Solana News Today: Institutional Adoption and 7% Staking Yields Make Solana Blockchain Leader

Solana (SOL) has solidified its position as the leading blockchain network in terms of activity over the past week, driven by robust institutional adoption, staking yields, and ecosystem developments. The network's user base and transaction volumes have surged, outpacing rivals like BNB Chain and Ethereum, as new investment vehicles and infrastructure upgrades attract both retail and institutional participants, according to a Coinotag report.

A key catalyst for Solana's growth has been the launch of two major exchange-traded funds (ETFs) this month. The Bitwise Solana ETF (BSOL) recorded $69.5 million in inflows on its first trading day, marking the highest debut volume among over 800 ETFs launched in 2025, according to TradingView. Meanwhile, Grayscale's Solana Trust ETF (GSOL) began trading on NYSE Arca with staking rewards integrated, positioning it as one of the largest Solana ETP managers in the U.S. by assets under management, the CryptoBasic reported. These products, offering exposure to Solana's 7% annual staking yield, have drawn institutional interest, with Bitwise's ETF alone amassing $222 million in assets, per a Coinotag analysis.

The Solana Company, a publicly traded digital asset treasury, further underscored the network's appeal by disclosing a 7.03% gross staking yield for October, outperforming the top 10 validators' average by 36 basis points in a StockTitan announcement. The firm's holdings now exceed 2.3 million SOL, with plans to deploy $15 million in cash and stablecoins to further capitalize on the network's growth. "HSDT has increased its SOL holdings by roughly 5% in less than a month," noted Cosmo Jiang of Pantera Capital, emphasizing the strength of active onchain management.

Simultaneously, Solana's infrastructure has evolved with Jupiter Exchange's launch of Jupiter's Limit Order V2, a privacy-protected trading system designed to combat front-running and MEV (maximal extractable value) attacks. The upgrade allows users to set price targets, automate entries and exits, and keep orders private until execution, enhancing security for both retail and professional traders. This innovation aligns with Solana's broader strategy to attract institutional capital, particularly as Western Union and Ethena Labs prepare to introduce new stablecoins on the network in 2025.

While Solana's momentum is undeniable, BNB Chain remains the most active network for stablecoin transactions, capturing 47% of decentralized exchange (DEX) volume and surpassing TRON with over 190 million users, CoinMarketCap reported. However, Solana and Aptos are closing the gap rapidly. Solana's user activity rose 14% week-over-week, driven by DeFi expansions and staking protocols like Jito, the Coinotag report added. Aptos, meanwhile, gained over 20% in active users, bolstered by its Move programming language and low-fee transactions.

NFT activity on Solana also showed mixed results. Overall sales dropped 28% to $98 million, but high-value collections like the Bored Ape Yacht Club surged 100% in sales volume, according to Crypto.News. Notably, a CryptoPunk NFT (8407) sold for $413,469, highlighting continued demand for blue-chip digital assets.

The regulatory landscape has further enabled Solana's rise. Recent SEC guidance streamlined ETF approvals, allowing firms to proceed with filings during the U.S. government shutdown, the CryptoBasic report noted. This policy shift has accelerated the approval of staking-enabled products, which now offer a hybrid of price exposure and yield generation—a feature absent in Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, the Coinotag analysis observed.

Analysts view these developments as a sign of broader institutional acceptance. "The rapid user growth on Solana and Aptos underscores a trend where blockchains prioritizing usability and speed are capturing mindshare," said Maria Gonzalez of CryptoSlate, as noted in the Coinotag report. With Solana processing 3,500 transactions per second and maintaining 3.7 million daily active wallets, the network's infrastructure appears well-positioned to sustain its growth trajectory.