Solana

Solana is an open source project implementing a new, high-performance, permissionless blockchain. Solana is a general purpose blockchain similar to Ethereum. End user applications as of now include decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFT), marketplaces, games, and more. It aims to improve scalability by introducing a proof-of-history (PoH) consensus combined with the underlying proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus of the blockchain.

Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko published a whitepaper describing Proof of History, a technique that would become critical to Solana's blockchain infrastructure, in Nov. 2017. 

Co-founder Greg Fitzgerald, who had worked with Yakovenko at Qualcomm, began prototyping the open source implementation of the whitepaper. It was published under the name Silk in 2018. 

After starting the company under the name Loom, Yakovenko, Fitzgerald, and other co-founders rebranded to Solana. Solana launched on Mainnet Beta in March 2020.

Solana was built to facilitate the development of scalable, user-friendly decentralized apps with low costs and high speeds for transactions.

Solana believes its unique blockchain architecture that combines the proof-of-stake consensus mechanism and its own proof of history mechanism is the key to achieving these goals.

Proof of history works almost like a cryptographic timestamp that proves that an event has occurred at a specific time. It enables the blockchain to work fast while maintaining security and decentralization.

There are about 304 million SOL in circulation as of November 2021. Solana has an initial inflation rate of 8%, which will decrease by 15% a year until it reaches a long-term inflation rate of 1.5%. SOL is Solana’s native token.

Solana competes with other blockchain platforms such as Ethereum and Avalanche to host crypto projects such as NFTs, decentralized exchanges, and gaming. 

Developers and users flocked from Ethereum to Solana due to high transaction costs, but many could gravitate back towards Ethereum if it manages to lower costs, which could happen as a result of the Ethereum 2.0 upgrade and layer 2 rollups. 

Solana.com
Docs.solana.com/history
Forums.solana.com

The strong early inflows suggest institutions are favoring Bitwise's direct staking model as Solana ETFs start gaining traction.

Bitwise's Solana ETF Draws $69.5M on Debut, Outpacing Rival Fund's Launch

Hedera

Litecoin

Hedera, Solana and Litecoin struggled to gain momentum following the debut of their first spot exchange-traded funds on Wall Street on Tuesday. Bullish Sentiment Fades SOL, the sixth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, fell over 3% in the last 24 hours, with trading volume jumping 25%.

Solana Slips Even As Spot ETF Posts Strong Volume On First Day: Litecoin, HBAR Fail To Impress Wall Street

Crypto just hit a new gear as three groundbreaking spot ETFs—focused on SOL, HBAR, and LTC—launched under the 1933 Act, unleashing regulated access to top digital assets and igniting a surge of institutional enthusiasm across markets.

SOL, HBAR, LTC ETFs Begin Trading in US, Marking New Era for Regulated Crypto Access

The first ETFs to track the spot price of Litecoin and HBAR made their debuts Tuesday, along with a new staked SOL fund.

New crypto ETFs tracking Litecoin, Hedera and Solana generate $65 million in day-one trading volume

This shift was likely caused by many factors in market appetite, user preferences, and structural changes that significantly impacted flows.

Hyperliquid and BNB Chain capture majority of L1 fees as Solana fades amid derivatives boom

Western Union plans to launch a stablecoin called the U.S. Dollar Payment Token (USDPT) for its payment network next year.

Western Union to Launch Stablecoin on Solana With Anchorage Digital

Payments giant Western Union (NYSE:WU) is making a major leap into crypto, announcing plans to launch a U.S. dollar–backed stablecoin, USDPT, on the Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) blockchain in the first half of 2026. What Happened: The stablecoin will be issued by Anchorage Digital Bank and aims to provide faster, cheaper cross-border transfers for Western Union's 100 million global customers while minimizing currency volatility, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Western Union To Enter Crypto Market With Solana-Powered Stablecoin Launch In 2026

CEO Devin McGranahan first signaled the company was exploring stablecoin integrations as early as July, inspired by the GENIUS Act.

Western Union plans stablecoin launch on Solana for early 2026

Western Union will launch a dollar-backed stablecoin on Solana's network in 2026 to help customers with international payments.

