Analysts at Delphi Digital describe 2026 as a pivotal year for Solana, citing the network’s largest upgrade and rising institutional interest.

Upgrade details

The key update, Alpenglow, implements a new consensus that shortens finalization to 100–150 ms.

It increases network resilience and effectively takes Proof of History out of the base protocol, changing core validation mechanics.

Institutional signal

According to Delphi Digital, the upgrade coincides with growing institutional signals aimed at positioning Solana as an exchange-grade blockchain with minimal latency and high liquidity.

Ecosystem expansion

At the consumer level, the ecosystem expands through Solana Mobile deployments and targeted airdrops for developers, boosting activity across wallets and applications.

Delphi Digital also notes that the scale of planned infrastructure and commitments will need to be matched by concrete deployments to sustain market confidence.

Market participants will monitor delivery timelines and on-chain metrics closely to verify that the promised performance gains materialize after the upgrade.