The layer-1 Solana network ranks among the largest blockchains dominating the cryptocurrency industry. Staying at the top of its game, the L1 blockchain has grown into a popular choice for decentralized platforms, memecoins, and other crypto projects. There also exists speculation about an upcoming exchange-traded fund (ETF).

This article discusses key updates about the Solana ecosystem and their impact on the price movement of its native cryptocurrency, SOL.

SOL Price Momentum

SOL had a rocky start earlier in the year, dropping to around $95 in April. However, since then, it has made a roaring comeback. By early June, it was trading above $160. The strong comeback caught the eye of crypto watchers and retail participants alike.

What’s behind the bounce? A mix of things. First, renewed interest in Solana’s ecosystem, especially with memecoins and NFTs pulling in tons of traffic. Then there’s the ETF buzz. The idea that SOL might soon have its own exchange-traded fund has given the cryptocurrency a big narrative boost. Finally, the increasing attention given to decentralized finance (DeFi) has prompted various projects to focus on SOL for network fee settlement.

As interest in SOL grows, tools like a Solana price converter have become increasingly useful for tracking its value against fiat currencies like USD, GBP, and EUR, especially for portfolio management or real-time market checks.

What’s New in the Solana Ecosystem?

One of Solana’s biggest strengths is performance. It is fast, handling thousands of transactions per second, and cheap, with fees usually less than a cent. That’s a big deal for developers and users.

But speed alone isn’t enough. As the network attracts more usage, stability and reliability become just as critical. That is where Firedancer comes in, a new validator client built by Jump Crypto. It’s designed to boost the network’s resilience and scalability. If all goes well, it could help eliminate the outages that have plagued Solana in the past.

Alongside these infrastructure upgrades, Solana is also focusing on community and global expansion. Programs like the Solana Hackathons, the Hyperdrive accelerator, and dedicated ecosystem funds are helping onboard hundreds of new projects. Much of this activity originates from regions like Southeast Asia and Latin America, where cryptocurrency is increasingly adopting a mobile-first approach.

In short? Builders are building, and Solana is becoming the go-to choice for numerous Web3 apps in DeFi, NFTs, payments, and gaming.

The Rise of Solana Memecoins

Let’s discuss the memecoin wave as Solana is riding it hard in 2025.

Thanks to low fees and fast confirmation times, Solana has become the go-to chain for launching and trading meme coins. It’s reminiscent of Ethereum’s 2021 memecoin surge, but without the brutal gas fees.

A few memecoins have managed to break through the noise. Standout names include Dogwifhat (WIF), Bonk (BONK), Popcat (POPCAT), and Mew (MEW). Most began as jokes or inside memes, but some quickly gained cult followings and saw serious volume. A few have even hit market caps worth hundreds of millions.

Still, not everything in the meme coin world is sunshine and gains. Many of these tokens are driven purely by speculation, with little to no utility, roadmap, or transparency. There’s also been a rise in scams and rug pulls. So while meme coins are clearly bringing attention to Solana, they’re also risky. If you’re jumping into this space, do your homework.

ETF Rumors and Institutional Attention

The launch of a SOL-focused exchange-traded fund, combined with growing institutional attention, is where things get interesting.

Several big-name asset managers, including VanEck, Grayscale, and 21Shares, have filed to launch spot Solana ETFs in the U.S. This follows the approval of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs earlier in the year, which boosted overall market confidence.

Grayscale, in particular, wants to convert its existing Solana Trust into a full ETF. All these applications are currently under review, with analysts eyeing July 2025 as a possible decision window.

So, what would an ETF mean for Solana? It would mark a major step toward validation, signaling that Solana is seen as an institutional-grade asset. It could also open the floodgates for capital inflows from Wall Street firms. Likewise, retail participants seeking exposure through traditional finance (TradFi) platforms may follow.

Conclusion

Solana’s 2025 journey is shaping up to be one of comeback and evolution. The network has bounced back from past technical hiccups and is now positioning itself as a high-performance blockchain with real-world momentum. From viral meme coins to NFT drops, from scaling DeFi apps to lining up for ETF approval, Solana is in the thick of the action.

Whether you’re monitoring price action, exploring new projects, or converting SOL to fiat using a Solana price converter, one thing is clear, Solana isn’t just surviving. It’s thriving.

