ETH News: Ethereum and Solana set the stage for 2026’s DeFi reboot
Ethereum focused on institutional adoption and interoperability, while Solana hardened infrastructure, preparing both for a major DeFi reboot in 2026.Summary
The year 2025 was a period of consolidation where Ethereum and Solana built foundational technology for a 2026 DeFi reboot. Ethereum saw increased institutional adoption, driven by spot ETFs and the rise of Digital Asset Treasuries (DATs), while focusing heavily on improving layer-two interoperability to unify fragmented liquidity and user experiences. Builders anticipate 2026 will unify siloed ecosystems into a faster, cost-efficient environment, moving beyond speculation toward real-world utility like crypto neobanking solutions.
Solana, after a volatile 2024, spent 2025 stress-testing its network under high demand, which resulted in infrastructure hardening, increased block space, and improved performance. Key to its 2026 outlook is the anticipated Alpenglow upgrade, which aims to simplify consensus and drastically reduce transaction finality to around one second, making the network suitable for high-stakes financial activity and realizing its potential as a "truly decentralized NASDAQ."
(Source：CoinDesk)