Standard Chartered trimmed its 2026 Solana target but saved a bullish long-time period view, arguing the community is shifting from memecoin hypothesis towards stablecoin-pushed micropayments.
The BTC plunge could mess with this forecasts:
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Abstract:
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Standard Chartered cuts its finish-2026 Solana target to $250 from $310
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Long-time period roadmap unchanged, with $2,000 nonetheless pencilled in for 2030
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Financial institution sees Solana transitioning away from memecoin-pushed exercise
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Stablecoin and micropayment use instances seen as key long-run drivers
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Close to-time period lag vs Ethereum anticipated because the narrative shift takes maintain
Standard Chartered has lowered its finish-2026 value target for Solana, trimming its forecast to $250 from $310, whereas leaving its longer-time period outlook unchanged because the financial institution argues the community is present process a structural shift slightly than a cyclical collapse.
The downgrade displays a extra cautious view on how shortly Solana can convert its technical benefits — notably low transaction prices and excessive throughput — into sturdy, payment-producing financial exercise. Standard Chartered’s digital belongings analysis staff framed the present drawdown as a part the place “efficiency differentiation” throughout cryptoassets ought to grow to be extra seen, as a substitute of markets buying and selling as a single danger-on or danger-off block.
On the coronary heart of the revision is a altering exercise combine on the Solana community. In line with Geoffrey Kendrick, decentralised alternate exercise is rotating away from memecoin-led hypothesis towards stablecoin-based mostly buying and selling pairs. When the financial institution initiated protection in mid-2025, Solana’s on-chain exercise was closely skewed towards memecoin buying and selling. Since then, flows have more and more shifted towards SOL–stablecoin pairs as speculative depth cooled.
Standard Chartered argues that this transition is strategically constructive but slower to monetise in market phrases. Whereas memecoin buying and selling can generate sharp bursts of quantity, it’s unstable and cyclical. Stablecoin-based mostly flows, against this, are extra constant but take longer to scale into significant income.
The financial institution highlighted Solana’s extremely-low charges as a key benefit for rising micropayment use instances, together with AI-pushed transactions, the place even small prices can undermine viability. One metric cited within the report exhibits stablecoin turnover on Solana already operating at two to 3 occasions the rate seen on Ethereum, suggesting the chain could also be carving out a distinct segment in excessive-frequency, low-worth transfers.
That potential is tied to the emergence of web-native fee protocols, together with Coinbase-backed x402, although Standard Chartered cautioned that adoption will take time to translate into market management.
Consequently, the financial institution expects Solana to lag Ethereum by means of 2026–2027, even because it turns into extra constructive on Solana’s longer-run upside if micropayment demand compounds. Regardless of the close to-time period trim, Standard Chartered reiterated its aggressive long-time period path, projecting $400 in 2027, $700 in 2028, $1,200 in 2029 and $2,000 by finish-2030, with Solana anticipated to outperform Bitcoin later within the cycle.
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Solana is a excessive-throughput blockchain designed for quick, low-value transactions. Its structure permits hundreds of transactions per second at minimal charges, making it enticing for decentralised buying and selling, stablecoin transfers and rising micropayment use instances.
