For those keeping a close eye on the ever-evolving world of blockchain, one name has consistently stood out in recent months: Solana. Anjali Mehra is a DeFi opinion columnist for CoinDesk, formerly a journalist for institutional and financial technology topics who enjoyed turning early stage developments into engrossing narratives. First, she dives into Solana’s impressive revenue dominance and what it could mean for the network’s future—and its native token SOL. GreedyChain.com gives a simple and straightforward comparison of Layer 1 solutions. It guides you through Layer 2 scaling, provides you with DeFi news in a digestible format sans the tech lingo. This article will explore Solana’s recent boom, its upside potential, and the key drivers that will determine which direction the chain heads.
The Solana blockchain has been causing a stir, and with good cause. Just as a comparison, in July of 2025, Solana brought in an amazing $87 million in network revenue. This is not only a temporary win. With this, Solana has officially ranked first among all blockchain networks in dollar revenue for ten months in a row! To put this into perspective, Solana’s revenue is more than Ethereum (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC)—two established behemoths in the cryptocurrency space. This dominance begs the question: What's driving this surge? A combination of factors have fueled Solana’s revenue success, attributing its establishing ecosystem, technological developments, and rising adoption, among others.
Solana's ecosystem has experienced explosive growth. Today, as of March 2025, there are more than 1,000 projects residing on Solana. This exciting ecosystem crosses multiple sectors from decentralized finance (DeFi) to NFTs and dApps. His reasoning goes back to simple economics—the more projects that are built on Solana, the more transactions that will happen across the network, driving revenue up. Furthermore, Solana's developer base is booming. Heading into Q1 2025, there are more than 2,000 active developers working on the Solana ecosystem. This new flood of talent and creativity guarantees constant innovation and improvement, drawing even more projects and users to the network like a gravitational well.
Solana has continued to build upgrades such as Firedancer, a validator client that would ensure even more scalability. Indeed, scalability will be an important consideration for any blockchain network worth its salt that wishes to achieve mass adoption. Solana’s technology allows the network to process a massive number of transactions per second without incurring high costs. This idealism has in turn drawn churned up developers and users both to the platform. This technological edge manifests itself instantly and directly into expanded network activity and corresponding revenue. That incentive to get a piece of the $87 million annual revenue stream might cause more institutions to start directing capital toward Solana. As more institutions come to understand the potential of Solana, they are incentivized to invest more into the network, enabling even more growth and increased revenue.
Senator Lummis Advocates for Crypto Inclusion in Mortgage Risk Assessments
Among them, Senator Cynthia Lummis has been a strong voice to include the use of cryptocurrency holdings in evaluating mortgage risk. Her work has continued with a series of roundtables and policy proposals. Her dream is that one day these digital assets would be increasingly understood and acknowledged as legitimate, valuable components of a person’s financial profile. Her advocacy strives to get mortgage lenders to update traditional risk assessment models that have been known to discriminate. She hopes these models will help reach the growing network of people who already own and use crypto.
Modernizing Risk Evaluation: From Cold Storage to Homeownership
Lummis says it’s outdated for mortgage risk assessments to not account for cryptocurrency holdings. She thinks this practice is discriminatory too. In her statement, she emphasizes that digital assets are increasingly where younger generations are storing much of their wealth. This pattern is perhaps more relevant than ever in today’s economy. By overlooking these assets, lenders risk missing out on an applicant’s true financial stability and ability to repay a mortgage. Lastly, Lummis indicates that lenders need to develop ways to verify and value crypto assets. They need to do this the same way they would with equities, fixed income, and other conventional asset classes. First, set strict criteria to measure the liquidity and volatility of different cryptocurrencies. Second, make sure you’re following anti-money laundering (AML) rules.
Support from FHFA Policy and Market Trends
Lummis's advocacy aligns with broader trends in the financial industry and evolving policies from agencies like the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). As their watchdog, the FHFA has extraordinary power over Fannie and Freddie. It is working hard to figure out how to best modernize its risk assessment models to better reflect the changing financial landscape. This means looking at new data sources and innovative ways of evaluating creditworthiness. Lummis’s proposals offer a serious roadmap for including cryptocurrency holdings in these revamped models. Market trends are showing increasing acceptance of cryptos as authentic assets. It comes as institutional investors are really ramping up their presence in the crypto space. With more clarity around regulatory frameworks, the argument for additional adoption of digital assets into mortgage risk assessment continues to mount.
Current Limitations: Absence of Crypto Mortgages
While many industries have started to widely accept cryptocurrencies, the mortgage industry has lagged behind. At present, only a small number of mortgage lenders will accept crypto as collateral. Moreover, they do not let borrowers use their crypto holdings directly to qualify for a loan. This is mostly thanks to regulatory uncertainty, worries about volatility, and the glaring lack of a standardized method of valuation. Lummis's advocacy is helping to address these challenges by promoting dialogue and collaboration between policymakers, regulators, and industry stakeholders. To that end, one of Lummis’s goals is to improve the regulatory environment. Her goal is to encourage greater industry standards, which she hopes will someday lead to crypto mortgages and other new financial products based on transactional digital assets.
