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

Crypto wallet provider MetaMask announced Tuesday that Solana is now supported via a web browser extension.

MetaMask wallet adds native Solana support via browser extension

The bank's Head of Digital Assets thinks Solana needs to find use cases in "high-throughput financial apps."

Solana Price to Lag Ethereum's While Network Addresses Scaling Issues: Standard Chartered

Users of Solana may now access the network through a MetaMask wallet.

The Solana Network Is Now Live on MetaMask

Metamask has officially integrated Solana into its browser extension, allowing users to manage SOL and SPL tokens alongside Ethereum-based assets within a single interface. This move marks Metamask's first support for a non-EVM chain, with mobile integration expected soon.

Metamask Integrates Solana for Seamless Multi-Chain Token Management

Labubu dolls are so popular Pop Mart stores have stopped selling them, causing a related Solana meme coin to soar.

Solana Labubu Meme Coin Shoots to $49 Million After Viral Toy Sales Halted

Ethereum

Solana's (CRYPTO: SOL) reliance on meme coin trading as its dominant use case could hold back its performance relative to Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) for the foreseeable future, according to Standard Chartered's Head of FX and Digital Assets Research Geoffrey Kendrick. What Happened: In a note sent to Benzinga on Tuesday, Kendrick stated that real-world applications on Solana, such as high-throughput financial platforms and consumer-facing services like social media, are "still some years away" from scaling meaningfully.

Solana To Trail Ethereum, Says Standard Chartered: 'We Are Past Peak Meme Coin'

Solana SOL is expected to underperform ether ETH over the next two to three years, investment bank Standard Chartered (STAN) said in a research report Tuesday initiating coverage of the cryptocurrency.

Solana Could Hit $275 by Year-End, $500 by 2029-End: Standard Chartered

Solana may lag Ethereum in the near term until new use cases beyond memecoins gain traction, according to Standard Chartered.

Standard Chartered sees Solana reaching $500 by 2029, but expects it to underperform Ethereum in the near term

One Instagram post explicitly claimed Gokal 'should have' paid 40 BTC, suggesting a potential blackmail attempt.

Solana co-founder's personal ID leaked on Hiphop group Migos' Instagram page in apparent data breach

Dogecoin

Toncoin

Stellar

A widely followed crypto analyst says that meme asset Dogecoin (DOGE) is facing a crucial turning point while updating his outlook on a handful of other altcoins. In a new thread, crypto trader Ali Martinez tells his 138,500 followers on the social media platform X that resistance around the $0.

Analyst Says Dogecoin Facing ‘Most Important' Resistance Wall, Updates Outlook on Solana, Stellar and Toncoin

Veteran trader Peter Brandt ignited a firestorm in the crypto world by pitting XRP against solana, spotlighting bullish breakout patterns that could reshape the altcoin leaderboard.

Peter Brandt Ignites XRP or SOL Clash With Bold $100K Trading Scenario

Swiss luxury watchmaker Franck Muller has partnered with Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) blockchain to launch the Franck Muller 41mm Solana limited edition watch, retailing for $24,331 (20,000 Swiss francs). The collaboration represents a first-of-its-kind fusion of traditional Swiss craftsmanship with Web3 technology.

Would You Wear Your Crypto? Franck Muller Unveils $24K Solana Watch With Built-In Wallet

Solana, a top-10 cryptocurrency project, has announced a change to its consensus protocol to turbocharge the network's performance. Alpenglow, the new implementation, reduces latency to near Web2 levels, making Solana capable of competing with Web2 providers.

Increased Bandwidth, Reduced Latency: Solana Proposes New Consensus Protocol

Luxury watchmaker Franck Muller has partnered Solana to launch a limited edition watch, the Franck Muller 41mm Solana. Blending High Watchmaking With Web3 Swiss luxury watchmaker Franck Muller has partnered with the Solana blockchain to launch a limited edition timepiece.

Luxury Watchmaker Franck Muller Debuts Timepiece With Built-In Solana Wallet

The cryptocurrency market faces renewed pressure as Solana (SOL) dropped below its stable $177 trading range, reflecting broader concerns about global economic stability.

Solana Plunges 5% as Midnight Sell-Off Signals Institutional Exit

Learn how to stake Solana and earn rewards. This guide covers staking basics, staking Solana, and maximizing your earnings on the Solana blockchain.

How To Stake Solana And Earn Rewards

If you've ever wanted to have your Solana wallet on your wrist while flexing your wealth, Swiss watchmaker Franck Muller is making that a reality.

Swiss watchmaker Franck Muller Unveils Limited Edition Solana Watch

The integration "marks the beginning of a multichain journey," said the multi-chain protocol—with more in the pipeline.

WalletConnect Token Lands on Solana With WCT Airdrop

On Friday, Kalshi—the federally regulated prediction exchange headquartered in New York City—disclosed that it now permits solana ( SOL) deposits for account funding.

Kalshi Continues to Double Down on Crypto, Adds Solana to Betting Arsenal

The WalletConnect Foundation will airdrop 5 million WCT to active Solana users via partners like Phantom, Jupiter, Backpack and Solflare.

WalletConnect token expands to Solana with 5 million WCT set for airdrop

President Trump's exclusive crypto dinner Thursday became the launchpad for one attendee's meme coin, but it didn't go so well.

Someone Launched a Solana Meme Coin From the Trump Crypto Dinner—It Flopped

Bitcoin

Worldcoin

Crypto deposits on Kalshi give a user faster funding and a higher deposit limit of $500,000, the company says.

Kalshi now accepts Solana after adding support for Bitcoin, USDC, and WLD

Leading cryptocurrency Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) hit new all-time highs this week, a positive for investors who have been buying and holding crypto for years or newer investors who have bought crypto or Bitcoin ETFs in recent months. One member of Congress likely isn't smiling when looking at the Bitcoin chart, as he cashed out too early.

Congressman Bought Bitcoin, Solana, XRP In December — And Didn't HODL: A Look At Missed Profits By Selling Before BTC All-Time Highs

The San Francisco-based crypto exchange Kraken is bringing tokenized versions of popular US-listed stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETF) to its clients in select non-US markets. In a statement, Kraken says it partnered with the tokenized stocks and ETF issuer Backed to launch xStocks on the Solana (SOL) blockchain.

Kraken Taps Solana Blockchain To Roll Out Tokenized American Stocks and ETFs for Non-US Traders

R3 announced a strategic collaboration with the Solana Foundation aimed at merging public and private blockchain networks to enhance institutional access to digital capital markets. This partnership will leverage R3's enterprise-grade private blockchain technology alongside solana's high-performance public mainnet, facilitating the integration of regulated financial institutions with tokenized real-world assets (RWAs).

News for Solana Crypto (SOL)