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Solana has reduced its mainnet slot time from 400 milliseconds to 350 milliseconds, marking the first such change since the network launched. , and represents a meaningful step in the network's push toward faster block production.

What Changed and Why It Matters , which has a direct impact on everyday users waiting for their transactions to settle. As a knock-on effect, epochs now last roughly 42 hours rather than the previous 48, and validators rotate block-production duties every 1.4 seconds instead of every 1.6 seconds.

A Phased Road to 200ms

The slot time reductions are also happening alongside a broader consensus overhaul.

Solana Foundation Vice President of Technology Jacob Creech confirmed the milestone,

Sources
Crypto.news: Solana cuts slot time to 350ms for first time since network launch
Solana.com: Reduced Slot Times upgrade overview
FinanceFeeds: Solana Cuts Slot Time to 350ms, Targets 200ms Next

Solana (SOL) edges lower to $94 on Monday, following a 27% rebound last week to a two-month high. SOL-focused Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) recorded four consecutive days of inflows last week, totaling $28.34 million, suggesting renewed institutional buying. Validator voting on multiple proposals started on Monday, which includes doubling the disinflation rate to 30%. 

Solana validator voting beginsSolana validators have begun voting on SGP 1, SGP 2, and SGP 3 proposals, with voting ending Thursday. The SGP 1 protocol addresses the ratification of the Solana Constitution to govern Solana’s network-level decision-making. SGP 2 proposes reducing the inflation rate by increasing the disinflation rate to -15% to -30%. Finally, SGP 3 plans to introduce a fixed base inclusion fee paid to the block leader and a resource fee with a requested transaction cost, which will be burned. 

Taken together, the proposals will restructure on-chain decision-making and reduce pressure on available supply. 

Solana ETFs regain strengthSolana regains institutional demand. SoSoValue data shows the SOL-focused ETFs recorded $28.34 million in inflows last week, the highest over the last two months. Typically, renewed buying from institutional investors implies a bullish trend reversal. 

SOL ETFs data. Source: SosovalueTechnical outlook: Will SOL price cross above $100?Solana trades around $94 on Monday, holding a bullish near-term bias above both the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at $79.04 and the 200-day EMA at $92.67. SOL price remains capped below the $100 psychological level and the May 11 high of $98.41.

For a sustained recovery, SOL should confirm a decisive close above the $100 mark. This could open the path toward the 127.2% Fibonacci extension level of the $98.41 to $60.13 downswing at $112.52.

Momentum stays strong, with the Relative Strength Index (RSI) hovering in overbought territory near 79 on the daily chart. At the same time, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) shows a steady upward trend with a positive histogram, suggesting that buying pressure remains dominant.

SOL/USDT daily price chart.On the downside, initial support is seen at the 200-day EMA around $92.67, followed by the 78.6% retracement near $88.56. Deeper declines would expose the 50-day EMA at $79.04 and the 50% retracement at $76.92.

(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)

Cover image via U.Today Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.

Solana's RWA value has surpassed $4 billion, a new ATH for the network. The increase comes as the total supply of tokenized equities on Solana continues to grow.

This growth remains significant as what began as a negligible market in early 2024 has become a multibillion-dollar ecosystem spanning tokenized Treasuries, public equities, private credit, reinsurance, sovereign debt, commodities, liquidity funds, and stablecoin settlement infrastructure.

Tokenized equities are where Solana's RWA growth is accelerating fastest. As of late July 2026, 97% of all onchain tokenized equities spot volume to date had settled on Solana. This reflects Solana's increasing role as a leading venue for tokenized equity distribution and secondary activity.

RWA value doublesOne of the defining industry trends over the past year has been the growth of RWAs, with Solana sustaining its momentum. The recent increase of RWA value to $4 billion marks a nearly 100% increase from that seen at Q1 close. Solana non-stablecoin RWA value doubled, rising from $2.01 billion at the end of Q1 2026 to a current $4 billion.

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Solana currently has 347,944 RWA holders according to rwa.xyz data. The network has become a significant venue for tokenized Treasury products, with several large global issuers already on it.

These include Circle's USYC tokenized money market fund, one of the largest tokenized Treasury products worldwide, which launched on Solana in October 2025.

Others include BlackRock's BUIDL, the USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund, which expanded to Solana in March 2025 through Securitize.

Ondo Finance runs two Treasury-linked products on Solana. USDY is a tokenized note backed by short-term U.S. Treasuries and bank demand deposits, and OUSG provides exposure to short-term U.S. government bonds and is backed significantly by BlackRock's BUIDL fund.

VanEck's VBILL, a short-term U.S. Treasury product, launched on Solana in May 2025 via Securitize. Franklin Templeton's BENJI, the token of the Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund (FOBXX), the first U.S.-registered mutual fund to use a public blockchain as its system of record, launched on Solana in February 2025.

Solana’s real-world asset (RWA) value has climbed above $4 billion, reaching an all-time high for the blockchain network. This milestone comes as Solana records substantial growth in the total supply of tokenized equities on its platform.

Rapid expansion of RWAs on SolanaThe RWA market on Solana, which was relatively small at the start of 2024, has quickly expanded into a multibillion-dollar ecosystem. The network now encompasses tokenized U.S. Treasuries, public equities, private credit, reinsurance, sovereign debt, commodities, liquidity funds, and stablecoin settlement solutions.

Tokenized equities are currently driving the fastest growth in Solana’s RWA sector. By late July 2026, 97% of all onchain tokenized equities spot volume had settled on Solana. This shift underlines Solana’s rising position as a primary platform for distributing tokenized equities and facilitating their secondary trading.

By late July 2026, 97% of all onchain tokenized equities spot activity had taken place on Solana, confirming the network’s status as a leading venue for both primary distribution and secondary market trades.

The surge in RWA value has pushed Solana to nearly double its non-stablecoin RWA amount, moving from $2.01 billion at the end of Q1 2026 to $4 billion. This nearly 100% rise highlights Solana’s sustained momentum in integrating real-world assets into its blockchain infrastructure.

Key RWA products and ecosystem participantsAccording to data from rwa.xyz, Solana currently serves 347,944 RWA holders. The network has established itself as a major venue for tokenized Treasury products, partnering with several leading global financial institutions.

Circle, a global fintech firm, introduced the USYC tokenized money market fund on Solana in October 2025. USYC has since become one of the largest tokenized Treasury products worldwide.

BlackRock, a leading asset management company, expanded its USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund, known as BUIDL, to Solana in March 2025 through Securitize, a digital asset issuance platform.

Ondo Finance, a decentralized finance platform focused on tokenized securities, operates two Treasury-linked products on Solana: USDY, a note backed by short-term U.S. Treasuries and U.S. bank deposits, and OUSG, a token giving holders exposure to short-term U.S. government bonds while being significantly supported by BlackRock’s BUIDL.

Mini dictionary: Tokenized Treasury products are digital representations of government-issued fixed income securities created and managed on public blockchains, allowing onchain investors to access traditional financial assets with features such as instant settlement and round-the-clock trading.

VanEck launched its short-term U.S. Treasury product, VBILL, on Solana in May 2025 via Securitize. Franklin Templeton’s BENJI token, tied to the Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund (FOBXX), marked a milestone as the first U.S.-registered mutual fund to use a public blockchain as its official record-keeping system, launching on Solana in February 2025.

ProductIssuerLaunched on SolanaUnderlying AssetUSYCCircleOctober 2025Money Market FundBUIDLBlackRockMarch 2025US Dollar Liquidity FundUSDYOndo Finance2025Short-term U.S. Treasuries & Bank DepositsOUSGOndo Finance2025Short-term U.S. Government BondsVBILLVanEckMay 2025Short-term U.S. TreasuriesBENJIFranklin TempletonFebruary 2025U.S. Govt Money Market FundDisclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

17h05 ▪ 4 min read ▪ by Eddy S.

Summarize this article with:

A slot is a tiny window where a validator produces a block. On Friday, Solana shortened it from 400 milliseconds to 350. Nothing spectacular at first glance, except when it happens exactly as the market looks at SOL with interest it hasn’t had for months.

In Brief Solana has reduced its slot time from 400 to 350 milliseconds, with three steps remaining before the final goal of 200 milliseconds. The slot time reduction speeds latency for crypto users without increasing Solana network’s overall capacity. SOL surged above 91 dollars, driven by seven consecutive weeks of ETF inflows and the US Treasury announcement. From 400 to 350 Milliseconds: First Stage of a Four-Step Plan for Solana The mainnet update carried out Friday morning on Solana reduces the target slot time to 350 milliseconds from 400 before. This figure corresponds to the brief period during which a designated validator produces a crypto transaction block. The change is thus part of SIMD-0525, an improvement proposal that charts a course toward an ultimate goal of 200 milliseconds on SOL, which is half the network’s historical time.

