Solana remains at the center of the crypto market’s attention thanks to the rapid expansion of its ecosystem and a noticeable rise in token price. This piece compiles up-to-date Solana news, forecasts for 2025–2029, and the drivers that, according to experts, will shape price dynamics and the blockchain’s positioning among competitors.
Results of Recent Years
Over the recent period, the network has shown a strong uptrend: on the wave of meme culture and the popularity of platforms like Pump.fun and LetsBonk.fun, Solana cemented itself as one of the leaders in this segment. The token price has risen more than tenfold, and market capitalization has reached $109 billion, pushing the project into the top six digital assets by size.
Experts expect Solana to remain one of the most promising L1 ecosystems in the coming years. Its core technical advantages—high throughput and very low fees—work in its favor.
DeFi and On-Chain Metrics
Solana is also gaining in DeFi: aggregate TVL has surpassed $14 billion, placing the network second among industry leaders. Since early 2024, the figure has increased more than eightfold, with an all-time high recorded in January 2025.
Near-Term Outlook: What the “Solana News” Says Now
Standard Chartered sees a move to $275 by the end of 2025—still about 6.5% below the January 2025 peak of $294. The bank attributes the correction to weaker network activity: since November 2024, the number of daily active addresses has more than halved.
Analyst Michael Yang is more upbeat: in his view, the price could reach $250 in the coming months. He highlights three key catalysts:
- a major upgrade that should reduce confirmation time from ~12 seconds to around 150 ms;
- shrinking free float as staking volumes grow;
- rising institutional interest.
VanEck presents the boldest annual scenario: its team allows for a rise to $520 by the end of 2025. According to the firm’s estimates, the smart-contract platform market could reach $1.1 trillion, and Solana’s share could grow from roughly 15% to 22%. Overall, the news backdrop for the project looks constructive.
Meme-Season Risks and the Need for Diversification
A key contribution to the current rally has been the boom in AI meme coins, fueled by the broader interest in artificial intelligence. Analysts, however, warn that excessive reliance on meme assets carries systemic risks. For sustainable development, the Solana ecosystem needs to broaden its footprint in other areas—such as tokenization of real-world assets, payments, and infrastructure for AI applications.
Product Expectations and Market Positioning
Another supportive factor is the expectation of Solana-based exchange-traded products (including potential approvals of new vehicles). That said, Bitwise remains cautious: even if funds receive the green light, unfavorable macro conditions could hinder new all-time highs.
Signals of a Possible Pullback
Several indicators point to an elevated chance of a retracement by fall 2025. The share of SOL addresses in profit has reached about 96%—a local six-month high that has often preceded declines in the past (for example, in July after hitting that level, price fell 23% from $205 to $158). Adding to this picture is a rise in exchange balances: in August, SOL on centralized exchanges increased from roughly 30 million to 32 million coins—signaling some readiness to sell.
According to Glassnode and Coinglass, long-term holders have been taking profits more actively, while the number of short positions is rising. Against this backdrop, analysts do not rule out a move below $200—down to $195 in the short term.
There are also more somber assessments: for instance, Gert van Lagen draws parallels with early symptoms of Terra’s 2022 collapse and believes Solana is gradually ceding ground to a number of other large altcoins. There is no market consensus on this view, but the risk scenario remains on the table.
Long-Term Expectations (2025–2029 and Beyond)
- Standard Chartered: baseline positive—up to $500 by 2029.
- CoinCodex: more conservative—potential correction to ~ $184 in 2026.
- DigitalCoinPrice: upward path—~ $384 in 2026, ~ $559 in 2027, and up to ~ $852 by 2030.
- Super-bullish scenario: with favorable conditions and accelerated ecosystem growth—$1,250–2,000 by 2030.
Concise In-Text Table: Solana Forecasts and Drivers
| Source / Metric | 2025 | 2026–2027 | 2028–2029 | Key Driver / Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Chartered (price) | $275 by year-end | — | up to $500 by 2029 | Monetization, on-chain growth; risk of weaker activity |
| VanEck (price) | up to $520 | — | — | Smart-contract market ~$1.1T; SOL share ↑ |
| CoinCodex (price) | — | $184 (conservative) | — | Risk of correction if metrics weaken |
| DigitalCoinPrice (price) | — | $384 (2026), $559 (2027) | — | Gradual uptrend as the ecosystem expands |
| DeFi TVL | >$14B (ATH in Jan.) | Depends on liquidity inflows | Potentially top-2 | Protocol growth & liquid staking |
| Network tech upgrade | ~12s → ~150ms | Throughput optimization | Validator scaling | Speed/UX; risk of bugs and overload |
| Risks | Overbought, rising CEX balances | Shorts & profit-taking | Macro & regulation | Short-term dip possible to ~ $195 |
Conclusions
Solana ranks among the key L1 platforms with strong technical foundations and a robust ecosystem. Over the next few quarters, the project faces powerful tailwinds (network speed-ups, staking growth, institutional interest, expanding DeFi/AI/payment use cases) as well as headwinds (overbought conditions, rising exchange balances, macro uncertainty). The balance of these forces will likely determine whether SOL can hold higher levels—or first go through a period of deeper consolidation.