Western Union to Launch USDPT Stablecoin on Solana

Solana's (CRYPTO: SOL) first-ever U.S. staking ETF has launched to overwhelming demand, despite a government shutdown and a consolidating crypto market. What Happened: Bitwise introduced the Bitwise Solana Staking ETF (BSOL), offering investors exposure to Solana's growth potential while earning its 7%+ average staking yield.

Solana's First USStaking ETF Could Be 'Huge', Bitwise's Matt Hougan Says

Bitcoin

Ethereum

The first spot ETFs for Solana, Hedera and Litecoin began trading Tuesday on NYSE and Nasdaq, expanding regulated crypto investment options beyond bitcoin and ether.

Solana ETFs Could Draw Over $3B If Bitcoin, Ether ETF Trends Repeat

Market optimism and U.S. ETF launches fuel SOL's spike to $200+, while Jupiter brings prediction market giant Kalshi to Solana.

Solana News: Solana Flexes Huge Institutional Wins, SOL Hits $200+

The ETF floodgates are about to open, with three new cryptocurrencies set to have ETFs launched today: Litecoin, Hedera and Solana.

Morning Minute: Solana Staking ETF Goes Live Today

Cardano

The collaboration has already enabled more than $2 billion in staked assets since launching in early 2024.

Coinbase Prime and Figment expand institutional staking to Solana, Cardano, Sui and other networks

The update rolls out automatically, requiring no user action, and will be made a default standard for MetaMask.

MetaMask goes multichain: one account supports EVM, Solana and soon Bitcoin

Altcoin ETFs are landing this week, with Canary's Litecoin and Hedera funds and Bitwise and Grayscale Solana ETFs set to begin trading.

Solana, Litecoin and Hedera ETFs to Begin Trading This Week

Bitwise is next up to the plate as it plans to launch its ETF tracking Solana, the sixth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.

Solana ETFs in the spotlight: Bitwise's BSOL to debut on NYSE on Tuesday

This launch is notable for two key reasons: it is Asia's first spot Solana ETF and it dramatically expands the suite of virtual asset ETFs already available in Hong Kong, which includes existing spot Bitcoin and Ethereum funds, Coinidol.com reports.

Hong Kong Solidifies Asia's Crypto Hub Status With Launch Of Spot Solana ETF

The New York Stock Exchange posted listing notices on Monday for four spot crypto ETFs set to begin trading as early as Tuesday. This comes as the SEC is closed amid the U.S. government's ongoing shutdown.

NYSE Lists Solana, Hedera, Litecoin Spot Crypto ETFs for Trading This Week

This follows earlier SEC guidance allowing firms to go public by filing an S-1 without a delaying amendment, enabling a launch after 20 days.

Crypto ETFs tracking SOL, HBAR and Litecoin expected to launch this week despite government shutdown

Zcash

Privacy-focused cryptocurrency ZEC$354.99 has recently surged in price, prompting multiple blockchains to integrate the token into their ecosystems.

Restoring Privacy to ZEC on Solana via Encifher

As the Solana ecosystem is preparing for the upgrade to come at the end of this year or in early 2026, Repetny shares how he thinks this shift could expand validator participation and improve decentralization, even as higher hardware demands loom.

Solana's Marinade Labs CEO Eyes Lower Barrier to Entry for Validators After 'Alpenglow' Upgrade

Bitcoin climbed above $113,000 in late Asian hours Sunday, its highest in nearly two weeks, as traders welcomed signs of progress in US–China trade talks that eased fears of another tariff spiral.

Bitcoin Tops $113K, SOL, ADA, ETH Jump as US–China Trade Progress Lifts Risk Appetite

Solana SOL$193.20 traded around $191.95 at 15:45 UTC on Oct. 25, after a push toward $195 faded, with traders watching whether the market can hold the high-$180s and convert $192–$195 into a base.

SOL Now on Fidelity's Retail Platform as Price Tests $195 While $188 Support Draws Focus

The crypto market, starved of fresh economic data due to the prolonged U.S. government shutdown, will finally get a key data point with the release of September's Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Friday.

News for Solana Crypto (SOL)