Ethereum News Today: Institutional Inflows Fuel Crypto's Multi-Chain Surge as Solana, Ethereum, Cardano Dominate

Solana's total value locked (TVL) surged 30% year-to-date, reaching $30.5 billion, driven by decentralized exchange (DEX) volume growth of 18% quarter-on-quarter to $365 billion. The network's chain fees and revenue also rose, with fees hitting $122 million and revenue $13.9 million in Q3 2025, underscoring its role as a top-tier blockchain for high-throughput transactions . Concurrently, Bitcoin ETF inflows continued to fuel institutional adoption, with spot ETF assets under management surpassing $12 billion, reflecting sustained demand from corporate and sovereign investors .

Cardano (ADA) emerged as a key beneficiary of the broader bull market, with analysts highlighting its position as a "favorite for a multi-chain future" due to its hybrid proof-of-stake architecture and upcoming smart contract upgrades. While ADA's price remained relatively stable in Q3, its on-chain activity showed a 40% increase in staking volume, signaling growing developer and institutional interest in its ecosystem .

Binance's recent listing of Solana-based altcoins further amplified market dynamics. The exchange added Aster (ASTER), a decentralized perpetual exchange token, in October 2025, triggering a 12% price surge within hours. ASTER's token unlock event, coupled with Binance's seed tag requiring traders to complete risk quizzes, highlighted the platform's strategy to balance innovation with investor education . Analysts noted that ASTER's price action-reaching $2.07 post-listing-was supported by a $6 million whale accumulation and strategic resistance levels, though concerns about wash trading persisted following DefiLlama's delisting of ASTER's perpetual volumes .

Ethereum also saw a 25% rise in TVL to $4.4 billion, with institutional inflows into Ethereum ETFs accelerating as regulatory clarity from the U.S. GENIUS and CLARITY Acts reduced jurisdictional uncertainties . The ETH/BTC ratio climbed to 0.02, reflecting Ethereum's gaining traction as a layer-1 solution for DeFi and tokenized assets. Meanwhile, stablecoin adoption expanded, with USDC's monthly transaction volume hitting $1 trillion in November 2024, supported by its integration into Solana and Ethereum ecosystems .

The crypto market's institutionalization was further underscored by tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) gaining traction. Projects like Archax and VERT Capital executed $1 billion in tokenized commercial real estate deals on XDC Network, while eOracle's integration provided reliable off-chain data for RWA protocols . These developments aligned with broader trends of blockchain adoption in finance, where tokenization is projected to unlock $10 trillion in liquidity by 2030.