However, faster transaction confirmations for crypto users are not a throughput boost. The Solana network does not process more work per second, but simply slices the time differently:

Epochs, these cycles of 432,000 slots, go from about 48 hours to about 42 hours; Validators who control 4 consecutive slots rotate every 1.4 seconds instead of 1.6; A period of 1000 slots, which took 415 seconds before the change, now only takes 368 after. Solana’s SIMD-0525. Three other 50-millisecond steps are planned before reaching the 200 ms targeted by Solana, and each will be activated separately. Even deployment could be suspended if too many validators struggle to produce their blocks within the allotted time. With no date fixed yet, developers want first to observe how the network handles the 350 ms before moving to the next step.

Crypto: a Market Momentum that Falls Perfectly for SOL This technical update on Solana doesn’t come out of nowhere, and coincides with a real resurgence of SOL in the crypto market. The token has climbed over 19% this week, crossing the 94-dollar mark! The highest level in almost three months.

The momentum is not only from the price of SOL, but also from Solana ETFs that have just posted their seventh consecutive week of positive inflows. The week of August 10 to 14 also saw $10.26 million in inflows, the best performance since May 22. Two factors explain this rise: 

The US Treasury’s announcement to extend its debt buyback operations, which injected liquidity across the crypto market; The slot-time reduction that served as a positive technical signal for crypto investors already attentive to the Solana ecosystem. The official Solana account didn’t miss the chance to mark the occasion, posting a message celebrating the spirit of builders and innovators who kept building when no one believed. A communication choice that says a lot about the team’s confidence at the very moment price and technical fundamentals finally move in the same direction.

These two technical and financial dynamics remain distinct. The 350-millisecond slot-time on Solana guarantees nothing on the price of SOL, and ETF inflows do not at all predict the success of the three remaining steps towards 200 milliseconds. But for once, both indicators are green at the same time and that is probably the most important.

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Eddy S.

The world is evolving and adaptation is the best weapon to survive in this undulating universe. Originally a crypto community manager, I am interested in anything that is directly or indirectly related to blockchain and its derivatives. To share my experience and promote a field that I am passionate about, nothing is better than writing informative and relaxed articles.

DISCLAIMER

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.

Solana (SOL) recently stabilized near $95 after rebounding from lows around $60, driven by renewed momentum in both price action and network activity. New industry data show Solana capturing the lead in tokenized stock deposits within decentralized finance (DeFi), underlining its growing role in the real-world asset (RWA) market.

Solana Dominates Tokenized Stock DeFi MarketAccording to Token Terminal, Solana currently holds $75.4 million in tokenized stock DeFi deposits, accounting for 64.5% of the market segment tracked by the analytics provider. This places Solana ahead of other leading blockchains such as Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Base in this category, indicating its growing utility in tokenized assets.

Despite this progress, SOL faces key resistance between $99 and $100. Still, on-chain activity has offered a strong signal for traders, reinforcing confidence in recent upward price moves. The $95.13 level, which aligns with the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement, now serves as a dividing line between ongoing consolidation and potential reversal.

Recent market shifts further highlight Solana’s momentum. Over the most recent 30-day period ending August 19, Solana attracted $263 million in RWA inflows, contrasting sharply with Ethereum’s $337 million in outflows over the same timeframe. This $600 million swing does not directly demonstrate investor migration, but it highlights diverging trends between the two ecosystems.

Expansion of Tokenized Assets and DeFi ActivityAs tokenized stocks move beyond basic issuance into lending, liquidity, and collateral markets, their integration into DeFi is expanding. Solana’s low transaction costs and rapid settlement enable smaller positions, frequent transfers, and uninterrupted trading across its ecosystem.

Solana’s total RWA value surpassed $4 billion in August, rising 10.6% over 30 days, while Ethereum’s base held at $17.2 billion with a 1.3% increase over the same period. This strengthens Solana’s narrative, although token price appreciation depends on broader market dynamics.

Tokenized treasuries are also growing on Solana, reaching $1.2 billion after a 16.1% increase over the same period. These products are used for cash management and as collateral by institutional players, with increased liquidity potentially drawing in larger transactions.

Additionally, tokenized stocks generated $5.8 billion in spot decentralized exchange (DEX) volume in the second quarter, with Solana handling about 95% of global on-chain equity DEX activity. This concentration affirms Solana’s network competitiveness, although this activity does not guarantee direct benefits for SOL holders.

While traditional markets rely on complex brokers, a significant transformation is underway as Wall Street transitions to Web3 platforms. Investors are increasingly using services like 1stepSwap to store shares of major U.S. companies, gold, and silver directly in crypto wallets. Through tokenization of RWAs and instant price discovery, these platforms eliminate intermediaries, reshaping how assets are accessed in decentralized markets.

Solana’s protocol currently burns around 650 SOL per day, while issuing nearly 60,000 SOL daily, meaning fee destruction offsets only about 1% of new issuance. With no permanent cap on supply, rising demand for tokenized assets needs to absorb this new supply for significant price impact.

Technical Outlook: Key Levels to WatchSOL is testing the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement at $95.13, a level described by analysts at More Crypto Online as a possible fourth-wave correction after the recent rally from the $70s. If SOL holds above this support, the short-term bullish outlook remains intact, but failure could lead to a move toward $90.69 or even $87.26, the 38.2% and 50% retracement levels respectively.

A sustained breakout above the $99 to $100 resistance zone could open the door for the next leg up, with targets of $114 to $116 in play based on technical projections. On a broader timeframe, some analysts see the potential for SOL to recover toward the $160 to $180 range, provided the price forms higher lows and reclaims pivotal resistance zones, including $100 and higher bands up to $140.

However, a decisive break below the recent correction low near $60 would invalidate bullish technical setups on both daily and weekly charts. Market participants are monitoring the $95.13 and $100 levels for short-term directional cues.

Traders continue to focus on whether SOL can preserve its key support at $95.13 and overcome resistance around $100 in the sessions ahead, with pattern setups shifting quickly as price action evolves.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

TLDR: The proposal could cut projected six-year SOL supply by 18.9M tokens, equal to about $1.81B at $95.70. Modeled staking yields could fall from 5.84% now to 4.34% after one year and 2.25% after three years. SGP-0002 needs one-third stake participation and two-thirds support, making it an early governance test. A 30% disinflation rate could bring Solana to its 1.5% inflation floor in 2029 instead of around 2032. Solana has opened an on-chain vote on SGP-0002, putting a token issuance change before validators and stakers. The proposal would double annual disinflation from 15% to 30%, accelerating how quickly new SOL issuance declines without changing the network’s 1.5% inflation floor.

⚡️LATEST: Solana’s proposal to double its disinflation rate from 15% to 30% is now live for governance voting.

If approved, $SOL inflation would fall twice as fast, meaning fewer new tokens entering circulation and less dilution for holders. pic.twitter.com/pPTt5iXQ5p

— CryptosRus (@CryptosR_Us) August 23, 2026

The vote is active under the network’s new stake-weighted governance framework, where validators and native stakers signal support or opposition. Delegators can override their validator’s choice, giving stakers a direct role in the outcome. The decision therefore combines monetary policy with an early governance test.

Solana Vote Puts 18.9M SOL Issuance Cut Before Stakers SGP-0002 is linked to SIMD-0550, authored by Lostin and 0xIchigo of Helius. Their June model placed the inflation rate at 3.82% under the existing schedule. At the current 15% annual disinflation rate, inflation would fall to about 3.24% after one year, reaching the 1.5% floor around the first half of 2032.

Source: X

However, the proposed 30% schedule would move faster. Inflation would decline to roughly 2.86% after one year and reach the same floor around early 2029. That acceleration would reduce cumulative issuance. The model projects total supply of 708.54 million SOL after six years, versus 727.43 million under the current schedule.

The 18.9 million-token difference equals about 2.6% of projected supply. At $95.70 per SOL on Aug. 23, that amount is worth about $1.81 billion. Nonetheless, the proposal does not immediately halve inflation. It only doubles the pace at which the inflation rate declines toward the unchanged long-term floor.

Lower issuance would also reduce staking rewards. At 68% modeled staking participation, nominal yield would fall from about 5.84% currently to 4.34% after one year. The model then places staking yield near 3.00% after two years and 2.25% after three years. Those figures exclude commissions, MEV, and block-related revenue.

Validator economics also weaken gradually. Among 738 validators, two additional operators become unprofitable or move from breakeven after one year. That number rises to 13 after two years and 30 after three years. Still, the authors modeled the overall validator impact as relatively limited.

Lower Staking Yields Put Validator Economics in Focus The economics have already drawn institutional opposition. Nasdaq-listed Solana Company said Aug. 21 that it would vote against SGP-0002. The company supports lower issuance as a long-term goal. However, it argued that changing established economics during the first governance cycle could reduce institutional predictability.

The vote also follows the failed SIMD-228 debate in 2025. That proposal sought dynamic issuance tied to staking participation rather than the existing fixed schedule. About 74% of staked SOL participated. However, only 61.4% of non-abstaining votes supported the proposal, below the required two-thirds threshold.