Japanese investment firm Metaplanet has announced the acquisition of an additional 1,112 BTC, bringing its total holdings to 10,000 BTC as part of its aggressive Bitcoin Treasury Operations strategy.

The latest purchase was executed for approximately ¥16.883 billion or $117 million.

Metaplanet’s 10,000 BTC Milestone

This development closely follows the issuance of Metaplanet’s 18th Series of Ordinary Bonds, through which it raised $210 million from EVO FUND. The bonds, bearing zero interest and redeemable at face value by December 12, 2025, were explicitly designated for Bitcoin purchases.

According to the company’s press release, the 10,000 BTC milestone was achieved through a series of strategic acquisitions funded by both equity and debt instruments, including multiple tranches of stock acquisition rights and a steady stream of zero-coupon bond issuances.

This move also marks the completion of the firm’s “210 Million Plan,” under which EVO FUND was granted 210 million 0%-discount rights. Over the past year, Metaplanet’s BTC Yield, which happens to be an important performance indicator tracking BTC per fully diluted share, has soared. This reflected both increased Bitcoin holdings and shareholder accretion despite dilution.

As of June 16, the BTC Yield stood at 87.2% quarter-to-date. The company recorded 3,526 BTC in BTC Gain for Q2 2025, translating to a ¥53.412 billion increase in Bitcoin value denominated in yen.

With its BTC holdings now totaling 10,000, Metaplanet has overtaken Coinbase, which holds 9,267 BTC, based on figures reported by Bitbo. The scale and pace of its recent purchases position Metaplanet as one of Asia’s most prominent corporate holders of Bitcoin. The firm now aims to amass a total of 210,000 BTC by the end of 2027. Having already accumulated 10,000 BTC, it must secure the remaining 200,000 BTC within the upcoming 18 months.

Companies Betting Big on BTC

A growing number of public companies are integrating digital assets into their treasuries, with 117 firms now collectively holding over 800,000 BTC. The latest to join this trend is Mercurity Fintech Holding (MFH), which announced plans to raise $800 million to establish a dedicated BTC treasury reserve.

The New York-based fintech firm plans to revamp its treasury operations by leveraging tokenized finance, with Bitcoin at the core of its strategy. MFH said that it will store its BTC using institutional-grade blockchain custody infrastructure and incorporate staking services and tokenized treasury tools to enhance yield and capital efficiency.

In a similar move, Oslo-based crypto brokerage K33 has also begun holding Bitcoin on its balance sheet, after a $6.22 million raise through interest-free loans and new equity and warrant issuances.

Bitcoin’s gradual recovery post the Friday crash continued in the past 24 hours as the asset jumped past $107,000 for the first time since the Israel-Iran attacks started.

Many altcoins have produced impressive gains over the past day, but HYPE has stolen the show once again with another new all-time high.

BTC Back to $107K

The previous business week also started in a positive manner for the primary cryptocurrency, which jumped past $110,000 on several occasions from Monday to Wednesday. However, it couldn’t penetrate that level for good and started to lose value in the process.

The most substantial rejection took place on Friday morning when BTC dumped from $108,500 to under $103,000 in minutes. The reason for this painful decline was Israel’s missile attack against Iran, in which over 70 people were killed.

Although Iran retaliated on Saturday morning and the attacks continued during the weekend, bitcoin actually started to recover some ground. On Sunday, it tried to overtake $106,000 but failed at first before the bulls pushed it above that level and even north of $107,000 on Monday morning.

Its market capitalization has risen to $2.130 trillion on CG, while its dominance over the alts continues to stand tall at 61.5%.

HYPE Keeps Pumping

Ethereum has added roughly 5% of value in the past 24 hours and now trades well above $2,600 after testing the $2,500 support. XRP, BNB, DOGE, TRX, ADA, BCH, and LINK are also in the green, while SOL has emerged as the top gainer from the 10 largest alts. Solana’s token has jumped by over 8% and now trades above $155.

HYPE has done it again by charting another all-time high, this time, close to $45. HYPE is up by double-digits once again on a daily scale.

Other notable gainers include SUI, AVAX, UNI, TAO, ICP, AAVE, ONDO, and more. SPX and AB have surged from the top 100 alts.

The total crypto market cap has rocketed by $80 billion since yesterday and is up to $3.460 trillion on CG.