Although the crypto market stumbled at the end of 2025, the sector is still very much in focus. After all, President Donald Trump has paved the way for a vastly changed regulatory environment. This should also lead to more widespread institutional adoption, as well as further crypto offerings from mainstream financial institutions.
Solana (SOL +2.36%) is a top 10 cryptocurrency with a market cap of about $70 billion. Investors like the token because it runs on one of the strongest blockchain networks, at least from a technical perspective. Is Solana a millionaire-maker?
Solana's use cases are gaining
As I've mentioned on numerous occasions, what makes cryptocurrencies difficult to invest in is that they don't generate free cash flow or earnings like publicly traded companies, at least in a traditional sense. That's why, when researching cryptocurrencies, investors should look for coins that operate on robust networks and have many use cases. The more a network is used, the more demand its coin should receive as well.
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Solana operates on a tremendous network. Similar to Ethereum, Solana runs on a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, in which investors stake their coins in exchange for the opportunity to validate transactions and earn rewards. Additionally, Solana utilizes a proof-of-history (PoH) consensus mechanism, which addresses a key inefficiency prevalent in most blockchain networks.
PoH essentially provides time stamps for each block. Without this mechanism, other networks must agree on a common timeline of blocks, which takes time and slows a typical blockchain network. PoH significantly accelerates this process, enabling greater scale and allowing Solana to process more transactions per second (TPS).
Solana is believed to be able to process tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of TPS, although its current throughput is much lower. However, in a network stress test, Solana did achieve 100,000 TPS on its main network.
The world has taken notice of Solana's network, which has enabled Solana to strike meaningful partnerships with large, well-known companies. For instance, Western Union chose Solana's network to launch its U.S. dollar stablecoin to enable users to move money in more innovative ways and to expand the company's treasury capabilities.
CRYPTO: SOL
Key Data Points
JPMorgan Chase also recently conducted a debt issuance for the company Galaxy Digital on Solana's network, which was ultimately purchased by Coinbase and Franklin Templeton. It was one of the first-ever debt issuances conducted on a public blockchain. This shows that Solana's blockchain has real-world utility, which will likely continue growing in the future. While it's difficult to determine exactly what it means for Solana's price, I would expect increased network usage to benefit the price over time.
Is Solana a millionaire-maker?
Investors have certainly taken notice of Solana's impressive network, and the coin's price has increased by 6,000% during the past five years. That's significantly better than the likes of Ethereum and even Bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency. It also means that if you had the foresight to invest about $15,000 in Solana five years ago, you would now be a millionaire, which is remarkable.
I suspect that Solana's network will continue to improve and process more TPS, making its real-world appeal even more apparent and leading to more real-world utility for the network. Solana could definitely make someone a millionaire.
That said, the coin now has a significantly larger market cap, so gains may not be as rapid as they were. Crypto is also inherently volatile, and Solana's price will certainly be affected by the movement of the broader sector. Investors can certainly buy the token, but to purchase a large amount, you will need a high risk tolerance.
