London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

Why is the crypto world getting excited about Solana (SOL)?

Why is the crypto world getting excited about Solana (SOL)?

Solana has risen in the ranks to become the seventh-largest crypto, overtaking Dogecoin. We look at the reasons behind the hype.

Solana’s SOL token rose to become the seventh-most valuable cryptocurrency this week, overtaking Dogecoin on Fridayand rising by 21 per cent to reach $139.18 (€117).

In the last month, Solana has soared almost 220 per cent.

The token made its debut only 18 months ago but now has a market value of over $30 billion (€25 billion). So, what are the reasons for Solana’s rise in the cryptosphere?

The main reason Solana has attracted so much attention recently is because of the network’s entry into non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which can be anything digital such as art or music that are sold with tech.

Solana launched Degenerate Ape Academy, which sold a collection of pictures of cartoon apes. 10,000 of them sold in the first 10 minutes, which then drove the SOL token higher as people needed the cryptocurrency to buy the cartoon apes.


Solana has also been helped by the August rally of NFTS, which hit a record in sales of about $900 million (€761 million).

Solana has also focused on DeFi (decentralised finance) projects, which cuts out financial institutions and intermediaries and executes financial transactions over the blockchain in recent months.

What is Solana doing differently?


Solana has prioritised smart contracts, which are programmes stored on the blockchain that run when predetermined conditions are met and automate agreements so that everyone is certain of the outcome. They cut out any intermediary and speed up the process.

This has allowed Solana to take advantage of the NFT market and DeFi.

But other cryptos such as Cardano are also planning to enter the smart contract space, so there will likely be increased competition.


Solana also uses the proof-of-history (PoH) consensus, which means that messages are grouped together so that there is proof and a record of the time of each message. The concept allows for greater scalability and trust on the blockchain.

One of the network’s other main promises is that its users will not be surprised with increased taxes and fees.

Solana logo


Traders have also been speculating on a possible new feature Solana is set to launch in early September but little is known on what the feature could be.

Is Solana a rival for Bitcoin and Ethereum?


According to crypto investment company CoinShares, Solana has picked up more than $7 million (almost €6 million) in investment over the past week. Whereas Bitcoin saw a loss of $2.8 million (€2.3 million) in investment. But Solana is unlikely to knock Bitcoin from the top spot anytime soon.

Solana is seen more as a rival to Ethereum as the tech is cheaper and claims to offer a faster transaction speed, at 50,000 transactions per second.

Are there any threats to Solana?


As more blockchains begin to use smart contracts and move into NFTs, Solana will face more competition in the space it has carved for itself.

But there is another threat. Crypto regulations in China saw Solana’s price fall 60 per cent this summer amid the crypto market crash.

The United States is also investigating the cryptocurrency market, which could pose another threat to the values of all tokens.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
×