Solana

On 9 January 2026, Morgan Stanley outlined plans to merge digital assets, private company exposure, and traditional investments into a single operating model aimed at long-term wealth clients. The bank intends to enable E*Trade users to trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana and launch its own digital wallet in 2026, while also expanding access to private-company shares through partnerships with Carta and the planned acquisition of EquityZen. In parallel, it has filed an S-1 with the U.S. SEC for a spot Ethereum Trust, following earlier registrations linked to Bitcoin and Solana as part of a broader institutional crypto strategy.

Solana now leads tokenized equities, hosting about 57% of roughly $1 billion in on-chain stock AUM via xStocks, according to Dune Analytics. On January 5, 2026, VAYLA described the Alpenglow upgrade targeting up to 100x speed with sub-second finality. The analysis flags resistance at $145 and eyes a possible move toward $500 if a breakout confirms.

As 2026 begins, KIMI AI issued end‑year price targets for XRP, Solana and Dogecoin. The model projects XRP near $8, SOL around $400 and DOGE near $0.45, versus recent levels near $2.09, $134 and $0.14. Forecasts hinge on a full bull market and rising institutional adoption.

Solana's stablecoin capitalization reached $15 billion after nearly $10 billion was issued over the past year, with more than $900 million minted in the last 24 hours. Memecoin trading revived, led by Bonk's 50% and PENGU's 40% gains, while applications generated $2.39 billion in 2025 and Western Union plans a dollar-backed token.

US spot XRP ETFs registered their first net outflow since launch, with about $40.8 million exiting on Wednesday. The reversal came alongside broader selling in crypto-linked ETFs, as Bitcoin products saw $486 million in outflows and Ether funds recorded $98 million the same day. XRP ETFs had previously amassed $1.2 billion in cumulative net inflows.

On January 7, 2026, Wyoming's Frontier Stable Token (FRNT) went live on Solana and became purchasable on Kraken, following confirmation by Governor Mark Gordon. The fully reserved, fiat-backed stablecoin offers near‑instant settlement and fees around $0.01, and can be bridged via Stargate to Arbitrum, Avalanche, Base, Ethereum, Optimism, and Polygon.

According to The Shib Daily, blue‑chip meme coins led by Shiba Inu rallied on Thursday, with SHIB up 28.7% over seven days. Traders rotated from Bitcoin's $87,000–$94,000 range into higher‑beta plays as derivatives open interest rose while retail indicators stayed muted. Solana moved toward $141 amid the risk‑on shift.

Wyoming has released public access to its Frontier Stable Token (FRNT), a state-backed stablecoin that can be purchased on Kraken and runs on Solana. Governor Mark Gordon said it is "the first fiat-backed, fully-reserved stable token" from a U.S. public entity, with peer-to-peer fees near $0.01 and reserve interest flowing back to the state.

Morgan Stanley filed paperwork on Tuesday to list exchange-traded funds tied to Solana and Bitcoin, marking its first products of this kind in the U.S. SOL funds have drawn $801 million within six months, while Bitwise's BSOL leads with $730 million and a 6.75% staking yield. According to TradingView, SOL rose 9% over the past week to $138, with $5.5 billion in volume.

In early 2026, Solana gained momentum as Morgan Stanley submitted an S-1 to register the "Morgan Stanley Solana ETF Trust" with the SEC. While Bitcoin ETFs recently posted about $240 million in net outflows and Ethereum and Solana ETFs saw inflows of $115 million and $9.2 million, Solana's TVL rose roughly 9% this week versus about 6% for Ethereum. The SOL/ETH ratio has climbed around 3% from key support, reviving debate over whether institutional flows are tilting Solana's way compared with Ethereum.