A New Era in Homeownership Approaches
Incorporating an applicant’s cryptocurrency holdings into a mortgage risk assessment represents a significant breakthrough. It truly does pave the way for a more inclusive and modern financial system. This will expand homeownership opportunities to a greater number of Americans. It won’t matter to them if their fortune is in stocks and bonds or crypto. This would provide lenders with a better and more detailed understanding of an applicant’s financial profile. In doing so, it will reduce the likelihood of defaults and foreclosures. Lummis's vision is not just about making mortgages more accessible. It's about recognizing the evolving nature of wealth and adapting financial systems to meet the needs of a digital age.
Connecting Digital Assets with Traditional Finance
Apparently, even including crypto in mortgage risk assessments demonstrates a radical shift. This tactile step reflects the fledgling administration’s intent to further intertwine digital assets with traditional finance. As cryptocurrencies continue their march into the mainstream, it is imperative that financial institutions build the capacity to engage with them fluidly. You deploy advanced security practices to protect against the ever-growing tide of fraud and cyberattacks. What’s more, you’ll help your organization stay ahead of ever-changing regulatory demands. By adopting cryptocurrencies and integrating them into their business models, financial institutions can open the door to a whole new world of opportunity and innovation.
Coinbase Introduces XRP Perpetual Futures for Institutional Investors
Coinbase, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the US, has unveiled plans to launch XRP perpetual futures contracts tailored to institutional investors. This change is a big step in broadening Coinbase’s derivatives portfolio. That’s further evidence of the booming interest for more sophisticated crypto investment products from institutional players. As GreedyChain.com’s Anjali Mehra reminds us, we’ll all be watching these developments very closely. Together, they will provide exclusive observations about the evolution of the institutional crypto adoption landscape.
Designing XRP Futures for Institutional Use and Price Alignment
The new XRP perpetual futures contracts have been specifically designed to cater to institutional investors’ specific needs and requirements. Their products provide high leverage, deep liquidity and powerful risk management mechanisms. Coinbase launched an additional, more sophisticated pricing mechanism. The purpose of this system is to keep our prices in line with the underlying spot market for XRP. This goes a long way to reduce arbitrage opportunities and gives institutional investors a more bounded, clearer, and less opaque trading experience. These futures contract designs are a demonstration of Coinbase’s commitment to institutional investors. It gives them the tools and infrastructure to navigate the crypto market confidently.
Leveraging a Regulated Futures Framework
Coinbase’s XRP perpetual futures are available on its regulated derivatives exchange, Coinbase Derivatives Exchange. This is what makes institutional investors comfortable. They understand that they are buying and selling on an exchange that operates under the most rigorous regulatory framework in the world. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulates the exchange. This important safeguard defends investors and preserves the fairness of our markets. Coinbase uses this regulated futures framework to attract institutional investors. This enforcement philosophy provides the confidence needed for those who would otherwise be reluctant to execute trades on unregulated or less transparent venues.
Significance: The Maturation of Institutional Crypto Derivatives
Coinbase recently introduced XRP perpetual futures trading. This is the latest proof point in the rapid expansion of the institutional crypto derivatives market. Institutional investors are developing demand for higher-quality, more complex crypto investment products. Unsurprisingly, in light of this sharp increase in demand, regulated exchanges are stepping up to continue providing access. As institutional investors flock to crypto, the demand for derivatives products will only continue to increase. This will trigger a further wave of creativity and product development on the part of the market. Consequently, institutional players will benefit from an array of more complex and specialized solutions.
Future Outlook: Coinbase's Strategy for Dominance in Derivatives
Coinbase has begun offering XRP perpetual futures today as well. This joint move is a key piece of their strategy to corner the institutional crypto derivatives market. The exchange has made a big bet on its derivatives infrastructure. Second, it is expanding its product offerings to stay ahead of where institutional investors’ needs are shifting. Coinbase's strong brand reputation, regulatory compliance, and commitment to innovation position it well to capture a significant share of the growing institutional crypto derivatives market. That last point, the correlation between Coinbase’s strategy and the inevitable rise of institutional adoption of crypto assets is well noted by Anjali Mehra. She is confident this trend will continue to flourish in future years.
Visa Enhances Stablecoin Settlement Platform with New Additions
These announcements are part of net settlements significant enhancements Visa’s stablecoin settlement platform, which will now support multiple stablecoins as well as multiple blockchain networks. This action demonstrates Visa’s pursuit to advance digital currencies and gain the benefits of blockchain technology to make payments more efficient and accessible. These improvements will increase the financial sector’s adoption of stablecoins. In so doing, they will open the door to new and innovative payment solutions. GreedyChain.com will continue to inform you of Visa’s moves in the digital currency space. In our public comments, we’ll be pointing out how these changes would affect the larger financial ecosystem.
