In 2025, the Solana ecosystem saw a mix of activities related to hype, hardware and high-impact upgrades, marking one of the chain’s most memorable years yet.
The year began with a full-on memecoin craze, with speculative energy and hype igniting onchain activity. This wave followed on the heels of the late 2024 rise of BONK, which boosted memecoin activity after some arbitrage traders appeared to be chasing the token airdrop given to every Solana mobile owner.
This feature is part of CoinDesk’s The list of most influential 2025.
In early 2025, the memecoin trend further exploded when the memecoin named after – and financially linked to – US President Donald Trump (TRUMP) flooded X and Solana’s trading apps. The momentum, which was part humor, part social spectacle, again helped push Solana into the mainstream narrative. (The TRUMP token eventually collapsed and is down 87% from its all-time high.)
Soon after, the memecoin craze hit a tipping point in February after a massive international scandal (uncovered by CoinDesk) revealed that LIBRA token co-creator Hayden Davis bribed Argentine President Javier Milei’s sister and close advisor to convince Milei to promote the token on social media, bringing the entire memecoin phase into the cooling ecosystem.
Against the backdrop of the LIBRA chaos, Solana’s developer ecosystem pushed forward with tangible innovation. The Solana Mobile team launched its second-generation cryptophone, Seeker, designed specifically for onchain trading and Web3 use. With built-in wallet integration, a dApp store, and DeFi support, Seeker reflected Solana’s goal of merging crypto functionality with consumer technology, expanding accessibility and usability for merchants and developers alike.
Looking ahead, the long-awaited Alpenglow upgrade is big. Expected to reduce transaction finality to sub-second speeds while reducing validator costs, Alpenglow could dramatically improve scalability and reliability. With near-unanimous approval from the community, it is poised to cement Solana’s position as one of crypto’s most efficient and developer-driven ecosystems.
From memecoin mayhem to true hardware innovation and groundbreaking upgrades, Solana’s 2025 has proven that its builders and its culture continue to keep its ecosystem in crypto’s cultural zeitgeist.
