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

Ethereum

Ethereum saw a surge in institutional adoption and progress on scaling in 2025, while Solana was stress-testing the network and hardening its infrastructure.

Ethereum and Solana set the stage for 2026's DeFi reboot

Avalanche

Skybridge Capital CEO Anthony Scaramucci named Solana (CRYPTO: SOL), Avalanche (CRYPTO: AVAX) and Toncoin (CRYPTO: TON) as his top three altcoins to watch this year. Why Scaramucci Believes In These Tokens In an Altcoin Daily interview aired on Thursday, Scaramucci picked the three Layer-1 tokens despite their disappointing performance throughout 2025.

Anthony Scaramucci Places His 2026 Altcoin Bets On Solana, Avalanche, Plus This Token He Got 'Wrong' Last Year — Here's Why

Bitcoin

More than 200 new DATs are estimated to have launched in 2025, pushing the value of crypto held by companies beyond $100 billion.

BTC, SOL and HYPE treasury execs forecast M&A, diversification and more institutional adoption in 2026

A top executive at Dragonfly Capital believes the crypto markets will be full of surprises in 2026. Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital, a crypto venture fund, believes Bitcoin (BTC) will print new all-time highs next year. He predicts Bitcoin will soar more than 69% its current value in 2026, while Bitcoin dominance (BTC.

DragonFly Capital Managing Partner Predicts 2026 Will Be a ‘Surprise' – Here's His Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana Outlook

Cronos (CRO) joined Solana (SOL) as a top performer, also rising 1.4%.

CoinDesk 20 Performance Update: Solana (SOL) Gains 1.4%, Leading the Index Higher

ETFs tied to altcoins need to pull in deeper liquidity to match BTC's chill.

XRP and solana volatility in 2025 was twice as bumpy as bitcoin's

Solana shipped and moved quickly this year, but will 2026 be better and faster?

What's Next for Solana in 2026? 5 SOL Predictions for the New Year

Cardano

Asian stocks cooled after a seven-day winning streak, while global equities dipped for the first time in eight sessions.

ETH, ADA SOL slip as year-end selling lingers as bitcoin traders eye $80,000 to $100,000 range

Bitcoin and ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs) ended the holiday-shortened week under pressure, while XRP and solana funds quietly extended their positive momentum. Bitcoin and Ether Funds See Broad Outflows While XRP, Solana Stay Resilient The final full trading week before year-end delivered a familiar pattern.

ETF Recap: Holiday Week Weighs on Bitcoin and Ether as XRP and Solana Hold Firm

Solana (SOL) has recovered above the November 21 price level of $120. Previously, the crypto fell below the $120 support as bulls bought the dips.

Coinidol.com: Solana Resumes Its Range above $120

Launched in Q4 2025, solana spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) wasted no time attracting capital. Strong early inflows, rising liquidity, and steady asset growth position them as a credible new player heading into 2026.

Solana ETFs' 2025 Debut: Fast Start, Strong Demand, Measured Finish

Dogecoin

Altcoins posted broader gains in quiet Sunday trading as bitcoin held a tight range near $88K and analysts weighed crypto against the surge in precious metals.

BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP and DOGE trade higher as precious metals rally keeps macro focus

Solana's (SOL) price has fallen below the moving average lines, but the price range has remained steady above the $120 support and below the moving average lines.

Coinidol.com: Solana Recovers Above the Crucial $120 Threshold

Solana opened 2025 with major momentum, thanks to the Trump meme coin and a new all-time high. But the year wasn't all up and to the right.

The Year in Solana 2025: Trump and Wall Street Take Notice

Bitcoin and major tokens slipped Wednesday as the total crypto market value fell 1.4% to $2.97 trillion, dropping back below the $3 trillion level after another failed attempt to sustain a rebound.

ETH, SOL, ADA slump as bitcoin weakness lingers despite record stocks jump

Solana had a wild 2025 as the chain where degens moved fastest and institutional capital followed at scale.

Solana 2025 Recap: SOL Goes Institutional After Outgrowing Meme Coin Phase

The company manages a portfolio of consumer brands and holds about 2 million SOL, making it the fourth-largest solana treasury of any public company.

Solana treasury-focused Upexi files for up to $1 billion capital raise

Cardano (CRYPTO: ADA) founder Charles Hoskinson and Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko have agreed to build a bridge between their blockchains, ending years of hostility between two tribes. Yakovenko Ends The Tribal War Yakovenko made the first move, saying on X that fighting with Cardano or XRP is “bearish” for the entire crypto space.

Cardano's Hoskinson Says 'Time to Get Cooking' With Solana: Is A SOL-ADA Cooperation Coming?

Institutional investors just sold an overall total of $952 billion in Bitcoin and crypto assets in only one week, according to a new update from Coinshares. This marks the first outflows in four weeks for digital asset investment products.

Institutional Investors Dump Bitcoin and Ethereum, Buy Solana and XRP, Trigger $952,000,000 of Weekly Outflows: CoinShares

Bitwise says shifting crypto narratives are really bullish for Ethereum, Solana, and stablecoins, citing structural demand, ETF accumulation exceeding issuance, and regulatory momentum that could drive the market's next growth phase into 2026 and beyond.

Bitwise Turns ‘Really Bullish' on Ethereum and Solana as Stablecoins Drive Structural Demand Shift

Institutions are gobbling up Solana for their balance sheets. These are the top publicly traded treasuries.

The 5 Largest Publicly Traded Solana Treasury Firms

Solana's 2025 has proven that its builders and its culture continue to keep its ecosystem in crypto's cultural zeitgeist.

Most Influential: The Solana Developers

Cardano (CRYPTO: ADA) founder Charles Hoskinson accused U.S. policymakers of lacking objective, data-driven standards when favoring select cryptocurrencies such as ADA, XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) and Solana (CRYPTO: SOL). Hoskinson Questions Government Crypto Selection Logic Cardano founder argued in an appearance on Decrypt Media that governments should not be making discretionary decisions about which cryptocurrencies belong in official systems without transparent, data-driven standards.

Cardano's Hoskinson Says US Crypto Picks Show 'Zero Objectivity' On ADA, XRP, Solana

Aptos

Developers have begun testing new cryptography to guard against forged transactions and wallet theft, in preparation for a changing world.

Solana, Aptos Move to Harden Blockchains Against Future Quantum Attacks

The firm holds about 6.8 million SOL tokens, more than the next three largest SOL DATs combined, according to The Block's SOL treasury data.

News for Solana Crypto (SOL)