Solana, once known mainly for retail crypto trading and memecoins, is now attracting attention from major financial institutions. Analysts say the blockchain’s speed and low transaction costs could make it a serious player in the growing market for asset tokenization.
For years, many believed that Ethereum would become the preferred blockchain for institutional use. It is the largest smart contract platform and a long-time favorite for developers. However, as tokenization — the process of putting traditional financial assets on blockchains — gains momentum, some experts are reconsidering Solana’s potential.
A Shift in Solana’s Image
Solana’s early years were defined by retail speculation and fast trading. But the same features that fueled its early hype — low fees, fast transactions, and high performance — are now being seen as advantages for large financial operations.
According to Solscan data, Solana can handle over 3,000 transactions per second at an average cost of about half a cent. By comparison, Ethereum still depends on secondary “rollup” layers to reduce congestion and fees.
Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan recently called Solana “the new Wall Street,” suggesting its speed and design make it better suited for traditional finance systems than Ethereum. Several stablecoin and tokenization firms are already testing products on the network.
Room to Grow
Despite its performance strengths, Solana’s activity still lags far behind traditional markets. It currently handles around 284 transactions per second, while Nasdaq processes nearly 3,000 per second and over $460 billion in daily volume.
Developers say upcoming upgrades will improve validator performance and reduce block congestion, potentially making Solana more reliable for large-scale financial systems.
The 2030 Outlook
Artemis CEO Jon Ma estimates that by 2030, the global tokenization market could reach between $10 trillion and $16 trillion. If Solana captures even 5% of that market, its valuation could reach nearly $880 billion.
Experts believe that once real-world assets are moved on-chain, the value of blockchains will depend more on efficiency, scalability, and transaction costs rather than hype.
According to data from Rwa.xyz, tokenized real-world assets have already reached $35.8 billion — almost double from late 2024. This trend may continue as institutions seek faster, cheaper, and more transparent ways to manage financial assets.
While Ethereum remains the default choice for regulated environments, Solana’s growing speed and efficiency could make it a serious contender in the years ahead.
