Solana to Hit $275 in 2025, Says Standard Chartered – But Ethereum Stays on Top

Solana might be gearing up for a breakout year – at least, that’s what Standard Chartered thinks.

In its latest research note, the global banking giant forecasted that Solana could climb to $275 by the end of 2025, and even hit $500 by 2030. That’s a big jump from its current price of around $175. Ethereum, meanwhile, is trading near $2,632.

But here’s where it gets interesting: even with such bullish targets for SOL, Standard Chartered isn’t calling it a flippening. In fact, the bank says Ethereum’s dominance isn’t going anywhere just yet.

So, what’s driving this confident prediction and why does ETH still come out on top? The deeper you look, the more revealing it gets.

Solana is rising, but Ethereum still leads

According to Geoff Kendrick, head of FX and digital assets research at Standard Chartered, the forecast hasn’t changed since March. Solana is still “cheap” relative to Ethereum, based on metrics such as active users and transaction counts.

That’s the key message: Solana’s got room to grow, but Ethereum’s already won the long game – for now. Kendrick also noted the ETH/SOL price ratio, which is currently around 16, is expected to hold between 14 and 17 through 2025–2027. That means both can rise together, but ETH stays ahead.

The bank also points to a few headwinds for Solana in recent months, mainly a slowdown in memecoin activity and the fact that its application revenue is still undervalued compared to its growth potential.

Ethereum vs Solana: A Comparison 

Here’s how the two chains stack up on the key battlegrounds.

TVL (Total Value Locked): Ethereum continues to dominate with over $71 billion in TVL, thanks to a mature DeFi ecosystem and institutional-grade platforms. Solana, by contrast, sits around $9 billion – a fraction of ETH’s size. Still, its fast, low-cost infrastructure is pulling in newer DeFi protocols.

Memecoins: Ethereum is the original home of memecoins – SHIB, PEPE, and FLOKI. While much of the recent memecoin volume is shifting to Ethereum L2s, the chain still leads in brand and liquidity. Solana had its moment earlier this year with coins like BONK and WIF, but that wave has cooled significantly, which probably has hurt near-term sentiment.

dApps and Developer Activity: Ethereum remains the heavyweight in decentralized applications, with a deep bench of projects and long-standing developer loyalty. But Solana is gaining momentum, especially in performance-first apps like Jupiter and Raydium. The community is scrappy, fast-moving, and increasingly well-funded, fueled by grants and dev bootcamps like mtnDAO.

Security and Past Network Issues: Solana has had its fair share of turbulence, including DoS attacks and major network outages. But 2024 brought serious upgrades: the rollout of Firedancer, a second validator client built with Jump Crypto, and the adoption of QUIC. Solana also implemented stake-weighted Quality of Service and real-time network monitoring tools to strengthen its reliability under pressure. 

Ethereum, meanwhile, has the benefit of time. Post-merge, Ethereum’s Proof of Stake model has made attacks more costly and introduced slashing penalties for misbehaving validators. Add in rigorous smart contract audits and L2 adoption, and you’ve got a network that’s been battle-tested and hardened over years.

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Decentralization at the Core: Solana’s design trades some decentralization for speed. High-performance nodes require costly infrastructure, which can concentrate control. 

Ethereum, on the other hand, operates with a vast network of nodes, made more accessible after the move to PoS. The lower barrier to entry has helped decentralize control and preserve Ethereum’s ethos as a trustless, globally distributed blockchain.

Can Solana close the gap?

It could – but not overnight.

Solana’s strengths are clear: fast transactions, low fees, and a growing developer community. But Ethereum’s lead is built on more than just price. It’s built on network effects, years of developer loyalty, and a strong track record with institutions.

For Solana to catch up, it has a long way to go. We’ll keep you in the know.

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