Stablecoin

Solana

Resistance

Star Atlas

Magic Eden

<ul>
 <li>Firedancer validator client launches on mainnet beta, boosting performance 600%. Visa builds global rewards program on Solana.</li>
 <li>Solana NFT volume exceeds Ethereum for third straight month. Stablecoin issuers adopt zkCompression for scalable settlements.</li>
</ul>
Solana (SOL) is trading at $160.62 USD, showing a strong +4.02% gain in the last 24 hours. SOL has a market capitalization of $86.14 billion, with an impressive 24-hour trading volume of $5.89 billion, indicating <a href="https://www.ethnews.com/solana-tests-upper-channel-boundary-as-breakout-above-156-would-clear-mid%e2%80%91july-path-to-171-and-186/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">robust market activity</a> and continued investor confidence.
<figure style="width: 100%" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
 <img loading="lazy" src="https://www.ethnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SOLUSDT_2025-07-15_09-37-27.png" alt="SOLUSDT_2025-07-15_09-37-27" width="1826" height="853">
 <figcaption>
 Source: SOL/Tradingview
 </figcaption>
</figure>
With a circulating supply of 536.27 million SOL out of a total supply of 605.31 million, Solana continues to maintain a dominant presence in the Layer 1 smart contract ecosystem.
Solana is currently testing a key resistance zone near $162–$165, after breaking out from the previous consolidation band around $150–$155.
<figure style="width: 100%" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
 <img loading="lazy" src="https://www.ethnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SOLUSDT_2025-07-15_09-38-05.png" alt="SOLUSDT_2025-07-15_09-38-05" width="1826" height="853">
 <figcaption>
 Source: SOL/Tradingview
 </figcaption>
</figure>
The price structure is bullish, forming higher lows and maintaining a steep ascending channel. If SOL successfully closes above $165 with volume, the next upside targets lie at $175 and $188, marking levels last seen in late 2023.
<figure style="width: 100%" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
 <img loading="lazy" src="https://www.ethnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Tokenized-assets-on-Solana-have-crossed-over-418-million-rising-140.6-year-to-date-per-Messari.jpeg" alt="Tokenized-assets-on-Solana-have-crossed-over-418-million-rising-140.6-year-to-date-per-Messari" width="680" height="383">
 <figcaption>
 Source: Messari
 </figcaption>
</figure>
New analytics from Messari show Solana has overtaken Ethereum in monthly active unique addresses, driven by widespread usage of DePIN apps, gaming platforms like Star Atlas and Aurory, and Solana Pay’s retail adoption surge.
Solana’s Firedancer validator client—developed by Jump Crypto—is now live on mainnet beta, boosting validator performance by over 600%. This reduces latency, <a href="https://www.ethnews.com/validator-efficiency-up-network-stable-is-solanas-technical-base-set-for-a-lift-off/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">increases decentralization</a>, and brings the network closer to enterprise-grade throughput. It also acts as a major hedge against centralization risks and network outages.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
 Jupiter Mobile has arrived on the <a href="https://twitter.com/solanamobile?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@solanamobile</a> dApp Store.
 Now available on all Saga devices — including the upcoming Seeker.
 The best native DeFi experience in crypto <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/72x72/1f9f5.png" alt="🧵" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;">… <a href="https://t.co/8Hpx8TbIVw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">pic.twitter.com/8Hpx8TbIVw</a>
 — Jupiter Mobile (v2 arc) (@jup_mobile) <a href="https://twitter.com/jup_mobile/status/1943656686444589228?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">July 11, 2025</a>
</blockquote>

Another trend is Solana’s dominance in on-chain consumer activity, including NFT trading, mobile payments, and decentralized social apps. Solana’s Saga 2 phone line—a Web3-native smartphone—has seen strong pre-orders from Asia and Latin America, reinforcing Solana’s status as the most “consumer-first” L1.
<h2 id="span-style-font-weight-400-major-solana-news-updates-span">Major Solana News Updates</h2>
Solana’s integration with payment processors like Stripe, Shopify, and Revolut allows merchants worldwide to accept SOL-based stablecoins like USDC and <a href="https://www.ethnews.com/how-solana-outpaced-ethereum-in-the-stablecoin-stakes-pyusds-meteoric-rise/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">PYUSD</a>, processed nearly instantly via Solana Pay.
<h3 id="span-style-font-weight-400-visa-launches-global-merchant-rewards-program-on-solana-span">Visa Launches Global Merchant Rewards Program on Solana</h3>
Visa has partnered with Solana to build a merchant loyalty and cashback infrastructure using SPL tokens. Retailers like Starbucks, Uber, and Target now issue and settle loyalty points as NFTs and tokens directly on Solana.
<h3 id="span-style-font-weight-400-solana-nft-trading-volume-surpasses-ethereum-for-third-consecutive-month-span">Solana NFT Trading Volume Surpasses Ethereum for Third Consecutive Month</h3>
According to data from Magic Eden and Tensor, Solana has now exceeded Ethereum in monthly NFT volume, with gasless minting, compressed NFTs, and mobile-first integrations cited as key drivers.
Spotify has begun integrating Solana NFTs for playlist access and fan interaction, allowing musicians to offer exclusive audio content, early access, and royalties tied to NFT ownership. This pilot rollout is beginning in North America and South Korea.
<h3 id="span-style-font-weight-400-circle-and-paxos-expand-stablecoin-services-via-solana-zkcompression-span">Circle and Paxos Expand Stablecoin Services via Solana zkCompression</h3>
USDC and PYUSD issuers are leveraging Solana’s new zkCompression layer to offer scalable, encrypted transaction processing for stablecoin settlements—now being piloted by JPMorgan and HSBC cross-border desks.
<h3 id="span-style-font-weight-400-solana-mobile-saga-2-sells-out-pre-orders-across-asia-pacific-span">Solana Mobile Saga 2 Sells Out Pre-Orders Across Asia-Pacific</h3>
Solana’s second-generation smartphone, the Saga 2, is seeing unprecedented demand due to its integrated Solana wallet, Tap-to-Mint NFTs, and biometric authentication for on-chain ID verification. The device is shipping in Q3.
The post <a href="https://www.ethnews.com/solana-tests-165-resistance-as-firedancer-mainnet-launch-boosts-validator-performance-600/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Solana Tests $165 Resistance as Firedancer Mainnet Launch Boosts Validator Performance 600%</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.ethnews.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">ETHNews</a>.

Solana Tests $165 Resistance as Firedancer Mainnet Launch Boosts Validator Performance 600%

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