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

Bitcoin

Ethereum

Morgan Stanley has filed with the SEC for a spot Ethereum ETF that includes staking exposure hours after submitting BTC and SOL ETF filings.

Morgan Stanley widens crypto bet with proposed spot Ethereum ETF after Bitcoin and Solana filings

The Wall Street giant is widening its crypto push, following bitcoin and solana ETF filings with a potential ether trust.

Morgan Stanley files for ether trust after bitcoin and solana ETF push

Solana saw $1.4 billion in REV, a controversial measure of user-generated value, while driving down average network fees.

‘The year of revenue, assets, and trading': Ethereum and Solana boast growth in 2025

Cardano

Zcash (CRYPTO: ZEC) is up 780% year-over-year, with Arthur Hayes betting big on privacy coins becoming 2026's dominant narrative, all the while established altcoins Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) and Cardano (CRYPTO: ADA) underperform. Hayes' Privacy Bet The former BitMEX CEO said in his latest essay that his fund, Maelstrom, went heavily long ZEC after accumulating positions in Q3 2025, wagering that privacy will emerge as crypto's dominant narrative this year.

SOL & ADA Are 2025's Trades—This Privacy Coin Leads The 2026 Narrative

One expert says this could nudge other major investment firms to launch in-house branded spot Bitcoin ETFs.

‘Shocker': Morgan Stanley's Bitcoin and Solana ETF filings signal deep institutional commitment to crypto

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

The Daily: Morgan Stanley files for spot Bitcoin and Solana ETFs as inflows enter 2026 ‘like a lion,' and more

The Solana ecosystem is back in good form this week, with practically every major asset seeing impressive growth.

Solana News: Meme Coins Rebound as Crypto Market and SOL Sector Defrost

Solana's (SOL) price has broken above the moving average lines, reaching a high of $137.50.

Coinidol.com: Solana Rebounds with a Peak of $138

Morgan Stanley files for Bitcoin and Solana ETFs as crypto investment products gain Wall Street traction with $119 billion in BTC assets under management.

Morgan Stanley Registers Bitcoin and Solana Funds With SEC

Financial giant Morgan Stanley has officially stepped deeper into crypto's regulated arena, filing paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday, to launch two spot cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tied directly to bitcoin and solana.

Wall Street Heavyweight Morgan Stanley Files for Bitcoin and Solana ETFs

Despite high trading volumes, PumpSwap's fee generation remains modest, with $2.98 million in fees recorded on Monday.

Solana memecoin frenzy sends PumpSwap trading volume to record $1.2 billion

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) filed to launch Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) ETFs on Tuesday, marking the first crypto ETF push by a major U.S. bank. Meanwhile, spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in net inflows of $1.16 billion in two days.

Morgan Stanley Files For Bitcoin, Solana ETFs As Institutions Buy $1.16B In 2 Days

Morgan Stanley has filed S-1 registration statements for spot Bitcoin and Solana ETFs as U.S. spot ETF trading volumes surpass $2 trillion.

Morgan Stanley files with SEC for spot Bitcoin and Solana ETFs

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

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

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.

News for Solana Crypto (SOL)