 |
INJC, the first U.S.-listed INJ ETF, begins trading on Nasdaq |
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August 2026 |
Injective Institutional Services becomes an SEC-registered transfer agent, able to keep official ownership records for tokenized securities |
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July 2026 |
Injective publishes its MiCA whitepaper, supporting regulated INJ offerings across the European Union |
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April 2026 |
U.S.-regulated INJ futures begin trading on Bitnomial, a CFTC-regulated exchange |
Each of these steps makes Injective easier for traditional institutions to build on and INJ easier for traditional investors to own. INJC is the one most people will notice first, because it puts INJ in the same account as the rest of their portfolio.
INJC at a Glance
INJC holds INJ itself, so its value follows the price of INJ.
|
Detail |
INJC |
|
Full name |
Canary Staked INJ ETF |
|
Ticker |
INJC |
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Listing exchange |
Nasdaq |
|
Launch date |
November 5, 2026 |
|
Sponsor |
Canary Capital Group LLC |
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Underlying asset |
Spot INJ |
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Staking target |
At least 90% of the fund’s INJ under normal conditions |
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INJ custodian |
BitGo Bank & Trust, N.A. |
Source: Canary Staked INJ ETF Form S-1/A, October 23, 2026; final terms in the INJC prospectus.
How Staking Works Inside INJC
INJC aims to stake on your behalf. Most of the fund’s INJ is staked with validators, the operators who keep the Injective network running. The rewards it earns are added back into the fund, so each share represents a little more INJ over time. If you want out, you simply sell your shares.
What staking rewards look like
Staking INJ has recently paid roughly 7% a year, according to the Injective Hub. The rate depends on how much INJ is staked across the network, so it can rise or fall over time and is not guaranteed.
Because INJC restakes its rewards, they compound. Here is a hypothetical example of a holding backed by 100 INJ, assuming the reward rate holds steady at 7% a year:
|
Time held |
INJ behind the holding |
|
At purchase |
100.0 |
|
1 year |
107.0 |
|
3 years |
122.5 |
|
5 years |
140.3 |
This example is for illustration only, leaves out fund expenses, and is not a forecast of INJC’s returns.
The dollar value of that holding still depends on the price of INJ, which can move up or down by much more than staking adds.
What Is Injective?
Injective is a blockchain built for finance. Applications on Injective let people & agents trade crypto, (public & Pre-IPO) stocks, commodities and FX onchain. Companies such as Pentiv or POSCO International use it to bring real-world assets like mortgage records or trade receivables, respectively, onto the blockchain. INJ is the network’s native asset, and INJC’s value follows its price.
INJ has three main jobs on the network:
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Fees: transactions on Injective are paid in INJ.
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Security: staked INJ helps secure the network, which is where INJC’s staking rewards come from.
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Governance: staked INJ votes on upgrades and changes to the network.
Injective also runs a monthly Community BuyBack. Participants commit INJ in exchange for a share of ecosystem revenue, and the committed INJ is burned.
INJC vs. Holding INJ Directly
INJC and INJ both give exposure to the same asset, but they live in different accounts and come with different rights.
|
INJC (ETF shares) |
INJ (the token) |
|
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Where you hold it |
Brokerage account |
Crypto wallet or exchange account |
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Who holds the keys |
BitGo, as the fund’s custodian |
You or your exchange |
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Staking |
The fund stakes for you |
You choose a validator and stake |
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Exiting a staked position |
Sell shares on the exchange |
Wait 21 days to unstake |
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Trading hours |
Weekdays during U.S. market hours |
24/7 on crypto exchanges (decentralized & centralized) |
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Governance voting |
No |
Yes, with staked INJ |
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Use in onchain apps and the BuyBack |
No |
Yes |
|
Retirement accounts |
Possible, depending on the broker |
Only through specialized crypto IRA providers |
Source: Injective, “INJ Tokens and INJ ETF Shares Compared” and the INJC prospectus.
INJC is built for investors who want INJ and its staking rewards inside the same account as their stocks and other ETFs, without managing a wallet or picking validators. Direct INJ ownership suits people who want to vote, use Injective apps, take part in the BuyBack, trade at any hour or move tokens freely. Some investors may choose to hold both.
How to Trade INJC
INJC is traded just like any other U.S.-listed ETF, with dollars, through a brokerage account.
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Open or use a brokerage account that offers Nasdaq-listed ETFs. Availability depends on the broker, the account type and the country you live in.
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Search for the ticker INJC and check the fund’s prospectus at canaryetfs.com/INJC for full details.
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Check the price before you trade. New funds can have bigger gaps between the bid and ask prices. A limit order lets you set the most you will pay.
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Hold the shares in your brokerage account. Whether INJC can go in an IRA or other retirement account is up to your broker.
There is no minimum investment beyond the price of one share, or less if your broker offers fractional shares. INJC trades from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET on weekdays, plus any extended hours your broker supports. Because INJ keeps trading on weekends, INJC can open Monday at a noticeably different price from Friday’s close.
Risks to Understand
INJC removes the work of holding and staking INJ, and it keeps the risks of the underlying asset.
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Price swings: INJ can move sharply in either direction, and INJC moves with it. Investors can lose some or all of what they put in.
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Staking risk: validators can be penalized for errors or outages, which would reduce the fund’s INJ. Reward rates change over time and are not guaranteed.
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Weekend gaps: INJ trades every day, so news over a weekend shows up in INJC’s price only when the market opens.
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Regulatory change: rules for crypto ETFs and for staking inside them are still developing in the U.S.
The full list of risk factors is in the INJC prospectus, which is worth reading before buying.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is INJC?
INJC is the ticker for the Canary Staked INJ ETF, a U.S.-listed exchange-traded fund that holds spot INJ and stakes most of it. It launched on November 5, 2026 on Nasdaq.
Does INJC pay dividends or staking payouts?
No. Staking rewards are added back into the fund, so each share represents more INJ over time instead of paying cash.
What staking yield does INJC earn?
The fund earns the staking rewards Injective’s network pays. Injective’s staking reward rate was about 7% a year in late October 2026, and it changes with network conditions.
Can I redeem INJC shares for INJ?
No. INJC shares are traded on the stock market for dollars, the same way as any other ETF.
Can INJC holders vote in Injective governance?
No. Governance votes come from staked INJ held onchain, and INJC shareholders do not hold the tokens themselves.
Can I hold INJC in an IRA?
Possibly. Eligibility for IRAs and other retirement accounts depends on your broker.
Why doesn’t INJC’s price match the price of INJ?
Each share has its own dollar price, set by the fund’s starting share value and its INJ per share. Compare percentage moves instead of price tags.
The Bottom Line
INJC is a milestone for Injective. A network built from day one for finance now has an ETF that tracks its native asset trading on Nasdaq. Available in the same brokerage accounts where millions of people already hold stocks and ETFs. Investors, advisors and institutions that had no easy way to own INJ can now reach it, staking included, through a single ticker.
The launch also shows how far Injective’s work with regulated finance has come. Regulated futures, an SEC-registered transfer agent and now a staked ETF give traditional finance several ways to engage with Injective. As more of the financial system moves onchain, INJC gives a new wave of investors a simple way to be part of it.
This article is sponsored content brought to you by Injective. It is for informational purposes only and is not investment, tax or legal advice, or an offer to buy or sell any security. Read the INJC prospectus, including its risk factors, before investing.