Under the new SGP process, at least one-third of network stake must participate. Two-thirds of participating stake must then vote in favor for passage. SGP-0002 therefore places two questions before the network. One concerns how quickly SOL dilution should decline, while the other tests whether governance can produce decisive consensus.

Key Highlights Solana surged approximately 25% within one week, successfully reaching the $90 milestone following the SEC’s introduction of a fresh cryptocurrency regulatory framework More than $4.6 billion worth of short positions faced liquidation across three days, with August 18 marking the 8th most significant single-day liquidation event in cryptocurrency market records The Crypto Fear and Greed Index surged from 36 to 76, transforming market sentiment from neutral territory to greedy levels A critical on-chain indicator — the crossover of 30-day and 50-day moving averages tracking daily active users — previously catalyzed a 70% SOL price increase from $145 to $245 ETF net inflows climbed to $38 million, marking the strongest performance since May, while market observers monitor $83 as a key support zone for potential retracements Solana (SOL) has experienced a remarkable surge of approximately 25% throughout the previous seven-day period, successfully breaking through the $90 threshold for the first time in several months. This significant upward movement occurred in the wake of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission unveiling a proposed regulatory structure for digital assets.

Solana (SOL) Price Market activity intensified dramatically, with trading volume jumping nearly 50% to reach $9.5 billion, accounting for approximately 17% of SOL’s total circulating market capitalization. This breakthrough above critical resistance thresholds initiated a domino effect of forced short position closures throughout the cryptocurrency marketplace.

An extraordinary $4.6 billion in bearish positions were eliminated within a span of merely three days. August 18 independently recorded $2.9 billion in liquidations — establishing itself as the 8th most substantial single-day liquidation occurrence in the entire history of cryptocurrency markets.

SOL successfully penetrated both the 200-day exponential moving average (EMA) and two previously established supply zones positioned at $78 and $90. These price levels had served as formidable resistance barriers for an extended period.

On August 21, Solana concluded trading at $93.72, reflecting a daily gain of 6.94%. The Kobeissi Letter, a prominent financial analysis account, highlighted that SOL had climbed above $100 for the first time since February 3rd, characterizing the movement as evidence of accelerating crypto market momentum.

Critical On-Chain Indicator Resurfaces A significant on-chain metric that historically preceded substantial price rallies has emerged once again. The intersection between 30-day and 50-day moving averages measuring daily active users (DAUs) last occurred in June 2025, following which SOL experienced a dramatic climb from $145 to $245 within several months.

This identical crossover pattern has now reappeared within Santiment’s analytical data tracking Solana’s daily active addresses.

Source: Santiment Net inflows into SOL-related ETF products have achieved $38 million — representing the strongest positive measurement recorded since May. This development strengthens the argument that institutional capital is flowing back into the asset.

Market psychology has undergone a dramatic transformation. The Crypto Fear and Greed Index transitioned from approximately 36 (neutral sentiment) to 76 (greedy sentiment) throughout the week.

Technical Levels Under Market Scrutiny The RSI indicator has advanced into overbought conditions following the sharp price appreciation. A substantial upper wick visible on the current candle indicates mounting selling pressure around present price levels.

Source: TradingView Technical analysts are closely monitoring the $83 price level as a probable retracement target should profit-taking intensify. The 200-day EMA is positioned in close proximity and could function as a support mechanism.

Before this week’s breakout, SOL had challenged the $90 level on at least two separate occasions without successfully maintaining it. Thursday’s closing price above this threshold represents the first decisive settlement beyond $90 throughout this timeframe.

Should Solana maintain its position above $90 during upcoming trading sessions, the subsequent technical target zone emerges around the mid-$120s. A failure to hold this level would preserve the existing pattern of declining peaks.

Current market data indicates SOL trading at $91.89, reflecting a 9.15% daily decline, suggesting initial signs of the anticipated pullback are currently materializing.

Eric Trump denied that President Donald Trump is preparing to launch a new coin, calling the claim fraudulent in a post that drew 2.1 million views on X.

He responded to a post claiming the President was launching a new coin.

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What a joke… This is absolutely not true. No one is launching any kind of coin. If anyone is suggesting otherwise, it’s a fraud. https://t.co/H0nWXNL8rn

— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) August 22, 2026 Three Trump-Linked Coins Trade Far Below Their PeaksThe denial concerns a new token. Nonetheless, three Trump-linked assets already trade, but their performance has been far from impressive. Each trades sharply below its all-time high.

Official Trump (TRUMP) launched on Solana on January 17, 2025, three days before the second inauguration. It reached $73.43 within two days and has since lost most of its value.

TRUMP set a record low of $1.37 on August 13 and has since climbed about 88%. That rebound tracked a broader market rally.

Performance Of Trump-Linked Tokens. Source: BeInCryptoMelania Meme (MELANIA) followed two days after TRUMP. It now changes hands for around $0.086, about 99% below its peak, with a market value of $86 million.

Trump-backed World Liberty Financial (WLFI) began trading in September 2025 and briefly touched $0.33. Eric Trump also lists it in his X profile. The governance token sits near $0.06, roughly 78% down.

Losses, Senate Scrutiny, and Public OppositionThe declines have had a measurable cost for buyers. Blockchain analytics firm Nansen previously tracked about 1.48 million wallets that bought TRUMP. It counted 988,905 underwater, with $3.81 billion in combined losses.

As of the latest data, the picture has not changed much. Among wallets still holding meaningful TRUMP, the majority are underwater. Nansen data consistently shows ~85–95%+ of held positions at a loss, most clustered near −97% unrealized ROI.

However, the outcome has been different for the President himself. Trump reported more than $1.4 billion in crypto income for 2025. His disclosure listed over $500 million from WLFI sales and more than $600 million through CIC Digital.

Senate Democrats, including Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal, have pushed for investigations into potential national security risks from Trump’s crypto ties.

Public backlash has also followed. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 63% of Americans call the profits inappropriate, while 69% said his business interests shape presidential decisions.

Senators face a procedural vote on the CLARITY Act on September 15. One draft provision would bar sitting officials from issuing digital assets, turning Eric Trump’s denial into a legal requirement.

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South Korea’s Upbit recorded 1.15 trillion won, roughly $830 million, in trading volume within a single hour on Saturday, with XRP and TRUMP dominating the surge.

The spike extends a rebound that began the previous day, when Upbit’s daily volume already jumped 273%.

Upbit’s trading volume distribution over the past 24 hours was led by XRP at 32.20%. Source: Upbit DatalabWhat Drove Upbit’s Record Hourly VolumeXRP led the charge by a wide margin. The token accounted for 32.20% of Upbit’s 24-hour trading volume, ranking first among all traded assets, according to Upbit Datalab.

TRUMP ranked second on the exchange, contributing 10.93% of total volume. USDT followed in third place with 8.39%, while Ethereum and Bitcoin rounded out the top five at 5.44% and 5.40%, respectively.

Upbit’s total 24-hour trading volume reached approximately $3.81 billion, while rival exchanges Bithumb and Coinone recorded $1.954 billion and $172 million, respectively.

Saturday’s spike was not an isolated event. On August 21, Upbit’s daily volume had already jumped 273% to roughly $1.84 billion, marking the exchange’s highest daily volume since mid-March.

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The South Koreans are back, Upbit volume up 273% and Bithumb up 133%

"Remember, I told you the South Koreans weren't trading anymore. Crypto volumes were down massively, they'd gone to SK Hynix and Samsung and were using leveraged ETFs. Well, in the words of Poltergeist, they're… https://t.co/uxkrA2cy5x pic.twitter.com/pzvvUU8Gv3

— The Wolf Of All Streets (@scottmelker) August 21, 2026 XRP topped that session too, contributing $418.9 million and ranking ahead of Bitcoin, USDT, and ETH. Bithumb recorded a similar increase that day, with volume climbing 132.9% to about $934.9 million.

Why the Rebound Follows Months of Weaker ActivityThat earlier rebound followed months of weaker trading, as South Korean investors favored domestic equities while the KOSPI climbed to record highs on AI-driven semiconductor demand. Upbit and Bithumb both reported declines in operating revenue of nearly 50% during the first half of 2026.

XRP traded near $1.44 at the time of writing, according to BeInCrypto data, up 2.1% over the past 24 hours despite an intraday flash crash and up nearly 50% over the past week. The token’s rally followed Ripple’s backing of a major XRP Ledger amendment, alongside strong ETF inflows.

That gain remains positive despite a brutal 37% flash crash earlier in the day, which briefly pushed XRP as low as $1.36 before it recovered, liquidating hundreds of millions in leveraged positions along the way.

TRUMP held its gains more cleanly. The token traded near $2.34, up 26% in 24 hours and more than 66% over the past week. Its all-time low of $1.37 came just nine days ago, on August 13.

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Speculation around a Robinhood Chain launch has fueled renewed interest in the token, alongside a broader recovery across Solana-based meme assets. Whether this two-day streak marks a lasting rotation back into crypto or another short-lived wave, as seen repeatedly this year, remains an open question for South Korean traders.

Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

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XRP price suffered a brutal 37% flash crash on Saturday, August 22, as roughly $500 million in leveraged long positions were liquidated across the crypto market within minutes.

The move came just days after XRP had rallied more than 60% over the past week, leaving traders dangerously overexposed.

🩸 MASSIVE CRYPTO FLASH CRASH

$500 million worth of late long positions were liquidated as the market plunged:

Bitcoin: -$1,935 (-2.5%)
Ethereum: -$130 (-5%)
Solana: -$11.50 (-11.5%)
XRP: -$0.60 (-37%)

All of this happened within MINUTES. pic.twitter.com/QsQ24TyGQh

— Crypto Rover (@cryptorover) August 22, 2026
What Triggered the $500 Million Liquidation WaveA liquidation occurs when an exchange forcibly closes a leveraged position because a trader can no longer cover potential losses, often triggering rapid, cascading price moves. That mechanism drove Saturday’s collapse.

XRP plunged 37%, a drop of roughly $0.60, while Bitcoin fell 2.5%, Ethereum dropped 5%, and Solana slid 11.5% during the same window. Roughly $500 million in long positions were liquidated within minutes as the market plunged.

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Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP & Solana Price Performance. Source: CoinGeckoA wider timeframe helps illustrate the scale of the event. According to Coinglass data, $1.35 billion was liquidated from the crypto market over the past 24 hours, with the bulk of the activity concentrated on Binance.

“Due to the current decline, a large amount of $XRP long positions have been liquidated. There has been no increase in short positions during this downturn; in fact, short positions are decreasing. It is simply that high-leverage long positions held by retail investors have been liquidated. Even during a bull market, a decline of this scale is inevitable,” crypto analyst CW said on X.

Crypto Market Liquidations – 24 Hours. Source: CoinglassAnalysts Call it Manipulation, Others Call It DeleveragingThe crash followed days of euphoria. XRP had surged over 60% in the prior week, briefly topping $1.69, fueled by institutional inflows, regulatory optimism, and a broad market short squeeze.

That rally left the market saturated with leveraged long positions, amplifying any correction that followed. Analysts agree that no clear macro catalyst triggered the drop, no Fed announcement, no major hack.

The most common explanation is structural: high leverage, thin weekend liquidity, and excessively bullish positioning. Some traders describe it as manipulation, while others call it simple, necessary deleveraging that the market needed.

You’re telling me EVERY SINGLE CRYPTO decides to crash at the same exact time?

That isn't a organic selling, it’s pure manipulation.

We all know who's behind this but no one wants to say it out loud…

— Bark (@barkmeta) August 22, 2026
XRP quickly recovered part of the lost ground, climbing back to around $1.50 in the hours following the crash, according to BeInCrypto data.

Still, the episode reinforced a familiar lesson. In heavily leveraged crypto markets, a move lasting only minutes can wipe out hundreds of millions of dollars and knock thousands of traders out of the game entirely.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch leaders and journalists provide expert insights.

Solana (SOL) saw a successful mainnet upgrade on Friday morning that cuts the network's target slot time to 350 milliseconds (ms), down 50 ms from its former target of 400 ms. A slot is the short period of time in which a designated validator can produce a block of transactions of Solana's blockchain. 

The change was the first step under SIMD-0525, a Solana upgrade proposal merged on May 14 that outlines a path to eventually cutting the target slot time to just 200 ms, half its longtime value. 

"Shorter slots reduce confirmation and finalization latency for users," the proposal explains. "Any consensus or commitment threshold measured in slots takes less wall-clock time as slot time decreases."

The change also shortens Solana's epochs, which each contain 432,000 slots, meaning an epoch that used to take about 48 hours should now only take about 42 hours. Validators, which remain in charge for four slots at a time, will now change turns every 1.4 seconds, down from 1.6 seconds. 

Solana developers plan to make three further 50 ms cuts until the slot time reaches its final target of 200 ms. Each stage will be switched on separately, and the rollout can be paused if too many validators fail to produce blocks in their assigned slots, according to the Solana Foundation's upgrade overview. 

In a point-in-time check conducted for this article, a 1,000-slot period shortly before the change took 415 seconds, compared with 368 seconds for a 1,000-slot period later in epoch 1020.

While shorter slots reduce transaction latency, the change does not mean Solana's network can automatically process more work each second, as validators handle slots more often but each slot carries less work. Shorter slots also limit how long one validator can delay or rearrange transactions before the next validator's turn, the proposal's authors argue. 

Seven-day moving average of vote and non-vote transactions on Solana over the past year, per The Block's data. The change comes as non-voting transactions on the network, meaning transactions that have a purpose beyond supporting the network, have seen a notable rise since the start of the year according to The Block's data. 

Solana, co-founded by Anatoly Yakovenko, has in the past separately increased the amount of work that can fit into each block. The Block reported in July 2025 that developers had proposed raising the network's compute limit, which limits the amount of work the network can do to process transactions, to 100 million compute units. The change was merged and adopted into the main network on July 29. 

The network has also recently added another major validator client, written in a different language than the Rust-based Agave (and its popular fork, Jito-Agave). Jump Crypto’s Firedancer client, written in the C programming language, went live in December, improving client diversity and network resilience. 

Though slot times are now on their way down to 200 ms, full finality, or how long it takes the network to treat a block as irreversible, still takes much longer: Solana’s Alpenglow overhaul, still in development, aims to eventually cut finality to about 150 ms from roughly 12.8 seconds today.

The next planned mainnet target for slot times is 300 ms, though Solana developers have not yet set a target activation date for the change. The developers plan to monitor the network's performance with its current 350 ms slots before proceeding to cut the target time further.

Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

© 2026 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

The Bitwise Solana Staking ETF (BSOL) hauled in $20 million in inflows this week, adding fuel to what’s been a quietly impressive run for the first US exchange-traded product offering direct spot exposure to SOL with built-in staking rewards.

For a product that only launched in late October 2025, BSOL has accumulated roughly $730 million in net assets by mid-August 2026.

A staking ETF that actually stakes BSOL’s differentiator isn’t just that it holds SOL. It’s that it aims to stake virtually 100% of its assets, passing staking rewards through to shareholders. The current gross staking yield sits around 6.20%, or about 5.83% after fees.

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The ETF charges a management fee of just 0.20%, and Bitwise has waived even that for the first $1 billion in assets during the launch period. At $730 million in net assets, that fee waiver runway is shrinking.

By mid-August, BSOL held approximately 8.36 million SOL tokens. The custody arrangement runs through Coinbase Custody, with Bank of New York Mellon serving as administrator and KPMG handling audit duties.

Weekly flows tell the bigger story This week’s $20 million haul builds on a pattern of strengthening demand. Data from SoSoValue pegged the weekly inflow for the period ending August 14, 2026 at roughly $10.26 million, the highest weekly total since May. Within that stretch, August 10 alone saw $8.8 million flow into BSOL, the ETF’s largest single-day intake on record at the time.

The first half of 2026 brought $267.1 million in total inflows.

What makes the recent surge notable is the context. SOL prices experienced a general decline earlier in 2026, meaning investors buying into BSOL during this period were making a deliberate bet on recovery rather than chasing momentum.

Why staking changes the ETF math A 5.83% net yield means that even in a flat market, BSOL shareholders are earning meaningful returns. In a rising market, they get appreciation plus yield. In a declining market, the staking rewards provide a cushion that pure spot exposure can’t match.

At 8.36 million SOL, the ETF already represents a meaningful chunk of staked supply, and every inflow week tightens that dynamic further.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

Solana bears had a very bad day. More than $33.8 million in SOL short positions were liquidated over the past 24 hours as the token ripped higher toward $95, catching leveraged traders on the wrong side of a move that showed no interest in slowing down.

SOL hit approximately $94.14 during the session, reflecting a roughly 5.8% intraday gain. That’s a sharp recovery from around $75 just a week ago, which means traders who opened shorts near the lows got steamrolled by a move of more than 25% in a matter of days.

The squeeze in numbers The damage was lopsided. Of the total liquidations in SOL futures, approximately 80.85% were short positions. Long liquidations totaled just $8.01 million.

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Binance bore the brunt of it, with around $17.9 million in SOL shorts wiped out on the exchange alone. OKX, Hyperliquid, and Bybit absorbed much of the remaining pain.

Intraday volatility in SOL exceeded 7% during the session. When clustered short liquidity between $80 and $92 got cleared, the cascade became self-reinforcing: forced buybacks pushed the price higher, which triggered more liquidations, which pushed the price higher still.

Part of a much bigger picture Total short liquidations across all cryptocurrencies surpassed $1.2 billion in the same 24-hour window. Bitcoin and Ether shorts faced their own substantial wipeouts, contributing to an estimated $4 billion in total liquidations over a two-day stretch.

