Prediction: Solana Will Be Worth $500 Billion in 5 Years
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Don't sleep on Solana (SOL 4. The world's sixth-largest cryptocurrency may be down 21% year to date, but big things could be coming soon. Solana currently has a market cap...
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cryptocurrency
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July 2, 2025
10:43 AM
The Motley Fool
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Don't sleep on Solana (SOL 4
The world's sixth-largest cryptocurrency may be down 21% year to date, but big things could be coming soon
Solana currently has a market cap of $80 billion
Within five years, that figure could be $500 billion
Admittedly, that's rarified air
Only two cryptocurrencies -- Bitcoin (BTC 3. 13%) and Ethereum (ETH 7. 33%) -- have ever hit a $500 billion market cap
Let's take a closer look at what it would take for Solana to skyrocket in value over the next five years
New Solana ETFs The obvious catalyst, of course, is the imminent launch of new spot Solana exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
According to Bloomberg, there is now a 95% chance of this happening in 2025
Simply stated, the Trump administration has gone all-in on crypto, and as a result, the SEC is now taking a -crypto stance
That dramatically boosts the chances of apval for Solana-based ETFs
In a best-case scenario, these new spot Solana ETFs will lead a fresh infusion of new money into Solana, similar to what we saw with the launch of the spot Bitcoin ETFs in January 2024
According to estimates from JPMorgan Chase (JPM 0. 47%), anywhere from $3 billion to $6 billion of new money could pour into Solana
A new "killer app" for Solana However, even if the spot Solana ETFs are a smash when they first appear (most ly sometime in Q4 2025), they bably won't be enough for Solana to hit a $500 billion valuation
For that, Solana will need something really big
In other words, it's going to need a "killer app" -- some use or application of the Solana blockchain that is so big that it immediately attracts tens of millions of new users
Image source: Getty Images
The concept of a "killer app" for Solana has been floating around since October 2023, when investment firm VanEck first suggested the idea
According to VanEck, if Solana can ever find a "killer app" for its blockchain, its valuation will soar
In fact, in an ultra-bull-case scenario, Solana could eventually hit a price of $3,211
Given a coin supply of apximately 600 million, that works out to a nearly $2 trillion valuation for Solana
So, what are some potential "killer apps"
Given that Solana is the first major blockchain to launch its own mobile phone, this "killer app" would ly be some kind of mobile phone app dedicated specifically to crypto and blockchain
In order to reach broad main adoption, this app would need to vide such a seamless experience for the user that zero blockchain or crypto experience would be required to use it
In much the same way, you don't need any artificial intelligence (AI) expertise to use ChatGPT on your mobile phone
Let's think out of the box
Solana has already suggested that stablecoins -- currently the fastest-growing segment of the crypto market -- could be a "killer app. "Given that Solana is already a top player when it comes to decentralized finance (DeFi), this makes sense
Users would convert real-world dollars into digital dollars (i. , stablecoins) and then put them to work within the Solana DeFi ecosystem
Also, at the beginning of the year, Franklin Templeton (BEN 1. 97%) hinted that AI agents might eventually become a "killer app" for Solana
At the time, Solana had 70% of the world's most blockchain-based AI agents, and it looked Solana was to become an AI powerhouse
However, the hype around AI agents has largely fizzled this year, so it might be some time before this AI growth catalyst really takes off
Price scenarios for Solana As noted above, the current coin supply of Solana is 600 million
So, to hit a target valuation of $500 billion, Solana would need to hit a price of apximately $850
The good news here is that there are some good price estimates already out in the marketplace
VanEck unveiled an ultra-bull-case scenario of $3,211 back in 2023
In January 2025, Bitwise offered an ultra-ultra-bull-case scenario of $6,636
And in May 2025, Standard Chartered gave a price prediction of $500 for Solana
According to Standard Chartered, Solana could hit that price point by 2029 if it continues to grow in several key areas, including decentralized finance
So, in many ways, the target price of $850 is a "Goldilocks price" -- not too high, not too low, but just right
Remember: Ethereum reached a $500 billion market capitalization in 2021
It's not entirely out of the range of possibilities that Solana -- already dubbed an "Ethereum killer" by many -- could eventually hit a similar market cap by the end of this decade
That would be a big jump for early Solana owners
JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money
Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana
The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, JPMorgan Chase, and Solana
The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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