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 Solana dapp ecosystem reached significant monthly revenue numbers in November, with Pumpfun crossing the $100 million mark. Solana Dapp Revenue Goes Parabolic Solana's decentralized applications (dapps) hit an all-time high of $365 million in November. According to Syndica research, Solana's total dapp revenue of $365 million exceeded Solana's network revenue of $92 million.

Solana's Dapps Revenue Hits Record $365 Million

A decentralized real estate trading platform built on smart contract platform Solana (SOL) saw its price rise and dip after gaining support from Coinbase.

Solana (SOL)-Based Decentralized Real Estate Trading Platform Token Rises and Falls Following Coinbase Listing

Bitcoin

Fed Chair Jerome Powell's hawkish comments Wednesday on rate cuts have rattled investors across asset classes.

Bitcoin Dips Below $98K While CoinDesk 20 Plunges 10% Amid Fed-Spurred Rout; SOL Surrenders Post-Election Rally

Few projects in crypto's short history have done more to both capture and shape the culture—for better or worse.

Decrypt's 2024 Project of the Year: Solana Meme Machine Pump.fun

Bitwise Asset Management has launched a Solana staking exchange-traded product (ETP) called BSOL in Europe.

Bitwise Launches Solana Staking ETP in Europe, Offering 6.48% APY and Low Fees

Binance's BNSOL leads the Solana liquid staking ecosystem with its total value locked exceeding $1 billion. BNSOL Hits $1 Billion Mark Binance has announced a major milestone for BNSOL, its Solana liquid staking token.

Binance SOL Liquid Staking Token Surpasses $1 Billion in Total Value Locked

Crypto asset manager Bitwise has launched a Solana staking ETP in Germany while American investors await the U.S. equivalent.

Bitwise Launches Solana Staking Product in Germany as US ETF Hopes Grow

PENGU's debut sparked a surge on the Solana blockchain, resulting in more transactions than the combined activity of other leading blockchains.

Solana Smashes Record With 66.9M Daily Transactions as Pengu Token Debuts

Bitwise expands its suite of crypto staking solutions with the launch of a solana staking exchange-traded product (ETP). Solana ETP Launched in Europe While Bitwise U.S. Solana ETF Stalls Bitwise, a crypto asset management firm has introduced a Solana staking exchange-traded product (ETP) in Europe with the ticker BSOL.

Bitwise Launches Solana ETP in Europe

Ethereum

Litecoin

Bloomberg analysts Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart predict a significant surge in cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in 2025.

Bloomberg Analysts Forecast Launch of Multiple Cryptocurrency ETFs in 2025, Including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP and Litecoin

The regulatory winds have shifted with President-elect Donald Trump and the most pro-crypto Congress ever assembled set to take office.

Bloomberg analysts expect ‘a wave of cryptocurrency ETFs' next year, including Solana and XRP funds

The Pudgy Penguins token PENGU is live on Solana, with $1.5 billion worth of tokens offered to NFT holders, traders, and beyond.

Let It Snow: Pudgy Penguins Release Massive $1.5 Billion PENGU Airdrop on Solana

The PENGU token is launching on the Solana network, with Ethereum and Abstract Chain compatibility to follow.

Pudgy Penguins launch PENGU token on Solana with claims open for 88 days before being burned

A widely followed crypto analyst says that Ethena (ENA), a synthetic dollar protocol built on Ethereum (ETH), looks primed to continue its red-hot streak.

Trader Says Altcoin That's Up over 8x in Under Three Months to Outperform Market, Updates Outlook on Solana

A widely followed crypto analyst says that holders of smart contract platform Solana (SOL) may be due for the same pain Ethereum (ETH) traders felt during previous cycles.

Solana Holders May Be In for Same Pain As Ethereum Bulls, According to Analyst Benjamin Cowen – Here's Why

The price of Solana (SOL) has fallen between the moving average lines since December 2nd. Latest price analysis by Coinidol.com.

Solana Is In A Range And Threatens To Drop Above $171

Asia is home to about 32% of crypto developer activity, Electric Capital's annual study reveals—and new devs favor Solana over Ethereum.

Crypto Developer Activity Surges in Asia as Solana Support Grows: Electric Capital

According to data issued by the national tax enforcer, the adoption of solana and ether is growing in Brazilian markets. Ether's utilization increased significantly, having registered 950,000 transactions moving over $165 million – a relevant increase compared to last year's October numbers, when it scored 600,000 transactions and transferred nearly $40 million.

Ether and Solana Grow in Brazilian Markets

The memecoin was purportedly themed after Drake's cartoon "alter ego" Anita Max Wynn and saw $5 million in trading volume before collapsing.

Musician Drake's X account seemingly hacked, used to promote Solana memecoin

New data from market analytics firm Glassnode reveals that traders are keeping their Solana (SOL) stacks amid expectations that its price will continue to rise.

Crypto Investors HODLing Solana in Anticipation of Higher SOL Prices, According to Analytics Firm

U.S. asset manager VanEck has published its predictions for cryptocurrency prices in 2025, anticipating further bullish price action next year. Prediction #1: New Highs For The Crypto Bull Market VanEck expects the crypto market to reach a medium-term peak in the first quarter of 2025, with Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) potentially hitting $180,000 and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) exceeding $6,000.

Bitcoin To $180,000, Ethereum Over $6,000, Solana To $500: VanEck's 2025 Crypto Predictions

Sol Strategies has announced plans to list on Nasdaq following a remarkable 2,336% increase in its stock since July.

Sol Strategies Eyes Nasdaq Listing Following 2,336% Stock Surge

A recent report by Electric Capital found that Solana became the ecosystem that attracted the most new developers in 2024, overtaking Ethereum. The report calculated that 7,525 developers joined the Solana ecosystem this year, while Ethereum registered 6,456 during the same period. Solana grew its developer base by 83% year-over-year, while Ethereum lost 22%.

Solana Overtakes Ethereum as the Chain With Most New Developers in 2024

Chainalysis has expanded its coverage to include meme coins launched on the Solana-based platform Pump.fun.

Chainalysis Expands Coverage To Include 4 Million Solana Meme Coins from Pump.fun

The publicly-traded crypto holding company has continued to shed previous investments as it double-downs on the Solana ecosystem.

News for Solana Crypto (SOL)