Alpenglow or Remittix: Will Solana’s Upgrade Outrun PayFi’s Growth?

Solana’s native coin, SOL, is facing a dynamic and uncertain market as experts debate its prospects for reaching new peaks amidst evolving investor attitudes. By late September 2025, SOL is valued near $238.75, boasting a total market cap of $130.13 billion. Bullish outlooks for 2025 place price targets as high as $400, fueled by hopes for a

The Alpenglow update, which received approval from 98% of stakers, stands out as a major driver for Solana’s future resilience. By improving both the speed and dependability of the network, this upgrade could attract institutional-scale validators and more DeFi platforms, echoing the positive momentum that followed Ethereum’s Merge. Nevertheless, regulatory ambiguity remains, particularly with the SEC delaying its decision on a Solana ETF, now anticipated in November 2025. Such regulatory hesitation, along with ongoing worries about network outages and Solana’s relatively centralized validator system, has dampened short-term optimism.

Market trends further underscore the hurdles Solana faces. Despite its ecosystem continuing to appeal to developers and DeFi initiatives, SOL is experiencing a slowdown in short-term momentum. The ratio of long to short holders has nearly evened out, and technical measures such as the RSI now point to overbought conditions without a decisive move above $217.

Looking forward, the direction of Solana’s price will largely depend on both the execution of the Alpenglow upgrade and forthcoming regulatory decisions regarding ETFs. Should ETF approval come through, it could attract $1–2 billion in new capital, much like the recent surge seen with Bitcoin ETFs. Without these pivotal developments, however, Solana may face stagnation as competition in the blockchain space intensifies.

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