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

Spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs also saw net positive inflows over the month of October, on significantly elevated trading volume.

‘Big time debut': U.S. spot Solana ETFs draw $200 million in inflows during short debut trading week

Bitcoin

Bitwise‘s Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan says the best crypto investments offer "two ways to win," pointing to Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) as prime examples. What Happened: In a detailed X thread, Hougan explained that Bitcoin investors benefit both from the expansion of the global "store of value" market, now worth roughly $27.5 trillion (gold $25 trillion, BTC $2.5 trillion), and from Bitcoin gaining a larger share of that market.

Solana, Bitcoin Are The 'Two Ways To Win' In Crypto, Bitwise's Matt Hougan Says

Solana SOL$182.49 tumbled 8% on Thursday, extending this week's slide despite the long-anticipated debut of the first spot-based Solana ETFs in the U.S.

Solana Tumbles 8%, Erasing All Year-Over-Year Gains as Spot ETF Debuts Fail to Boost Price

Solana's ( SOL) derivatives market is flashing heightened activity this week as futures and options traders recalibrate positions following the launch of two new exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tied to the token.

ETF Momentum Fuels Solana Derivatives Boom Across Top Exchanges

CME's Solana and XRP futures hit record notional open interest on Monday.

How Solana and XRP Futures Became CME's Fastest Growing Crypto Products

Cardano

Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) and Cardano (CRYPTO: ADA) are flashing buy signals even as both coins plunge 8%. Solana Price Defends $185 Channel Base As Bulls Eye Reversal SOL Price Action (Source: TradingView) Solana trades near $185, down 4.5% in the last session, as the market absorbs sharp volatility.

Solana, Cardano Crater 8% As Bitcoin Dip Causes Another Altcoin Disaster

Bitwise Asset Management said investing in solana SOL$183.07 is effectively making two bets: that the stablecoin and tokenization infrastructure market will grow dramatically, and that the Solana blockchain will secure a larger share of that market.

Crypto Asset Manager Bitwise Makes Case for Solana's Next Big Run

Ethereum

Bitcoin and ether ETFs saw steep redemptions totaling over $550 million on Wednesday, snapping the recent rally. Solana ETFs, however, defied the market mood with a strong $48 million inflow, highlighting growing investor appetite for the rising Layer-1 token.

Bitcoin, Ether ETFs See Heavy Outflows While Solana Shines

The filing suggests Western Union may be planning a broader digital-asset strategy beyond the USDPT stablecoin announced earlier this week.

Western Union files ‘WUUSD' trademark after Solana stablecoin reveal

Hougan argued that Solana benefits from both the growth of stablecoin and tokenization markets and its expanding share within them.

Solana offers ‘two ways to win' as stablecoin and tokenization bets align, Bitwise CIO says

Branded as “the most unhinged platform on the internet,” Dare Markets has raised $2 million in funding to fuel wild stunts with crypto.

Dare Me? This Solana Project Is Paying Out Crypto for Hilarious Stunts

Grayscale's new U.S. spot Solana ETF, GSOL, registered $1.4 million in net inflows on its Oct. 29 trading debut.

Grayscale spot Solana ETF sees $1.4M inflows on debut as over $500M exits Bitcoin and Ethereum funds

Bitwise's Solana ETF roared into 2025 with the year's most dominant debut, with day two trading skyrocketing past launch levels as investors rushed toward Solana exposure, staking rewards, and accelerating institutional crypto adoption.

Solana ETF by Bitwise Dominates 2025 Launches—and Day 2 Blows Past Expectations

Solana's explosive momentum just hit a new milestone as Grayscale's Solana Trust ETF begins trading on NYSE Arca, giving institutions direct, staking-enabled exposure to one of crypto's fastest-growing blockchain ecosystems and signaling unstoppable mainstream adoption.

Grayscale Unleashes Solana ETF With Staking—77% Yield Storm Hits US Markets

The Bitwise Solana Staking ETF's $56 million day-one volume was the most among nearly 850 ETF launches this year.

‘Huge number': Bitwise's Solana ETF crosses $70 million in volume on second day

President Trump appears to be easing his trade war for now, helping his Solana meme coin pump amid what an analyst called a “relief rally.”

President Trump's Solana Meme Coin Is Hot Again, Jumping 46% Amid 'Relief Rally'

Solana Bounces But Stalls Below $200

Solana Company said Wednesday that its solana ( SOL) holdings have increased to more than 2.3 million tokens, marking an addition of roughly 1 million SOL since early October. The firm also reported an average gross staking yield of 7.

Solana Company Expands SOL Position, Claims Higher-Than-Average Staking Returns

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

The Daily: Visa adding support for four stablecoins, Bitwise spot Solana ETF sees $69.5 million inflows on debut, and more

Bitcoin and ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs) continued their strong momentum on Tuesday, pulling in a combined $448 million in inflows. The day also marked a historic debut for Solana ETFs, with Bitwise's BSOL smashing records for a first-day launch.

Bitcoin and Ether Extend Streak With $448 Million Inflow as Solana ETF Debuts

Public firms now hold about 16 million SOL, with corporate treasuries continuing to expand across the ecosystem.

Solana Company adds $20 million in SOL, touts 7% yield as institutional staking funds hit the market

Bonk

BONK-USD extended its slide Tuesday, falling 3.4% to $0.0000143 as the Solana-based meme token succumbed to renewed downard pressure across the broader ecosystem.

BONK Tests Support as Volume Surges 122% in Solana Selloff

Grayscale Investments has launched the Grayscale Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) Trust ETF (GSOL), its first staking-enabled product to uplist under the SEC's new ETP listing standards. What Happened: GSOL offers investors exposure to Solana, though it isn't a direct investment in the token and is not regulated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, meaning it carries higher risk than traditional ETFs.

Grayscale Launches Solana Staking ETF Under New SEC Framework

Headlining a blockbuster day for Solana, which has a record-setting debut for its shiny new staking ETF as well.

Morning Minute: Western Union Chooses Solana for Stablecoin

Grayscale Investments is the latest firm to launch an exchange-traded fund tracking the price of Solana and including staking.

News for Solana Crypto (SOL)