The catalyst appears to have been a confluence of macro tailwinds. US Treasury bond buybacks and positive political signals fostered a risk-on environment. Crypto, as the highest-beta corner of the financial universe, tends to move first and hardest when risk appetite flips.

Why SOL specifically The clusters of short liquidity between $80 and $92 acted as fuel depots along the rally’s path. Each time SOL punched through one of those levels, another batch of stop-losses and liquidation triggers fired off, adding buying pressure that propelled the token toward the next cluster.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

Bitmine’s unrealized losses on its Ethereum positions narrowed to $5.408 billion.

According to the latest holding data from Bitmine, the treasury firm holds a total of 5,815,164 Ether (ETH), with an average cost basis of $3,366 per ETH. At the current ETH price of $2,436, the total unrealized loss on its holdings has narrowed to $5.408 billion, after previously exceeding $10 billion at one point.

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Iraq confirms some oil tankers have obtained passage permits for the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Al Arabiya TV, the Iraqi President stated: "We discussed with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf the issue of re-examining relations between Baghdad and Tehran. Currently, some ships carrying Iraqi oil have indeed been allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Given the current situation, I believe the United States wants to reach an agreement to end its conflict with Iran. It must be noted that we are among the countries most deeply affected by the war, and the government is doing its utmost to avoid getting involved in it." (Jinshi)

5 minutes ago

Arthur Hayes warns: FLOP has not yet been launched, and there is no presale or Meme coin.

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes has issued a reminder that Flop Labs has not yet released its FLOP token, nor is there any presale or meme coin associated with the project. Hayes noted that FLOP is not officially live, and cautioned the community against mistaking related tokens circulating in the market for official assets. He added that Flop Labs plans to launch an airdrop in the coming months and roll out its mainnet next year. Earlier public information showed the project had previously targeted a large-scale airdrop in Q4 2026, with the mainnet genesis block set for Q1 2027. Hayes had earlier announced he would lead Flop Labs, which is designed to build economic infrastructure for AI Agents, with FLOP serving as the native asset for AI Agents to pay for resources such as computing power and storage.

5 minutes ago

US Treasury repurchase operations unexpectedly pushed Bitcoin’s price up 25%, triggering $4 billion in short-position liquidations.

After the U.S. Treasury expanded its long-term U.S. Treasury bond repurchase operations, the 30-year U.S. Treasury yield fell from a 19-year high of 5.34% to around 5.19%, while Bitcoin rose roughly 25% in several days, briefly topping $79,000. Around $4 billion in cryptocurrency short positions were liquidated during this period, further amplifying the rally. The U.S. Treasury had earlier announced it would raise the size of its longest-dated Treasury repurchase operations from $2 billion per operation to $4 billion. Analysts noted that this operation is not equivalent to the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing (QE); its main function is to improve the liquidity of older bonds and optimize the debt structure, but the market views it as a policy support signal for long-term U.S. Treasury yields. Analysts believe the key driver of Bitcoin’s recent rally is not the repurchase operation itself, but the market’s prior over-concentration of short positions. As long-term U.S. Treasury yields fell, short sellers were forced to cover their positions, triggering a powerful short squeeze. Meanwhile, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw a net inflow of around $650 million this week, and Trump once again urged Congress to advance the CLARITY Act, further boosting market risk appetite. Jeff Ko, chief analyst at CoinEx, said the key now is whether Bitcoin can hold its 200-day moving average around $69,000 and turn it from resistance into support. Market participants also warned that if the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield re-breaks above 4.7% and the 30-year yield approaches 5.3%, Bitcoin’s current breakout could face renewed tests. Bitcoin has now broken above its 200-day moving average and continues to rise; the next phase of the market will focus on whether it can sustain its rally in a high-yield environment.

5 minutes ago

Strategy's Bitcoin holdings have generated an unrealized profit of $1.7187 billion.

Strategy currently holds 840,447 Bitcoin, with a total cost of $63.36 billion and an average entry price of $75,385. At Bitcoin’s current price of $77,430, the company’s Bitcoin holdings now have an unrealized profit of $1.7187 billion.

5 minutes ago

The Sandbox confirms SAND cross-chain bridge vulnerability; Base and BSC networks affected, cross-chain functionality suspended.

The Sandbox officials announced that the team has confirmed and fully contained the recent SAND cross-chain bridge vulnerability incident, which involved the Base and BNB Smart Chain (BSC) networks. The incident’s impact is limited, with the number of tokens involved accounting for less than 0.01% of SAND’s total supply. SAND on Ethereum and Polygon remains unaffected; user wallets were not compromised, and no action is required for affected token holders or liquidity providers. Attackers minted unbacked SAND tokens on Base and BSC networks via the vulnerability, per disclosures. Currently, The Sandbox has shut down SAND cross-chain functionality on both networks. SAND on Base and BSC has been isolated and is temporarily non-transferable or non-exchangeable. The Sandbox reminds users not to buy, sell, or trade SAND on Base and BSC, as liquidity on these networks has been impacted. The team has completed a pre-incident snapshot, is developing a compensation plan for affected liquidity pool (LP) users, and continues to investigate the full scope of the vulnerability. A full incident report and technical post-mortem will be released later.

5 minutes ago

The crypto market extended its recovery into the weekend as Solana flirted with the $100 psychological level for the first time since February. 

On Saturday, the 22nd of August, the altcoin pumped an additional 6% and tagged $102.7 on Binance. If there is a daily candlestick close above $100, this would effectively confirm SOL’s breakout from the 2026 price range. 

Source: SOL/USDT, TradingView  If so, an additional 20% upside potential would be achievable if the next key target of $117 (50-week Moving Average, MA, white) is reached. 

However, if bulls are rejected at the range-high near $98, the sideways structure could be extended. With likely volatility ahead of next week’s Jackson Hole Symposium by the world’s top central bank heads, either scenario could play out. 

Analysts split on SOL’s outlook On the long-term outlook, however, analysts have mixed feelings about the L1 altcoin and its key catalysts for the next bull run. 

For his part, Ryan Watkins, the founder of Syncracy Capital, projected that Solana’s fundamentals, including SOL’s tokenomics, will get better. He cited key inflation proposals and narratives (tokenization, stablecoin, etc). 

Fundamentals look great, and the value capture story will only improve with each passing quarter. Targeting much, much higher.

According to him, Solana’s revenue will likely grow by 2X or 4X in the next two years. He concluded that,

Think $SOL is about to make a big comeback and is the most asymmetric major over the next 6 – 18 months.

Source: X However, Jon Charbonneau, General Partner at another investment firm, DBA, countered that Hyperliquid and Pumpfun [PUMP] are better and cheaper alternatives. 

The challenge now is it’s just harder to buy SOL at $60bn when HYPE & PUMP are both cheaper, have stronger revenue/fundamentals, & are cleaner expressions together covering most of the SOL thesis but at the layer capturing more value.

Source: Blockworks  Another analyst, Michael Nadeau, echoed a similar stance, noting that most of Solana’s economics comes from Pumpfun (memecoin launchpad). He discredited Solana’s perceived moat into the next cycle. 

Tokenization, prediction markets, stablecoins, and AI agents are some of the top narratives for the next cycle. But memecoin trading still dominates most of the chains. So, it may be too early to give up on Solana [SOL]. 

That said, the U.S. spot SOL ETF attracted $28.3M in weekly net inflows, one of the highest demand since May. If the institutional bid persists next week, the altcoin could reclaim $100.  

Final Summary Solana attempted to reclaim the $100 psychological level amid $28M ETF weekly demand Analysts are split over Solana’s moat and SOL’s value capture ahead of the next cycle 

Three widely used Rust packages were briefly hijacked on August 20, 2026, injecting malware into developer builds and putting critical blockchain infrastructure, including Solana’s, in the blast radius. The attack lasted less than two hours.

The compromised crates, [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected], were published to the crates.io registry in a tight 23-minute window between 07:15 and 07:38 UTC. Each contained a dependency on a poisoned version of proc-macro1, which quietly activated a build script during Cargo builds. That script downloaded and executed malware on the developer’s machine without touching the original crate source code.

What happened, and how fast it moved The Rust Security Response Team moved quickly once the threat was identified. The malicious version of arrayref was live for 86 minutes, internment for 90 minutes, and append-only-vec for 107 minutes before all three were yanked from the registry. The maintainer account believed to be compromised was locked.

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To put the exposure in context: the previous clean version of arrayref alone, version 0.3.9, had accumulated somewhere between 152 and 245 million lifetime downloads. That’s the kind of package that sits deep in dependency trees across thousands of projects, often pulled in transitively without developers ever consciously choosing it.

The risks from successful infection included remote code execution and credential theft, meaning any developer whose build process pulled the poisoned versions could have had their machine fully compromised.

Why Solana sits at the center of the concern The arrayref crate is a foundational component in Solana’s ecosystem, used in token interfaces and core blockchain infrastructure. The other affected crates similarly appear in dependency chains for projects building on Solana and, to a lesser extent, Ethereum tooling.

No widespread exploits or project-specific compromises have been publicly reported as a result of this incident.

