The start of a new year marked a new trend for institutional flows, as they shifted to Solana, registering record inflows to date. Meanwhile, Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs suffered significant losses.
Data shows that Solana ETFs attracted significant capital inflows in early 2026. Solana saw approximately $92.9 million in inflows between January 1 and 23, with a standout inflow of $1.87 million on January 27.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs experienced outflows of approximately $147 million and $63.53 million, respectively, during the same week.
XRP also saw significant institutional interest throughout 2025 and into early 2026, including a sharp increase of approximately 500% in institutional capital allocation.
Market participants have pointed to two structural drivers: access to staking through new ETFs and the launch of regulated, yield-generating products.
Why this change towards Solana?
One of the main reasons Solana gained so much ground is its technical narrative, where its institutional performance allowed for significant price movements. The pending Alpenglow update, scheduled for the first quarter of 2026, is described as being aimed at reducing the finality of blocks shorter than 12 seconds toward specific targets.
Price projections cited in the reports show a short-term bullish bias: SOL was trading around $127 on January 27, and analysts suggest it will reach approximately $147 if institutional demand remains strong.
In the long term, Solana is expected to reach $300 or more this year, and to experience exponential growth over the next few years, reaching the $800-$1000 range with sustained entries and successful protocol updates.
For traders and treasuries, the key takeaway is primarily operational. Solana’s institutional key now lies in ETF access, staking yield, and timely upgrade execution. However, liquidity and volatility remain risks, and price targets depend on consistent inflows and protocol delivery rather than sentiment alone.