New Stablecoins: PYUSD, USDG, and EURC Added to Visa's Suite
As of now, Visa’s stablecoin settlement platform has been expanded to include PYUSD (PayPal USD), USDG (Goldfinch USD), and EURC (Euro Coin). These new additions further diversify the types of stablecoins Visa supports. Now, they have a variety of different ways to pay their bills. PYUSD, which is backed by PayPal, brings the power of stablecoins to a 430 million user behemoth. Focused on emerging markets, USDG provides a stablecoin solution that’s better suited for those regions. EURC, which is pegged to the Euro, increases Visa’s capacity to process the ripples of international transactions more efficiently. These additions are a good indication of Visa’s commitment to fulfilling an ideal vision of a comprehensive and inclusive stablecoin ecosystem.
Stellar and Avalanche Join Visa’s Blockchain Network Alongside Ethereum and Solana
In addition to the new stablecoins, Visa has added Stellar and Avalanche to its blockchain network, joining Ethereum and Solana. This expansion allows users to access a broader array of use cases and transactions with stablecoins. It furthers the scalability and efficiency of the broader Visa platform. Stellar boasts fast transaction speeds and low transaction fees, making it a perfect network for cross-border payments. With high throughput and near-instant finality, Avalanche is well positioned to power a new wave of consumer and institutional finance applications. By adopting and incorporating these blockchain networks, Visa is developing a significantly more robust and versatile stablecoin settlement platform.
GENIUS Act Accelerates Stablecoin Adoption in the Financial Sector
The recent passage of the GENIUS (Guaranteeing Uniform and Effective National Integrity for Virtual Currency and Securities) Act is expected to accelerate the adoption of stablecoins in the financial sector. Clarity and Stability The GENIUS Act establishes a workable regulatory framework for stablecoins that removes uncertainty and promotes innovation. If passed into law, this legislation would be a major step forward for the stablecoin industry. That alone will help it attract more institutional investors and users joining the network. Visa’s recent improvements to its stablecoin settlement platform are very nicely timed to get in on the action with all of the new momentum building in the stablecoin space.
Strategic Planning for the Evolution of Currency
Visa's strategic planning reflects a deep understanding of the evolving nature of currency and the increasing importance of digital assets. The company is still very much focused on finding new, creative applications for blockchain technology. Their focus is on improving current payment systems and adding innovative value propositions to their customers. Visa’s recent investments in stablecoins and blockchain infrastructure all play a role in Visa’s long-term vision to help shape the future of money. Anjali Mehra notes that Visa's proactive approach positions it as a leader in the digital currency space and ensures that it remains at the forefront of financial innovation.
Back in Solana, though the long-term outlook seems sunny, it’s important to consider the possible pitfalls. The Solana price surged past $200 to set all time highs just under $217 in early September, before pulling back slightly. On Tuesday, the token narrowly avoided a price crash, tumbling 16% from its high of $182 on Monday, marking a two-week low. This recent volatility should remind all of us that the crypto market is incredibly unpredictable. Per technical analysis, $160 is a major support line for SOL. Conversely, if it drops below this support and even more so below it, this may signal more downside potential. If macro sentiment can find some form of stability and ETF optimism returns, we think price can recover to $182.
Regulatory hurdles may be in store to rain on Solana price rally. The regulatory environment for crypto is everchanging, and nobody knows where governments will land on regulating the burgeoning industry. After all, a Solana ETF would potentially unlock billions in institutional capital, providing SOL a powerful turbo boost. Of course, the possibility of a Solana ETF has caused quite the stir within the crypto space. Such an ETF would create an easier vehicle for institutional investors to make bets on SOL. That pipeline could help to tap tens of billions of dollars in new capital. However, regulatory approval for a Solana ETF is far from a foregone conclusion. If regulators do come out against it, the value of SOL price may suffer a major blow.
Given these risks, Solana’s track record and momentum would indicate the Solana price prediction 2025 is well placed. There’s no denying the fact that, so far, the Solana price has proven impressive durability in 2024. So although the markets may be volatile and regulation is anywhere but certain, Solana has proven it can recover from adversity. Yet, this resilience is a testament to the power of its technology. It’s a testament to the vibrancy of its ecosystem and the dedication of its community. Several crypto websites are betting on SOL to approach $500—or even dance with $1,000—by the end of 2025. Though these are speculative figures, they do illustrate the confidence that exists on Solana when it comes to future growth.
Solana’s circulating supply is just about 450 million SOL, with a large portion of that locked up in staking. Staking is the process of locking up your SOL tokens to help secure the network and in return receive staking rewards. This is important because the total SOL staked can directly impact the token’s price. When a significant percentage of the supply is staked, it leaves less tokens available for trading on exchanges. This sudden lack of availability can increase demand and therefore possibly increase the price. Ultimately, staking rewards are a powerful and novel incentive to get users to join the network and continue to add to the network's security. In summary, Solana’s revenue dominance is built on a few important pillars. These factors range from its growing ecosystem to jaw-dropping technological innovations to an explosion of adoption. Even with those cumulatively reputation-threatening risks, Solana has a positive reputation. Its momentum has many believing in the promising future of the network and its native token, ADA. If you have your sights set on not being left behind in the Web3 race, Solana is definitely one to watch. This project is certainly one to track!