North Korean fingerprints Researchers at Wiz, a cloud security firm, have linked the attack to North Korean cyber actors, specifically a group tracked as Sapphire Sleet. This attribution fits a well-documented pattern. North Korean state-sponsored groups have been systematically targeting cryptocurrency infrastructure for years, using supply chain compromises, social engineering of developers, and trojanized tools to steal funds and credentials.

Developers who built projects during the exposure window are being advised to inspect their Cargo registry cache for the specific malicious versions and to pin dependencies below the compromised releases.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

Solana has reduced its target slot time from 400 milliseconds to 350ms for the first time since the network launched, starting a four-stage plan that could eventually bring slots down to 200ms.

Summary

Solana has reduced its target slot time from 400ms to 350ms for the first time since the network launched. The change is the first stage of SIMD-0525, which plans further reductions to 300ms, 250ms and 200ms. Shorter slots are designed to reduce confirmation latency while network resource limits are adjusted proportionally. The remaining stages are targeted for Agave v4.2, although the activation schedule remains tentative. Solana Foundation vice president of technology Jacob Creech announced the change on Aug. 21, saying the network had entered “a new era of 350ms” before adding, “Next stop, 300ms.”

Average slot times were running at around 360ms at the time of writing, according to Solana’s slot time explorer, compared with the network’s original 400ms target.

The change is the first step under SIMD-0525, a Solana improvement proposal that introduces four progressively shorter slot configurations at 350ms, 300ms, 250ms and 200ms. The proposal was approved and merged on May 14.

Rather than moving immediately to the final target, Solana plans to activate each reduction separately, giving validator operators and client developers a chance to test network behavior as block production becomes faster.

Solana slot time starts its move toward 200ms The Solana Foundation said in June that reducing slots from 400ms to 200ms would lower latency and allow confirmations to reach users faster.

Under SIMD-0525, the first feature gate changes the slot target to 350ms. Later activations would bring it to 300ms, then 250ms and finally 200ms.

All four stages are currently targeted for Agave v4.2, the validator client developed by Anza, although the rollout schedule remains tentative and can change depending on testing.

Shorter slots mean block-production opportunities pass between validators more frequently. SIMD-0525 keeps the network’s 64 ticks per slot and its four-slot leader window, but the amount of real time represented by each leader window falls with every reduction.

At the previous 400ms target, four slots gave a leader a nominal 1.6-second window. A 350ms slot cuts that figure to 1.4 seconds, while 300ms would lower it to 1.2 seconds. At the final 200ms target, a four-slot window would last around 800ms.

The proposal says reducing the amount of time controlled by one leader can also reduce the period during which transactions could be delayed or reordered before another validator receives the opportunity to produce blocks.

SIMD-0525 does not simply allow the network to perform twice as much work after moving from 400ms to 200ms. Resource limits are adjusted proportionally as slot duration falls so that processing demands over a given period do not rise solely because more slots are being produced.

At the original 60 million compute-unit baseline used in the proposal, the per-slot limit would fall to 52.5 million CUs at 350ms, 45 million at 300ms, 37.5 million at 250ms and 30 million at 200ms.

Faster slots change confirmations and epoch timing Confirmation latency is one of the main areas targeted by the change because Solana measures several parts of network operation in slots.

With validators moving through slots more quickly, slot-based confirmation thresholds can be reached in less real-world time. Applications that use slot numbers to determine how recent blockchain information is can also receive finer timing intervals.

SIMD-0525 identifies oracle users and automated market makers among applications that could benefit from the shorter intervals, particularly when decisions depend on the age of on-chain data.

Epoch duration will also fall because Solana plans to retain 432,000 slots per epoch.

An epoch with 400ms slots has a nominal duration of about 48 hours. The move to 350ms cuts that to roughly 42 hours, while 300ms would bring an epoch to about 36 hours. At 250ms, the figure falls to around 30 hours, before reaching roughly 24 hours if 200ms slots are activated.

Solana’s annual slot calculations are adjusted alongside the change so that protocol issuance remains based on real-world time instead of rising simply because more slots occur each year.

The Validator Admission Ticket proposed under Solana’s Alpenglow consensus system is also designed to scale as epochs get shorter. SIMD-0525 specifies that a 1.6 SOL cost per epoch at 400ms would decline to 1.4 SOL at 350ms, followed by 1.2 SOL, 1 SOL and 0.8 SOL at the subsequent stages.

The proposal says the adjustments are intended to keep the validator cost at roughly 0.8 SOL per day despite the shorter epochs.

Solana performance upgrades extend beyond slot times The slot-time rollout comes while Solana developers are working on several changes to the network’s validator and consensus infrastructure.

As previously reported by crypto.news, Alpenglow entered community validator testing in May after Anza deployed the consensus design on a test cluster.

Alpenglow is designed to bring confirmation times to roughly 150ms while removing Proof of History and on-chain vote transactions from Solana’s core consensus process. Anza has called the planned upgrade the largest consensus change in Solana’s history.

The system introduces a voting design called Votor, which uses off-chain validator communication and signature aggregation to reach consensus. Its development is separate from SIMD-0525, although both projects focus on reducing the amount of time required for network operations.

Validator software has also become more diverse during 2026. Jump Crypto’s Firedancer mainnet rollout began producing blocks in May after years of development, providing an independently built alternative to Solana’s existing validator implementations.

Jump Crypto advised validators at the time not to migrate to Firedancer at scale until security audits had been completed. The client has been developed both to improve performance and to reduce the risk created when a blockchain depends heavily on one validator software implementation.

Later that month, Coinbase disclosed a multi-client setup using Jito and Firedancer across its Solana validator infrastructure. Its validator architecture supported approximately 40.48 million staked SOL at the time, or about 9.52% of the network’s staked supply, according to the exchange’s Q1 validator performance report.

Solana introduced another network-level change in July when it launched an on-chain governance framework that allows validators to take stake-weighted votes on Solana Governance Proposals. Under the new governance process, proposals that receive 15% initial support proceed through an 11-epoch process containing discussion, a stake snapshot and formal voting.

A proposal passes when votes in favor account for at least 66.67% of participating “For” and “Against” stake, while technical changes can still move through the existing SIMD process without first receiving a governance proposal vote.

The next slot reduction would bring Solana to 300ms With the 350ms setting now active, SIMD-0525 identifies 300ms as the next stage in the sequence.

The change would reduce the nominal four-slot leader window from 1.4 seconds to 1.2 seconds and bring an epoch down from roughly 42 hours to 36 hours.

Further feature activations would then move Solana to 250ms and 200ms. Each configuration is calculated from the network’s baseline values instead of using the rounded limits from the previous stage, a design intended to prevent rounding differences from accumulating across successive reductions.

Testing of Solana’s infrastructure has continued while those stages are being prepared. During July, network activity also reached record levels as tokenized assets expanded on Solana, with tokenized stock activity contributing to increased usage across the chain.

For SIMD-0525, however, each remaining slot reduction still requires its corresponding feature activation. Following the newly activated 350ms setting, Creech identified 300ms as the network’s next target.

Key Highlights Table of Contents

Solana has successfully reduced its target slot time from the original 400ms to 350ms.

This initial upgrade launches a multi-phase roadmap aiming for an ultimate 200ms target.

Network engineers have designated 300ms as the subsequent milestone in the optimization plan.

Reduced slot durations decrease transaction confirmation times and compress epoch lengths.

The Agave v4.2 client version is designed to accommodate all four slot-time reduction phases.

The Solana network has successfully implemented a 350-millisecond target slot duration, marking its inaugural significant performance reduction since the blockchain’s inception. This modification decreases the prior 400ms benchmark and initiates a strategic four-phase enhancement protocol. Network engineers have already designated 300ms as the subsequent objective within this technical framework.

Network Implements Inaugural Slot Duration Decrease Jacob Creech, technology vice president at the Solana Foundation, verified the 350ms implementation on August 21. Monitoring systems recorded average slot durations hovering around 360ms following the configuration’s activation. The blockchain had previously functioned with an initial benchmark of 400ms per slot.

This modification represents one component of SIMD-0525, a technical specification outlining multiple progressively compressed slot-time parameters. The proposal received developer approval and integration on May 14 following comprehensive technical evaluation. The roadmap encompasses sequential target reductions to 350ms, 300ms, 250ms, and ultimately 200ms.

Solana engineering teams structured the phased deployment to evaluate performance metrics prior to each successive configuration activation. This methodology enables validators and client developers to monitor network performance throughout each transition. The strategy additionally provides node operators adequate preparation time before block generation accelerates further.

Compressed Slots Accelerate Confirmation and Reduce Epoch Duration Reduced slot durations enable validators to receive block-generation opportunities with increased frequency throughout the network. Consequently, slot-dependent confirmation benchmarks can materialize within condensed temporal windows. Decentralized applications utilizing current blockchain state can likewise access refreshed data at diminished intervals.

