The Solana (SOL) ecosystem demonstrated notable growth in the second quarter (Q2) of the year, particularly in terms of Decentralized Finance (DeFi) total value locked (TVL). Solana DeFi TVL Soars 30% According to market analysis firm Messari, the total value locked in DeFi on the Solana ecosystem surged by 30.4% quarter-over-quarter, reaching $8.6 billion. This growth solidified Solana’s position as the second-largest network in DeFi TVL. However, the quarter was not without its challenges. Average daily spot decentralized exchange (DEX) volume experienced a sharp decline of 45.4%, dropping to $2.5 billion, attributed to the waning excitement surrounding memecoins. Related Reading: Bitcoin Bulls Must Survive Brutal September Before Q4 Hope, Analyst Predicts The stablecoin market on Solana also faced headwinds, with its market cap decreasing by 17.4% to $10.3 billion, positioning it third among networks. A significant portion of this growth earlier in the year was fueled by the launch of the official TRUMP token on January 17, which injected substantial liquidity into the ecosystem and created high-liquidity trading pairs utilizing Circle’s USDC stablecoin. Despite the decline, the stablecoin market’s sustained growth indicates that much of the new capital has remained within the Solana network, according to the firm’s findings. By the end of Q2 2025, USDC’s market cap stood at $7.2 billion, reflecting a 25.2% decline and a 69.5% market share. Meanwhile, Tether’s USDT maintained its position as the second-largest stablecoin on Solana, holding a steady $2.3 billion. Network Activity In terms of staking, Solana’s liquid staking rate rose to 12.2%, an increase of 16.8% from the previous quarter. With 64.8% of SOL’s circulating supply now staked, this growth in liquid staking enhances the DeFi ecosystem, supporting yield-bearing opportunities for SOL holders. Solana’s circulating market cap also grew by 29.8% to $82.8 billion, placing it sixth among all cryptocurrencies, behind Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Tether, XRP, and Binance Coin (BNB). The non-fungible token (NFT) market, however, faced a downturn, with average daily trading volume plummeting by 46.4% to approximately $979,500 in Q2. Despite this decline, Solana’s NFTs continue to lead in creator royalties. Related Reading: Ethereum Hits $4,350 Liquidity Pool: Can Demand Hold? Network activity remained relatively stable, with average daily fee payers decreasing slightly by 1.4% to 3.9 million, while non-vote transactions rose by 4% to 99.1 million. The average transaction fee saw a significant drop of 59.6%, settling at just $0.01. On a broader scale, total staked value hit an all-time high of $102 billion on January 18, coinciding with SOL’s peak price of approximately $295. By the end of Q2, the total staked SOL had increased by 25.2% to $60 billion. Messari’s analysis hints that while the Solana ecosystem is navigating through a phase of “adjustment,” its foundational metrics and continued development might signal a promising outlook for the future. As of this writing, SOL’s price stands at $184.50, recording a 4.4% drop in the past 24 hours. When compared to its $293 record reached earlier this year, SOL’s price trades nearly 40% below. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com
Solana has had an impressive year. After worrying dips in late 2022, the bounce of the second half 2023 thrusted the platform to the top five. At spot rates, not only is SOL, the native token up 100% over the last 10 months, but the network is now a meme coin hub. Solana is the […]
As the cryptocurrency landscape continues to evolve with numerous layer-1 and layer-2 blockchains, the decentralized finance (DeFi) platform Drift is making significant advancements on the Solana (SOL) blockchain. Recently, Drift announced a successful $25 million Series B funding round led by crypto venture firm, Multicoin Capital. This funding will help propel Drift’s vision of becoming […]
A new method used by fraudsters has emerged, catching Solana (SOL) holders off guard on the Pump.fun platform, leading to significant losses. Going by the pseudonym “Short Form King”, a crypto researcher sheds light on this new trend and exposes the tactics used by these fraudsters. Rising Threat To Solana Holders A recent social media post […]
