Solana on the rise: top 3, ETF inflows and payment giants

Solana (SOL) is on a remarkable rise. Where the network was mainly known a few years ago for speed and low costs, in 2026 it is moving toward the heart of the crypto market. We calmly lay out the most important developments.

Solana in the top 3

In the authoritative Crypto 100 ranking by Fortune, Solana is in the top three of blockchains and protocols in 2026 — only Bitcoin and Ethereum rank higher. Solana is praised for its high-throughput architecture, which makes the network suitable for decentralized apps, the launch of new tokens and the settlement of stablecoins.

ETF inflows of nearly a billion

Interest from large parties is clearly visible in the figures. US spot Solana ETFs saw inflows of nearly 1 billion dollars, of which roughly half comes from institutional parties such as hedge funds. As with the Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs earlier, this gives a coin extra legitimacy and access to capital that previously stayed outside crypto.

Payment giants choose Solana

Perhaps most important for the long term: large international payment companies like Visa, Stripe and PayPal now use Solana's infrastructure. Those partnerships revolve mainly around stablecoin services — fast, cheap settlement of digital euro and dollar stablecoins. It shows that Solana is not only a speculative object but is also gaining real applications.

Growing network activity

DeFi volumes, the number of active wallets and stablecoin usage rose again in the first months of 2026. Several analysts see this as confirmation that Solana is solidifying as infrastructure for future crypto applications.

What should you watch out for?

Rapid growth also brings risks. Solana has had network outages in the past, and a high valuation can correct hard if market sentiment turns. As always: do your own research and only invest what you can afford to lose. New? Start with our beginner's guide, and compare safe, regulated platforms here.

Sources: Fortune Crypto 100 (2026), market data June 2026.