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

Speed matters, and so does the timing of that 100k TPS test with SOL ETFs and TreasuryCos likely around the corner.

Morning Minute: Solana Hits 100K TPS

Avalanche

Ethereum

The token could offer investors a yield in the future.

Wyoming's 'Frontier' Stablecoin Debuts on Ethereum, Solana and Avalanche

Bitcoin

Brokerage firm Bernstein on Tuesday reaffirmed its most bullish outlook on digital assets, projecting Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) to reach $200,000 while identifying Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) as the altcoins most likely to lead the next cycle. What Happened: The firm said, "Our highest conviction view remains Bitcoin at $200k this cycle," adding that Ethereum and Solana "are set to outperform, leading innovation and adoption in decentralized applications.

Bitcoin To $200,000 Is Bernstein's 'Highest Conviction,' But Solana, Ethereum Will Outperform Elsewhere

Bitlayer, a bitcoin (BTC) DeFi infrastructure project, has partnered with Kamino Finance and Orca to bring its bitcoin-backed token, YBTC, to the Solana ecosystem.

Bitlayer's YBTC Enters Solana as the DeFi Project Partners With Kamino Finance, Orca

Crypto markets spent the past 24 hours unwinding bullish bets as $270 million in liquidations hit traders, led by ether (ETH) and bitcoin (BTC) longs.

Crypto Traders Eye Jackson Hole as Ether, XRP, Solana Drop Sharply in Retreat

In the second quarter of 2025, Solana's ecosystem experienced mixed performance across key metrics. Total application revenue dropped 44.2% to $576.4 million, while the app revenue capture ratio increased from 126.5% to 211.6%. Application Revenue Plunge According to the latest Messari report, the total application revenue generated on Solana plunged 44.2% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ), from $1.

Solana App Revenue Plunges 44% in Q2 Despite Efficiency Gains

Solana achieved a major accomplishment over the weekend, processing a massive amount of transactions per second. Here's how it went down.

Solana Handles 100K Transactions Per Second in Test Run: Here's Why It Matters

Pump.fun

Pump.fun's share of the Solana memecoin launchpad market has swung from as low as 5% roughly two weeks ago to 90% as of Sunday.

Solana memecoin launchpad war flips again as Pump takes top spot amid LetsBonk collapse

The price of Solana (SOL) has fallen further as it is rejected at the $195 barrier.

Solana Sinks To Its Important Support At $178

Bitcoin's (CRYPTO: BTC) recent breakdown below support has injected caution across the cryptocurrency market, but certain altcoins are displaying resilience. According to market commentary from pseudonymous analyst EmperorBTC on Monday, Bitcoin failed to hold a key support level and warned that if a bearish retest plays out with low trading volume, price could slide further.

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana Struggle But This Crypto Keeps Outperforming In The Dip

Solana briefly recorded more than 100,000 transactions per second (TPS) on its mainnet over the weekend, block data shows.

Solana Briefly Hits 100K TPS Under Stress Load, Boosting SOL Appeal

Crypto markets traded sideways heading into Monday, with bitcoin (BTC) holding near $115,000 and ether (ETH) above $4,200, as traders weigh whether a potential Fed rate cut in September will extend digital assets' risk-on momentum or revive correlations with gold.

Solana's SOL, XRP Dive 5% Amid Profit-Taking; Bitcoin Traders Eye Gold Divergence

DeFi Development Corp. has priced an upsized $112.5 million private offering of convertible notes to bolster its corporate treasury, including further acquisition of solana ( SOL). Company Funds SOL Strategy With Convertible Notes Worth $112.5 Million The Nasdaq-listed company (DFDV) announced the 5.

DeFi Development Corp. Funds SOL Strategy With Convertible Notes

The increase follows the Company's acquisition of 110,000 SOL (roughly $22 million) at an average price of $201.68

Solana treasury DeFi Development Corp's stockpile grows to $263 million in SOL

The commission has exercised its final procedural extension for Solana ETF applications, citing the need for additional time to review.

SEC Punts Decision Deadlines for Solana ETFs by Two Months

The Securities and Exchange Commission is postponing decisions on whether to approve proposals for Solana exchange-traded funds.

US SEC delays decision on Solana ETF proposals from Bitwise and 21Shares to October

On-chain analytics firm Santiment has highlighted that Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH), Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) and OKB (CRYPTO: OKB) are currently the top three trending tokens in terms of sentiment, outperforming Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) in the process. What Happened: In a detailed X post on Aug 12, Santiment noted Ethereum trending due to discussions around its price, including speculation about hitting $5,000.

Ethereum, Solana Lead Crypto Social Media Discussions — What About Bitcoin?

A rare technical setup in Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) is drawing attention from traders and analysts, with market conditions aligning in ways that could strengthen the case for a new wave of treasury adoption. What Happened: The pattern, which in past instances preceded steep declines, this time failed to trigger downside follow-through, holding key uptrend support and sparking speculation over whether Solana could be next in line for institutional treasury allocations, according to a new 10x Research report.

Bitcoin Taps $124,000 Overnight But This Solana Setup Is The Real Story

Cardano

Shiba Inu

Bitcoin (BTC) hit a record high above $124,000, and momentum has since eased off. Analysts said profit-taking by long-term holders has been capping gains above $120,000 since mid-July.

Markets Today: ADA, SOL Lead Futures Market Activity, SHIB Burn Rate Explodes

USDC

Coinbase is driving a major leap in USDC adoption on Solana, locking it as the default stablecoin across Squads' core products, powering next-gen decentralized finance. Coinbase Just Hit the Gas on USDC Adoption Across Solana's Core Layers Crypto exchange Coinbase (Nasdaq: COIN) and onchain infrastructure provider Squads announced on Aug.

USDC Adoption on Solana Enters Hyperdrive With Coinbase and Squads Alliance

Solana's (CRYPTO: SOL) 18% surge over the past week comes amid strong ETF inflows and real-world adoption, fueling talk of a full-blown "SOL season" revival. Cryptocurrency Ticker Price Market Cap 7-Day Trend Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) $198.08 $106.9 billion +18.3% Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) $121,834.84 $2.4 trillion +5.5% Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) $4,714.14 $569.2 billion +29% Trader Notes: Altcoin Sherpa says $200 is both a psychological barrier and a critical support/resistance zone for SOL.

Solana Soars 18% In 1 Week: Can It Outperform Bitcoin, Ethereum?

"Altcoin season" is heating up again, as signs point to continued momentum for Ethereum, Solana and Cardano. Here's why.

Ethereum, Solana, Cardano Help Send Crypto Markets to Record $4.2 Trillion: Analysis

Recent tests show that "timing games," intentional slot delays combined with latency optimization, can raise Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) validator rewards by up to 3% annually, according to a new performance analysis by Chorus One. The findings challenge prior public remarks from Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko, who said in May 2024 that incentives for such strategies were insufficient.

Gaming The System: How Solana Validators Can Boost Rewards 3% Through 'Timing Games'

The following article is adapted from The Block's newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.

The Daily: Ethereum Foundation sells ETH as price nears all-time high, Solana hits $200 as broader altcoin market heats up, and more

PUMP traded at its initial coin offering price of $0.004 on Wednesday, as the platform asserted market dominance for seven consecutive days.

News for Solana Crypto (SOL)