Solana and Cardano Aim for $100B by 2026 on Upgrades, Bridges and Institutional Flows
Solana (SOL) and Cardano (ADA) are highlighted by analysts as candidates to reach $100 billion market valuations by early 2026. Solana, with a market cap near $68 billion, is expected to benefit from the Alpenglow protocol upgrade — moving transaction finalization from seconds to milliseconds and increasing block capacity — and from early institutional activity such as two U.S. banks settling USDC on Solana and Visa’s continued stablecoin efforts on the network. Cardano, with a market cap around $12.7 billion, would require far larger price appreciation but could be supported by its privacy-focused sidechain Midnight and a planned bridge to Solana that could access roughly $95 billion in DeFi liquidity. Regulatory developments are also pivotal: the U.S. CLARITY Act progressing through the Senate could clarify ADA’s status as a commodity and pave the way for potential Cardano ETF approvals. Analysts cite technical upgrades, growing institutional integrations and regulatory clarity as the decisive drivers for valuation upside, while warning of the usual high volatility and risks in crypto markets.
Bullish
The article presents several bullish catalysts for both SOL and ADA. For Solana, a major protocol upgrade (Alpenglow) that materially improves throughput and finality, combined with active institution-level usage (USDC settlement by two banks and Visa’s stablecoin work), typically leads to improved network utility and positive price sentiment — similar to historical rallies around major protocol milestones (e.g., Ethereum’s The Merge and subsequent ecosystem momentum). For Cardano, the potential of Midnight and a bridge to Solana to tap substantial DeFi liquidity represents a growth vector, while the CLARITY Act’s progress could reduce regulatory uncertainty and enable ETF possibilities — events that historically boost demand (ETF approvals and clearer legal status have lifted other crypto prices). Short-term, the news may spur speculative buying and spread bullish sentiment for SOL more immediately due to nearer-term technical and institutional signals; ADA’s reaction could be more speculative and contingent on concrete progress for Midnight, the bridge and regulatory milestones. Risks remain: upgrade delays, bridge execution failure, or adverse regulatory outcomes could reverse gains. Overall, the combination of protocol upgrades, institutional adoption signals and potential regulatory clarity skews market impact bullish, but volatility and execution risk mean traders should size positions and use risk management.