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According to Messari’s 2025 Crypto Theses Report, Solana could have another strong year, fueled by $173 million in funding in Q3 2024—the highest quarter since Q2 2022. A spot SOL ETF feels increasingly inevitable. There will be more relaxed regulatory environment potentially fueling explosive growth driven by institutional interest.
The token’s growing momentum, high-performance, and increasing institutional interest, position it as a top contender within the crypto sector.
Solana’s Layer-2 Ecosystem: Firedancer, Network Extensions, and Emerging Trends
According to the 2025 Crypto Theses Report by Messari, Solana is ready for another strong year, thanks to $173 million in funding in Q3 2024; the largest quarter since Q2 2022.
Following the collapse of FTX, fading ecosystems are causing SOL to gain momentum. It offers on-chain products and services to users, making a spot ETF inevitable. With more relaxed regulation, institutional investors could drive explosive growth. Some analysts even predict the price of Solana reaching $4,000.
The token recently broke through the $215 price level, further cementing its position in the blockchain market. An analyst recently stated that if the bullish pressure continues, the SOL price prediction will hover around $263, approaching its previous all-time high (ATH).
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The long-awaited Firedancer client, also lovingly referred to as “Frankendancer,“ deployed on the mainnet this year in a limited fashion. Coming from Jump Trading, Firedancer is a high-performance validator client that optimizes transaction speed and scalability on this blockchain.
The initial release will implement a phased rollout that will only focus on the changes at the networking layer, while subsequent versions should extend the functionality and even further enhance overall performance and reliability for Solana.
The full implementation of Firedancer is scheduled for 2025, and this might significantly enhance client diversity on the SOL network. This increased diversity is expected to add to both liveness and security because it reduces dependence on a single client codebase. However, Messari claims it may have limited immediate impact since the other client implementations will also continue to bottleneck, which means Firedancer’s full potential is further ahead and will only be unleashed as the ecosystem progresses collectively.
$173 Million Fuels Explosive Growth in Q3 2024
With the network supporting more modular building blocks, the emerging SOL L2 ecosystem will be exciting. While this is still early, its relative competitiveness with Ethereum’s L2 solutions might signal major scalability and usability advances.
Institutional Interest Drives Demand for the High-Performance Blockchain
Discussions in TradFi circles regarding crypto have moved from merely mentioning Bitcoin and Ethereum to now including Solana. This demand for ETF exposure to the asset was reflected in a spate of SOL spot ETF filings by VanEck, Bitwise, and 21Shares post the US presidential election. According to VanEck, on the other hand, SOL could soon trade above $500.
Bitcoin is often considered digital gold, and Ethereum is the more established smart contract platform with strong tokenomics. However, SOL is developing as the most performant crypto platform, with being impressive and a unique value proposition. As 2024 draws close, Ethereum ETF inflows have accelerated, signaling increased confidence in non-BTC financial products.
If this trend continues, Messari claims that investors are likely to turn to “tech plays” within the crypto space, with SOL emerging as the leading contender. Inevitably, it would appear, that a spot Solana ETF should see the light of day sometime in the next year or two. As this happens under more relaxed regulation, the ingredients fall into place for an exponential amplification of the token‘s narrative due to long-repressed institutional demand and the lively ecosystem of tech-driven innovation.
Teuta Franjkovic
Teuta is a seasoned writer and editor with over 15 years of expertise in macroeconomics, technology, and the crypto and blockchain sectors. She began her career in 2005 as a lifestyle writer for *Cosmopolitan* before transitioning to business and economic reporting for renowned outlets like *Forbes* and *Bloomberg*. Inspired by thought leaders like Don and Alex Tapscott and Laura Shin, Teuta embraced blockchain's potential, viewing cryptocurrency as one of humanity's most transformative innovations. Since 2014, she has specialized in fintech, focusing on crypto, blockchain, NFTs, and Web3. Known for her strong collaboration and communication skills, Teuta also holds dual MAs in Political Science and Law.
Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
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