Solana News Today: Institutional Adoption and Upgrades Fuel Solana’s $260 Ascent, XRP’s Long-Term Fight Against Rivals

Market analysts have identified Solana (SOL) and XRP as undervalued cryptocurrencies with long-term upside potential, despite the evolving regulatory landscape and growing competition in the blockchain sector. As of recent market data, Solana trades at approximately $206.8, hovering just below its key resistance level of $210. Analysts suggest that a breakout above this threshold could trigger a rally toward $236–$252, and possibly even $260, driven by network upgrades and growing institutional interest. On-chain metrics show a 23% price increase over the past month, with daily trading volume maintaining a stable average of around $6 billion.

XRP, meanwhile, is being evaluated for its potential to reach $2.95 in the long term, despite emerging competition. Recently, Google launched its Google Cloud Universal Ledger (GCUL), a Layer-1 blockchain designed for cross-border payments and asset tokenization. GCUL is currently in beta and is expected to become live by 2026. While it is not a direct tokenized competitor to XRP, the project could challenge the XRP Ledger in the realm of cross-border financial services. GCUL operates as a private, permissioned blockchain, offering perceived advantages in data privacy and regulatory compliance, while the XRP Ledger is public and permissionless. Additionally, GCUL does not rely on a native token for transaction costs, instead utilizing stablecoins pegged to the U.S. dollar, which could reduce volatility concerns compared to XRP.

For Solana, the projected approval of a spot ETF is expected to play a pivotal role in institutional adoption. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is currently reviewing both spot and collateralized ETF applications for Solana, with updated filings recently submitted. Market participants are optimistic, with Polymarket odds showing a 99% likelihood of approval by October 2025. Analysts believe that such a development could attract significant institutional inflows and drive the price of SOL higher. Galaxy Digital has already taken a step toward institutional integration by tokenizing its SEC-registered equity on the Solana blockchain in collaboration with Superstate, signaling broader acceptance in traditional finance.

The Alpenglow upgrade, expected to launch soon, is another critical factor for Solana's future. This upgrade is designed to enhance network performance by reducing block finality times to as low as 150 milliseconds and improving scalability. These improvements are expected to make Solana more attractive for real-world asset (RWA) and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, broadening the platform’s utility.

Despite these bullish factors, risks remain. For Solana, a failure to hold the $206–$200 support level could lead to a pullback toward $190–$186, and potentially $180. For XRP, the emergence of alternatives like GCUL and other blockchain solutions could erode the perceived utility of the XRP Ledger, leading to downward pressure on the token’s price. However, Ripple has a first-mover advantage in the cross-border payment space, having already demonstrated the XRP Ledger’s capabilities over more than a decade.

Market observers remain cautiously optimistic about both tokens. While XRP faces challenges from emerging competitors, its long-standing role in the cross-border payments ecosystem continues to support its long-term outlook. Similarly, Solana’s growing institutional adoption and network upgrades suggest a strong trajectory toward its projected price targets, assuming continued regulatory clarity and market confidence.

Source: [1] Is Google Developing an XRP Killer? (https://www.fool.com/investing/2025/09/05/is-google-developing-an-xrp-killer/) [2] Solana Price Stuck Below $210, Breakout Ahead as ETF Approval Odds Hit 99%? (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/solana-price-stuck-below-210-144832098.html) [3] Solana Price Prediction 2025 to 2030 - SOL Price Analysis (https://icobench.com/cryptocurrency/solana-price-prediction/)