Solana Breaks $200 as New Upgrade Sparks Rally
Solana’s SOL token climbed past $200 for the first time since March, hitting $203 before settling around $195.64. The jump—roughly 9% in a day—comes as Jito, a key player in the Solana ecosystem, unveiled its Block Assembly Marketplace (BAM), a system that could change how transactions are processed on the network.
Traders seem optimistic. Derivatives volume for SOL nearly tripled, and the SOL CD20 product gained almost 9%. It’s not just retail either. Corporate wallets have scooped up nearly 3 million SOL this month, worth over half a billion dollars. Maybe the worst of the memecoin slump is behind Solana.
Why BAM Matters
BAM, set to roll out in the coming weeks, introduces a new layer for sequencing transactions before they reach validators. The goal? Faster execution, less front-running, and more control over how blocks are built. It’s a technical upgrade, sure, but one that could make Solana more appealing for developers and traders alike.
Nick Ruck from LVRG Research put it simply: “Investors turned bullish because this could make Solana transactions smoother, with better privacy and flexibility.” He’s not wrong. The market reacted fast.
BAM uses something called Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs)—basically, nodes that decide transaction order privately before anything hits the main network. That could cut down on manipulation. There’s also a plugin system letting developers set their own rules for sorting transactions. Want to prioritize certain trades or bundle orders? Now you can. Blockspace isn’t just space anymore; it’s programmable.
Institutional Interest Picks Up
Big money is paying attention. Weekly inflows into SOL investment products hit $39 million, and pre-commitments for the proposed REX-Osprey SOL ETF have crossed $73 million. That’s not pocket change.
Solana’s had a rough couple of years, no doubt. But with upgrades like BAM and steady developer activity, it’s starting to look like more than just a meme playground. SOL is up 33% this month, outpacing Bitcoin and Ethereum. Whether that holds is another question.
For now, though, the momentum seems real. And if BAM delivers what it promises, Solana might just keep climbing.
