Standard Chartered Cuts 2026 Solana Target to $250, Maintains $2,000 2030 Outlook

Standard Chartered has lowered its end-2026 price target for Solana (SOL) to $250 from $310. The move reflects the bank's assessment of the current market environment and the time required for Solana's next major use case to scale. Despite the near-term cut, the bank still projects the price of SOL reaching $2,000 by 2030, driven by the network's shift from memecoin trading to stablecoin-based micropayments.

The price of Solana has fallen to around $100, down roughly 60% from mid-September. This drop is part of a broader crypto downturn that has impacted most major assets. However, Standard Chartered sees potential in Solana's growing role in low-cost, high-frequency transactions that support emerging applications like AI-driven micropayments.

Geoffrey Kendrick, the bank's global head of digital assets research, argues that the current decline in crypto prices is helping to differentiate stronger protocols from speculative projects. He describes the dip as a buying opportunity, as performance differentiation across the sector becomes more visible.

Why Did This Happen?

The revised 2026 price target is partly due to skepticism over how quickly Solana can convert its cost and throughput advantages into sustained fee-generating activity beyond speculative trading. In 2025, nearly half of the network's protocol fees came from memecoin trading on decentralized exchanges. However, onchain data shows a shift in trading flows from memecoin pairs to SOL-stablecoin pairs. This suggests the network is evolving beyond its memecoin-centric phase.

Kendrick argues that the transition to micropayments will take time. Standard Chartered's analysis indicates that Solana is moving toward becoming a backbone for low-cost, high-volume transactions, particularly in AI and social apps that require pay-per-use features.

How Did Markets React?

The broader market has been bearish in recent weeks. Solana fell below $100 in early February, with leveraged bullish positions being liquidated as risk sentiment waned. The token is trading near its 2025 lows, though onchain activity remains strong. Solana's daily transaction volume has hit all-time highs, with over 150 million transactions recorded in some weeks.

Despite this, institutional inflows into Solana-focused ETFs have remained modest. The Bitwise BSOL ETF, for example, has accounted for 78% of all net inflows into SOL-related funds since October 2025. Digital asset treasuries now hold nearly 3% of Solana's supply.

What Are Analysts Watching Next?

Analysts are closely watching how stablecoin velocity on Solana evolves. The network's stablecoins are already turning over two to three times faster than Ethereum's, indicating a growing use case for payment and micropayment activities. This trend could support higher SOL prices in the long run.

Kendrick also highlights the importance of transaction costs in determining Solana's long-term potential. The network's gas fees are often less than a cent, making it an attractive platform for applications that rely on high-volume, low-cost transactions. This is a key differentiator from Ethereum's Base layer, where fees are significantly higher.

Standard Chartered expects Solana to underperform Ethereum through 2026 and 2027 but gradually catch up as micropayment adoption scales. The bank's projections include $400 by 2027, $700 by 2028, $1,200 by 2029, and $2,000 by 2030. This marks the first time the bank has published a 2030 price target for Solana.

The bank's analysis suggests that investors should remain selective in the current environment. While broad exposure to crypto may carry more risk, positioning in projects with strong fundamentals and clear use cases could offer long-term value.