The former 400ms parameter established a four-slot leadership window spanning approximately 1.6 seconds. Solana has now compressed that timeframe to roughly 1.4 seconds under the current 350ms framework. A prospective 300ms implementation would further condense the identical leadership window to approximately 1.2 seconds.

Epoch timeframes will similarly contract since the blockchain maintains 432,000 slots per epoch. With 400ms slots, a single epoch possessed a theoretical duration of approximately 48 hours. The 350ms configuration reduces that timespan to roughly 42 hours ahead of additional planned compressions.

Network Roadmap Advances Toward 300ms Before Ultimate 200ms Goal Solana intends to advance toward 300ms as the subsequent phase within SIMD-0525. That configuration would compress the projected epoch duration from approximately 42 hours to 36 hours. Subsequent implementations would then introduce 250ms and 200ms slot parameters.

Engineering teams have additionally calibrated resource constraints to prevent compressed slots from automatically escalating processing requirements. Specifically, the specification reduces the per-slot computational ceiling as slot duration contracts. The threshold declines from 60 million compute units toward 30 million at the 200ms benchmark.

All four phases presently target deployment through Agave v4.2, the validator client maintained by Anza. Nevertheless, developers retain flexibility to modify individual activation timelines based on testing outcomes and network preparedness. Each subsequent reduction will likewise necessitate its corresponding feature activation prior to deployment.

This enhancement constitutes one element of extensive efforts to minimize latency throughout Solana’s validator and consensus architecture. Accelerated slots could particularly benefit applications requiring current on-chain data, including price oracles and decentralized exchange protocols. With the 350ms activation complete, the network’s upcoming technical objective remains the 300ms slot configuration.

Oliver Dale

Editor-in-Chief of Blockonomi and founder of Kooc Media, A UK-Based Online Media Company. Believer in Open-Source Software, Blockchain Technology & a Free and Fair Internet for all. His writing has been quoted by Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Investopedia, The New Yorker, Forbes, Techcrunch & More. Contact [email protected]

Solana price surged 25% over the past week and briefly reached $93.39 on Aug. 21 as a market-wide short squeeze pushed SOL above its major moving averages. The breakout has opened a path toward $98 and $100, although an overbought daily reading raises the risk of a short-term pullback.

Summary

Solana price climbed 25% in one week and traded near $92 after reaching $93.39. SOL broke above its 20-day, 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day moving averages. The daily relative strength index reached 81.74, placing SOL deep in overbought territory. Liquidation data shows nearby liquidity around $93–$95, followed by support near $90 and $88. Solana price breaks out of a two-month range According to data from crypto.news, Solana (SOL) price was trading near $92 at the time of writing, up almost 5% on the day after moving between $87.57 and $93.39. The advance extended its weekly gain to approximately 25% and carried the token out of the range that had controlled its price since June.

The daily chart shows SOL breaking above the $76–$78 resistance zone, where several recovery attempts had failed during July and early August. The move also cleared the previous swing high near $82, changing the short-term market structure from a series of lower highs to a higher high.

Trading activity expanded during the breakout, supporting the move beyond the former range. SOL has now returned to price levels last seen in May, when sellers repeatedly defended the area between $94 and $98.

The rally followed a broader cryptocurrency short squeeze that erased more than $4 billion in bearish positions over 48 hours. Solana’s faster rise relative to several large-cap assets reflected its tendency to record wider moves during changes in crypto market sentiment.

Short squeeze meets institutional and network catalysts The derivatives-driven rally received additional support from Shinhan Asset Management’s announced partnership with the Solana Foundation. The South Korean asset manager plans to test a Korean won-denominated tokenized bond fund modeled on BlackRock’s BUIDL product.

The pilot adds to Solana’s effort to attract tokenized real-world assets and institutional financial products. However, its effect on SOL demand will depend on the fund’s eventual size, launch terms, and on-chain activity, none of which were established by the price charts.

Network activity also supported the bullish narrative after Solana reportedly processed 1.2 billion non-vote transactions in one week. A recent increase in the compute limit per block gave applications more capacity, while the planned Alpenglow upgrade aims to reduce finality times and change how validator votes are handled.

Broader US market conditions helped risk assets as well. The supplied market context linked the recovery to increased US Treasury buybacks, falling long-term yields, and a weaker dollar. Washington’s renewed push for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act and the SEC’s proposed Regulation Crypto Assets framework also contributed to improving regulatory sentiment, though both initiatives still require further action before becoming final policy.

SOL’s overbought RSI warns against chasing The daily chart confirms the strength of the breakout but also shows that momentum has become stretched. SOL’s 14-day relative strength index reached 81.74, well above the 70 level commonly associated with overbought conditions.

Solana price daily chart — Aug. 21 | Source: crypto.news An overbought RSI does not require an immediate reversal. It does, however, show that price has risen much faster than its recent average and may need to consolidate before another sustainable advance.

SOL now trades above its 20-day simple moving average at $77.06, its 50-day average at $76.92 and its 100-day average at $76.38. The token also cleared the 200-day average near $81.18, which had acted as the most important long-term barrier on the chart.

The tight grouping of the shorter averages around $76–$77 identifies the base of the breakout. A later decline into that region would represent a full retest, although nearer support sits at $87–$90.

The 4-hour chart shows similarly stretched conditions. SOL traded near $92 while the upper Bollinger Band stood at $94.19. The middle band was much lower at $83.54, showing how quickly the price separated from its recent mean.

Solana price 4-hour chart — Aug. 21 | Source: crypto.news Solana liquidation map puts $95 and $98 in focus The three-day CoinGlass liquidation heatmap shows SOL climbing through several layers of short liquidity between $80 and $92. Forced purchases from liquidated short positions likely helped accelerate the near-vertical move.

Solana liquidation heatmap | Source: CoinGlass Remaining liquidity appears concentrated immediately above the market between roughly $93 and $95. A break through that area could produce another burst of forced buying, but the chart shows less dense liquidity once SOL moves beyond $95.

Crypto trader Daan Crypto Trades identified approximately $98 as the next range high and said another squeeze could develop if SOL reaches the equal highs around that level. His chart places the larger range between about $67.60 and $97.60.

Altcoin Sherpa offered a similar bullish view, naming $95 as the first target and $120 as a possible later objective if Bitcoin remains strong. Both projections are conditional forecasts rather than confirmed outcomes, and SOL must first hold its breakout.

The heatmap also shows downside liquidity near $90, $88, and $86. The $86 area contains one of the brighter nearby clusters and could attract price if buyers fail to defend $90. A larger concentration remains around $80–$81, close to the daily 200-day moving average.

A $100 breakout depends on holding $87–$90 SOL’s immediate bullish scenario requires a sustained close above the $93–$95 region. Clearing that zone would expose the May range high near $98, followed by the psychological $100 level.

A confirmed move above $100 could strengthen the case that the longer decline from SOL’s 2025 peak has ended. The next target cited by Altcoin Sherpa is $120, but the current charts do not yet confirm that extension.

The bearish scenario starts with rejection below $95 and a loss of $90. Such a move could return SOL to $87–$88, while a deeper correction would bring the 4-hour Bollinger midpoint near $83.54 and the 200-day average near $81.18 into focus.

For US investors, Treasury yields, dollar strength, and progress on federal crypto legislation remain relevant outside catalysts. SOL’s immediate direction, however, will likely depend on whether spot buying can replace the forced purchases that powered the initial squeeze.

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

TLDR Table of Contents

HSDT stock surges 12% as Solana Company prepares for governance voting soon. Solana Company backs the constitution but rejects two key economic proposals. HSDT opposes faster disinflation to preserve predictable staking economics. The company rejects variable fees over concerns about institutional cost planning. Solana governance voting opens August 22 with HSDT positions already made clear. Solana Company shares surged 12.10% to $2.0850 as the company outlined its positions on three Solana governance proposals. The company supports Solana’s proposed constitution but opposes two planned economic changes before voting begins. On-chain voting for the three Solana Governance Proposals is expected to open on August 22, 2026.

Solana Company, HSDT

HSDT Backs Solana Constitution Proposal Solana Company said it supports SGP-0001, known as the Solana Constitution, ahead of the network’s first governance voting cycle. The proposal establishes a formal governance framework allowing staking participants to vote according to their economic stake. Underlying token holders can override voting decisions made by staking operators.

The company views the framework as important infrastructure for institutions seeking direct participation in Solana governance. Management believes transparent voting rules could improve confidence among organizations considering staking and validator operations. Solana Company plans to vote in favor of ratifying the proposed constitution.

The company also disclosed its planned vote before polling begins, giving delegators advance information about its governance position. Delegators can still exercise their voting rights independently under the proposed system. HSDT continues operating institutional Solana validator infrastructure across the Asia-Pacific region.

Solana Company Rejects Faster Disinflation Plan Solana Company plans to vote against SGP-0002, which proposes accelerating the network’s existing disinflation schedule. The company said the disagreement concerns timing rather than the long-term goal of reducing SOL issuance. Solana currently has a fixed terminal inflation rate of 1.5% under its existing schedule.

