Solana turned into a payment and settlement layer, boosting its use cases. Even with an outflow of token launches, Solana showed its network still had utility and a source of regular fees.
Solana turned into a settlement layer for payments in the past year, outperforming other networks and some fintech apps. While fintech has advanced in the past year, some of the payments are still using outdated rails, have downtime, or cause delays.
The latest Messari research shows Solana is turning into a new platform adopted as a payment rail and an alternative to fintech. As Cryptopolitan reported, one of the latest signs is the expansion of stablecoin payments in February.
Toward the end of 2025, Solana was also added to Revolut as a payment gateway, further exposing the network to mainstream users. Solana wallets like Phantom also focus on easy payments and value transfers.
Total payment volume on Solana is up by over 755%
Total payment volume on Solana grew by 755.3% in 2025, based on Messari’s methodology. The growth of Solana surpassed other fintech apps, which also saw increased volumes.
The Solana network carries 46% of stablecoin transfers among its peers, including competing L1 and L2 chains and fintech apps. In the past year, Solana carried an estimated $2.61B in stablecoin payments.
Solana competes with Polygon, Base, and Arbitrum for fast and cheap payments. Just like Polygon, Solana aims to add payments as one of its main use cases, to offset the slowdown of other narratives and use cases.
In 2025, Solana got a boost from partnerships with VISA, Stripe, and Worldpay, where the chain was used to accept and settle stablecoin payments. VISA’s USDC pilot program passed $3.5B in annualized volume. Worldpay reduced processing times by 50% using the Global Dollar Network (USDG), explained Messari. Solana carries 57% of the USDG supply, in addition to other stablecoins.
Solana becomes the venue for branded stablecoins
Solana is one of the most active venues for USDC, but has also seen an inflow of branded assets. The chain carries a significant part of the supply of PYUSD, which increased its payment speed by 500% in the past year.
Solana attracted several stablecoins, though USDC remains the most active asset. | Source: Dune AnalyticsWestern Union also chose Solana to launch its native stablecoin. Fiserv also launched its FIUSD, tailored as a tool for interbank payments.
The Gusto project aims to further speed up USDC payments and make them compatible with small businesses in the USA.
The increased payment volume boosted the Solana network fees. Solana is now the second-biggest fee producer after TRON, with over $5M in weekly fees from transactions. The increased network activity supported SOL, which recovered to $88.48 after the latest dip below $80.
Source: https://www.cryptopolitan.com/solana-evolved-into-a-payment-settlement-layer/
