Can Solana shed its memecoin image in 2026?

Solana’s bid to move beyond memecoins will depend on whether its upgrades can deliver predictable execution for serious onchain finance.

Solana heads into 2026 facing the question of whether infrastructure upgrades and tokenized financial activity can push the network beyond its memecoin reputation.

Solana kicked off 2025 at the height of the memecoin frenzy, with Solana (SOL) reaching a new all-time high of $293 on Jan. 19. As memecoin volumes cooled over the year, SOL had fallen to around $130 by mid-December.

“Solana needs to shake off the stamp of ‘memecoin [or] NFT’ chain and position itself as a serious place for Web2 and Web3 financial businesses to come and build the future of finance,” Tomas Fanta, principal at the crypto investment firm Heartcore, told Cointelegraph.

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