Standard Chartered Revises Solana Outlook Amid Market Weakness

Solana CRYPTO000SOL

Solana has touched a new 52-week low, facing significant downward pressure. In the midst of this sharp correction, global banking giant Standard Chartered has issued an updated assessment, substantially lowering its price target for the cryptocurrency for 2026. Despite this near-term adjustment, the bank's analysts reaffirmed their long-term bullish thesis for the Ethereum competitor.

Even as the price struggles, institutional interest appears resilient. Since October 2025, Solana-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have attracted net inflows totaling $792 million. The Bitwise BSOL ETF alone accounts for approximately 78% of this volume. Major asset managers, including Galaxy Digital, are reported to be maintaining their holdings in the asset.

On-chain metrics provide a foundation for long-term optimism. The volume of stablecoin transactions processed on the Solana blockchain is currently two to three times higher than that on Ethereum. Furthermore, the network's staking ratio—the percentage of tokens locked to secure the blockchain—reached a new record high of 70%.

A Revised Price Trajectory

In a research note published today, Standard Chartered updated its valuation model for Solana. The bank's strategist, Geoffrey Kendrick, cited structural delays within the network's development as the primary reason for the change. Consequently, the price target for the end of 2026 has been reduced to $250, down from a previous projection of $310.

The platform's evolution from a hub for speculative memecoin trading to an ecosystem for stablecoin-based micro-payments is progressing more slowly than initially anticipated. While this key use case is scaling, the timeline for widespread adoption has been pushed back. Despite these near-term hurdles, the firm maintains its conviction for the next decade, holding firm to an ambitious long-term target of $2,000 by 2030.

Market Reaction and Trading Dynamics

The market reaction has been volatile. Solana's price recently declined to $93.00, representing a weekly loss of roughly 27%. Interestingly, trading liquidity surged during the sell-off, with a 24-hour volume increase of 44% to over $6.12 billion.

Kendrick suggests the current price level, despite the downturn, could present a potential entry point. His analysis indicates that Solana may outperform Bitcoin in the period from 2027 to 2030, even though the token is likely to continue lagging behind Ethereum in a direct comparison over the next two years.

Standard Chartered now outlines a clearer recovery roadmap for investors. The bank anticipates the price could rise to $400 in 2027, followed by $700 in 2028, before multiplying further by the end of the decade.