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

Litecoin

The cryptocurrency industry is bracing for a potential surge in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) after Donald Trump's election win, signaling what experts believe could be a transformative era for digital assets in the U.S. What Happened: Market participants are hopeful that a pro-crypto Trump administration will end regulatory gridlock and usher in broader approval for innovative crypto-based financial products, according to a Financial Times report. The Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) recent approval of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs marked a significant milestone after years of regulatory pushback.

Solana, Ripple, Litecoin ETFs May Be On The Table Under Trump Administration, Industry Experts Think

Sol Strategies acquires four new validators to increase investment opportunities for shareholders via staking rewards. New Validators for Sol Strategies Four validators have been acquired by Sol Strategies (HODL), a cryptocurrency investment company run by Leah Wald, former CEO of Valkyrie Investments, for around $18 million in cash and stock.

Sol Strategies Purchases 4 New Validators in $18 Million Deal

The firm will buy validators for SOL, SUI, MONAD and ARCH networks.

Ex-Valkyrie CEO Leah Wald's Investment Firm Buys Four Validators, Including Solana Network's, for Nearly $18M

Solana continues to dominate new token activity, with 89% of new tokens choosing to launch on the network.

Solana powers 89% of new token launches as memecoin craze continues to fuel network activity

The bullish outlook of the crypto market along with recent meme coin listings has seen the Solana ecosystem register staggering trading volumes. Meme Coins Fuelling Solana's Growth Solana (SOL) recently flipped BNB to become the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap.

Meme Coins Soar as Solana Hits $7 Billion Daily Trading Volume

Cardano

Pepe

Retail trading giant Robinhood is announcing the addition of new crypto assets to its burgeoning suite of products. In a new press release, Robinhood says its adding smart contract platforms Solana (SOL) and Cardano (ADA), memecoin Pepe (PEPE), and XRP.

Robinhood Doubles Down on Crypto With Listing of Solana (SOL) XRP, Pepe and Cardano (ADA)

Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) is gaining traction as a strong contender for the next major altcoin rally, with one crypto trader marking a critical level to watch. What Happened: Crypto analyst DonAlt shared mixed views on Solana's recent breakout, describing it on X as "not the strongest" but noting that a breakout is still a positive sign.

Solana Rallies 13% In 7 Days: 'Bullish As Long As $200 Holds,' Says Veteran Trader

Robinhood pared back its crypto listings amid an industry-wide crackdown last year, but it's brought a couple back—along with newcomers.

Robinhood Lists Solana, XRP, Cardano and Pepe—And One Just Hit an All-Time High

Bitcoin

Dogecoin

Ethereum

Coinbase Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN) has introduced the Coinbase 50 Index (COIN50), a new benchmark tracking the performance of the top 50 digital assets listed on the exchange. What Happened: Leading the index, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) holds a weight of 50.3%, followed by Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) at 27.5%, collectively making up a substantial portion.

Coinbase Launches COIN50 Index To Track Top 50 Digital Assets, Includes Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, Solana

Robinhood adds SOL, PEPE, ADA, XRP, Coinbase adds PEPE

Robinhood Adds SOL, PEPE, ADA, XRP Following Trump Victory

Solana has continued to peck away at Ethereum, beating out the number two blockchain in key metrics along the way.

Solana's Value Stuck in Fourth Gear as Network Growth Races Ahead of Ethereum

PYUSD on Ethereum's market cap has remained relatively unchanged in recent months while the supply on Solana has plummeted from its high.

PayPal USD begins using LayerZero to enable transfers between Ethereum and Solana

Expanding beyond its original Stellar deployment will help the project jump further into the burgeoning DePIN space.

‘PayFi' startup Huma Finance expands to Solana in bid to expand trade financing solution

The startup's token centers around the bitcoin basis trade, which exploits price differentials between spot and futures markets.

Solana-based startup uses new interest-bearing mechanism to launch the ‘OpenDelta Perpetual Bond'

A group of polled venture capital firms and hedge funds expected Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) to peak between $100,000 and $150,000 this bull cycle, down from the astronomical forecasts set by other market researchers. What happened: According to the "Q4 2024 Crypto Investment Manager Survey" by venture capital firm MV Global, nearly 45% of the respondents projected the top cryptocurrency to stay within the aforementioned range.

Bitcoin To Peak Between $100K-150K, Solana To Top $600 This Cycle, Say Hedge Funds, VCs

The price of Solana (SOL) has remained positive and bounced off its previous high of $210.

Solana Bounces Back And Reaches Its Previous High Of $259

An analyst with a history of spot-on crypto calls is outlining his bull market targets for Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL). Pseudonymous analyst Bluntz tells his 287,800 followers on the social media platform X that Bitcoin will hit a bull market top at $150,000, Ethereum at $8,000 and Solana at $500.

Trader Unveils Bull Market Targets for Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana, Predicts All-Time High for One Memecoin

A Solana-based meme coin called "Act I : The AI Prophecy" (ACT) has risen by more than 1,650% after being listed on Binance and Crypto.com.

Solana Memecoin ACT Rockets 1,720% on Binance Listing as Altcoin Market Heats Up

For the first time in history, Solana (SOL) has surpassed the $100 billion market capitalization mark.

Solana Surges Past $100 Billion Market Cap Mark After Weekly Gain of 27%

Solana continued pumping Sunday, reaching a price point not seen since 2021 amid optimism over a Trump administration and ETF approvals.

Solana Price Hits 3-Year High—Up 2,500% Since Post-FTX Low

The fourth largest crypto could potentially reach its 2021 record highs in the coming days given its relative strength through crypto's eight-month long consolidation phase, one analyst noted.

Solana Joins $100B Club, Hitting Nearly a Three-Year High Above $210

A Standard Chartered analyst predicted other tokens will soon follow Bitcoin's rise in price, perhaps even outperforming the world's largest cryptocurrency.

As Bitcoin hits $80,000, Standard Chartered calls new Solana peak ‘inevitable' by year's end

In the latest twist of crypto market action, solana (SOL) has waltzed past binance coin (BNB) this week, securing its place as the fourth largest digital asset by market cap. Solana Surges Ahead Currently, solana boasts a market cap of $97.68 billion, capturing 3.66% of the $2.67 trillion crypto economy. As of Nov.

$97 Billion and Growing: Solana's Staggering Climb Captivates Crypto Market

A Solana (SOL)-based decentralized exchange (DEX) altcoin surged by more than 5x on Friday after South Korea's largest crypto exchange rolled out trading support for the asset. Traders on the Seoul-based Upbit can now purchase and unload DRIFT, the native asset for the Drift Protocol, an open-source DEX that enables transparent and non-custodial trading.

Solana Decentralized Exchange Altcoin Skyrockets by More Than 400% on Friday After New Exchange Listing

Trading tools on Solana are immensely profitable. In fact, they tend to rival or exceed DeFi blue chips like Maker, Aave or Lido.

News for Solana Crypto (SOL)