The Solana Foundation recently launched two new tools to facilitate the integration of Web3 capabilities into mainstream platforms and the adoption of blockchain. In a series of social media posts, the foundation launched “Actions” and “Blockchain Links” (Blinks), which, according to the announcement, is a step forward in allowing developers to build blockchain functionality into websites and social media platforms. Alongside these developments, the Solana ecosystem continues to expand its tooling and services, with notable advancements in transaction cost reduction and network efficiency. Seamless Web3 Transactions? Actions, one of the newly introduced tools, allows users to engage in Web3-native transactions, including asset transfers, non-fungible token (NFT) interactions, voting, betting, and tipping content creators. Complementing Actions, Blinks allows developers to format any Action into a shareable link, transforming websites and social media platforms into practical entry points for blockchain interactions. These tools reportedly provide an important bridge between traditional web applications and decentralized finance (DeFi), facilitating the integration of blockchain capabilities into everyday digital experiences. Related Reading: Crypto Research Firm Says Bitcoin Crash Below $60,000 May Not Be The End, Here’s Why In addition, to optimize transaction costs, Light Protocol and Helius Labs recently launched a testnet for ZK Compression on the Solana network. ZK Compression uses zero-knowledge proofs and call data to reduce the cost of transactions on the network. By minimizing the amount of on-chain data stored, ZK Compression enables considerable fee savings by reducing the computational demand of Solana transactions. Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Helius Labs, estimates that ZK Compression can cut the cost of airdropping tokens to one million users on Solana from $260,000 to just $50, providing a compelling, cost-efficient solution. Mumtaz further stated: example cost difference: take an airdrop to 1,000,000 users. This today would cost over $260,000 for state alone. Now, it’s $50 — 5,200x cheaper. But a token account is just one example of this — *everything* on Solana is an account, meaning everything can be scaled. ZK Compression On Solana While ZK Compression has garnered praise for its cost-saving potential, critics from the Ethereum community argue that it functions as a Layer 2 (L2) solution, contrary to Solana’s anti-Layer 2 ethos. Some skeptics contend that ZK Compression essentially operates as an L2 feature or a validity-based rollup. Adam Cochran, VP of Operations at SBT Partners, stated that ZK Compression is an L2 solution. In response, Anatoly Yakovenko, Solana’s co-founder, highlighted that ZK Compression addresses many issues commonly associated with Ethereum-based L2 solutions. Yakovenko emphasized its independence from security council multisigs, chain ID switches, governance tokens, and external sequencers while ensuring Solana validators receive transaction fees. SOL Price Analysis SOL experienced a temporary dip on Monday, with its price reaching a low of $122. However, crypto analyst “Skew A” has examined SOL’s 4-hour chart and pointed out its rebound, surpassing the recovery of other large tokens. According to “Skew A,” specific factors need to be considered when assessing SOL’s potential uptrend and price recovery. Firstly, SOL’s price movement above the 1-day 200MA (Moving Average) is a positive signal. This suggests the token’s value is trending above the average price over the past 200 days, indicating a potentially bullish sentiment. Furthermore, confirmation of SOL’s upward trend would involve observing higher highs (HH) above $150. Related Reading: 10x Your Crypto Portfolio: Top Analyst Highlights 4 Altcoins To Buy In the past 24 hours, SOL has notably recovered with a 9% increase, bringing its current trading price to $138. This upward movement positions the token favorably as it aims to surpass key resistance levels on its path toward consolidating above the significant milestone of $200. To reach the $200 mark, SOL must overcome and successfully breach major resistance walls at $150, $162, $174, and $186. These levels represent significant hurdles that must be surpassed before potentially breaking through the crucial $200 threshold. It remains to be seen whether the ongoing momentum and positive developments within the Solana ecosystem will sustain SOL’s current recovery and enable it to retest the higher price levels achieved in recent months. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com
Peer-to-peer payments company and stablecoin (USDC) issuer Circle has announced its integration with the Solana (SOL) blockchain, bringing several important new features to its Web3 services. According to Wednesday’s announcement, the strategic move will enable Circle to offer programmable wallets and gas stations and allow developers and businesses to build and launch on-chain applications. Advantages […]
Some traders may have speculated on the price of the wrong token, while a 17-year-old trader claims to have raked in $1 million in airdrops of the real Jupiter token.