Management argued that institutions value predictable economic rules when building multi-year financial models around staking operations. Staking rewards can also represent operating income for companies holding SOL through structured treasury strategies. Consequently, changing the issuance schedule could introduce uncertainty while institutional adoption remains an important network priority.

The company could reconsider faster disinflation after Solana records sustained net capital inflows into SOL. Until then, it prefers maintaining the existing schedule and its defined path toward terminal inflation. This position seeks to preserve predictable staking economics during Solana’s expanding institutional adoption phase.

HSDT Opposes Variable Resource Fee Proposal Solana Company will also vote against SGP-0003, known as the Resource and Inclusion Fee proposal. The proposal seeks to replace aspects of Solana’s flat transaction pricing with fees reflecting network resource usage. However, the company believes variable pricing could create additional cost uncertainty for institutional users.

Management acknowledged that flat fees do not always reflect the actual resources consumed by individual transactions. Still, known transaction costs allow financial institutions to forecast operating expenses more consistently. A variable model could transfer additional estimation risk to users before supporting systems fully adjust.

Solana Company said it could support another version containing a predictable minimum fee structure. Such a model could address network resource costs while preserving greater certainty for businesses using Solana.

In brief The Agave v4.2 client turned on the first 50ms slot-time cut, from 400ms to 350ms, this week. I- t's step one of four under the approved SIMD-0525 proposal, each gated to a later epoch so the network can pause if block-skip rates rise. Solana's goal is a 2x faster confirmation and tighter leader windows that double as a censorship-resistance measure. The speedy Solana network just got faster, upgrading the way transactions on the network are processed for the first time since genesis. What it means is applications on Solana will now confirm transactions a bit quicker—increasing the efficiency of its "internet capital markets" across the network. Does it bode well for investors in the network’s native token SOL?

First, here’s what the upgrade does, from a technical perspective: Solana validators running the Agave v4.2 client flipped on the first of four scheduled slot-time reductions this week, dropping the network's base timing from 400ms to 350ms, meaning confirmations now take a lot less.

Myriad: Where does Solana price go next? Click to make your prediction.The change is the first cut to Solana's slot length since genesis, and it's the opening move in a plan to reach 200ms. For context, that's far shorter than Bitcoin's ~10-minute block time and Ethereum's ~12-second blocks—Solana already confirms transactions in well under a second, and this week's step trims a slot from 400 milliseconds to 350ms.

A slot is the fixed window in which a leader (the validator temporarily in charge of building the block) gets to produce it. Shrink the window and transactions reach finality faster, meaning the point at which a Solana transaction can no longer be reversed. Because each step has its own feature gate and switches on in a later epoch (the time to produce 432,000 slots, which is around 2 to 3 days) than the one before, the network can halt between steps if block-skip rates climb—the canary that the timing got too tight for the hardware.

The reduction was first floated in SIMD 469, shorthand for a Solana Improvement Discussion, which is how changes on the network are proposed and finalized. It was then formally approved as SIMD-0525. Per the Solana Foundation's upgrade page, it leans on performance gains already shipped in the validator clients, especially in Turbine (how blocks fan out across the network) and Replay (how validators re-process them).

The Foundation frames it two ways. One is latency: the protocol becomes "more competitive" on confirmation speed. The other is censorship resistance—a shorter slot narrows the monopoly a leader holds over block building, and paired with a separate proposal to cut consecutive leader slots, it limits how long any single validator controls the pipeline.

Is it bullish for SOL? Not by itself, but it does helpSolana’s native token SOL sits at around $91 at the moment, up roughly 4.4% on the day and well off its June low near $64.55. Momentum is hot: The daily Relative Strength Index, or RSI, printed 81, deep in overbought territory—and the 200-day average is still tagged "bear," meaning the longer trend hasn't flipped.

The slot-time cut is real infrastructure work, but it's a multi-month rollout whose final 200ms step isn't live yet. Markets tend to price this as a quiet competence signal, not a catalyst.

The broader lift in SOL right now is riding the same wave as the rest of the majors: Bitcoin's push to its highest level since June, with roughly $3 billion in shorts liquidated this week, dragged altcoins up with it. In terms of short-term price movements, the upgrade is less impactful than the overall macro conditions..

The one place the upgrade could matter for price is narrative and fundamentals. Solana has spent years defending its throughput lead against rivals; a public, staged march to 200ms is ammunition for the "fastest chain" story that funds and developers actually weigh. The technical change is bullish for the network, not necessarily for the price directly—at least not yet.

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Institutional investors continue to pour funds into the rallying cryptocurrency market. SoSoValue data shows that U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted $606.29 million in net inflows on Thursday, August 20, extending their winning streak of daily net inflows since Monday. The funds pulled in $297.5 million on Monday, $189.3 million on Tuesday, and $517.19 million on Wednesday, bringing weekly net inflows to $1.61 billion so far.

August's total has surpassed $2.07 billion so far. That figure already exceeds April's $1.97 billion, previously the strongest monthly total of 2026, with 7 trading sessions still remaining. Cumulative net inflows have reached $53.4 billion.

Solana ETFs moved in the same direction, marking their strongest single-day result in 3 weeks with $14.59 million in inflows yesterday, August 20. July 29 was the last time a bigger daily inflow was seen at $19.06 million.

The renewed demand comes as $SOL climbed back above $90 for the first time in more than 3 months.

Ether ETFs also recorded a major rebound, taking in $220.77 million yesterday, August 20, and posting their largest single-day inflow since October, while XRP funds added $13.24 million.

Crypto ETFs have now accumulated over $3 billion in net inflows in August so far, with 7 trading sessions still to go.

Are We Back? Bitcoin has moved sharply higher after weeks of muted trading. BTC cleared $69,000 on Wednesday, pushed above $72,000 on Thursday and reached $79,500 on Friday before pulling back toward $77,000.

That move raises a key question: does the rally reflect genuine demand, or did short sellers fuel much of the initial breakout? The latest ETF data offers a stronger case for real demand, as inflows have accelerated for 3 straight days.

Strategy Moves Back Into Profit Bitcoin's rebound has also transformed Strategy's treasury position. The company holds 840,447 BTC at an average cost of $75,385.

As $BTC moved above $77,000, the position returned to profit with an unrealized gain of more than $1.8 billion.

Just days ago, Strategy faced roughly $9.9 billion in unrealized losses.

The company recently sold 1,690 $BTC to help repurchase 1.15 million $STRC preferred shares for $108.6 million. CEO Phong Le has said Strategy expects to resume Bitcoin purchases before year-end.

Can Bitcoin Break $80K Even With Thinner Weekend Liquidity? Bitcoin remains acutely sensitive to shifts in liquidity expectations and real yields, and it has responded accordingly. After climbing from below $64,000 to above $77,000 in just 3 days, $BTC now faces a test of the $80,000 level.

Once U.S. markets close, Bitcoin will lose the ETF bid and move into thinner weekend trading. That could leave the market more vulnerable to sharp reactions to geopolitical developments, particularly those affecting oil prices.

Market participants will therefore do well to remain cautious. Rising ETF inflows and Bitcoin's breakout suggest the rally has more support than a simple short squeeze, but thinner liquidity can amplify both gains and losses.

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Coinbase has announced that its app now enables users to discover and access Base and Solana tokens immediately after they launch onchain. This feature, highlighted on Coinbase’s social media, suggests the exchange’s effort to streamline access to new tokens by bypassing the traditional centralized listing reviews. The move allows users with a self-custody wallet to engage with these new tokens through Coinbase’s decentralized exchange (DEX) infrastructure. This development may allow for earlier retail access to token launches in two prominent crypto ecosystems.

Key Takeaways Coinbase’s announcement suggests enhanced accessibility for Base and Solana tokens, as users can now engage with these tokens immediately after their onchain launch. Market pricing appears supportive of a potential increase in demand for Solana, as the exchange’s initiative could drive interest and activity in new Solana tokens. The introduction of this feature is consistent with scenarios where Coinbase aims to expand its influence in the decentralized finance space by offering more immediate access to new assets. What to Watch Observers may focus on the impact of this feature on Solana’s market performance over the coming weeks. Any significant uptake in token activity via Coinbase could indicate increased user engagement and demand. Additionally, developments regarding Solana’s price reaching $160 by the end of August could be influenced by broader market trends or notable network upgrades. Market participants will likely keep an eye on any regulatory changes or announcements from Solana Labs that could further affect token dynamics.

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Term Structure

Contract Odds Δ since publish Volume 24h September 1 2026 0.7% — — View market → September 1 2026 1.6% — — View market → September 1 2026 2.7% — — View market → September 1 2026 4.4% — — View market → September 1 2026 42.9% — — View market → September 1 2026 4.8% — — View market → September 1 2026 1.2% — — View market → September 1 2026 0.4% — — View market → September 1 2026 0.1% — — View market → September 1 2026 1.9% — — View market →