SOL Futures Funding Challenge: Is $180 Out of Reach?
The analysis of the future interest rate cuts allows investors to estimate the performance of Solana and other cryptocurrencies. As of late, Solana’s market sentiment weakens — no perks since May 2025. Its near-time price trajectory may remain negative, which showcases the impact of rising competition and institutional hesitation on its growth.
Key Market Signals
The two major factors that make investors doubt its price evolution are as follows:
- Negative funding rate — given the FOMC Minutes didn’t take the desired turn, a potential pullback didn’t occur — a bearish rating is still prevailing. Its all-time high was $294.33 on January 19, 2025. In comparison, its current rates are around 45% lower, with 24H Low/High ranging from $158 to $162, on average.
- Leveraged long demand falls — while institutional concerns persist, largely because of MEV-related risks, doubts about a near-term rally for SOL keep rising. In turn, the market faces a sharp decline in interest for long positions.
Pressure from Ethereum’s L2 Expansion
On the one hand, a rapid scaling of Ethereum’s layer-2 ecosystem undermines the competitive edge of Solana in the market. On the other hand, smoother user experiences may be among the factors turning the tables in Solana’s favor.
Its largest DApp, simply known as Jito, holds over 17 million SOL in TVL. This data signals the ecosystem’s independence from token launch platforms and focus on innovative solutions.
Compared to coins like Cardano (ADA) and Ethereum (ETH), sell pressure for SOL assets is greatly reduced — over 66% versus around 60% and less than 30% for ADA and ETH, correspondingly. The higher this parameter is, the more secure and healthier the target network can become, receiving token holders’ support.
Revenue Performance
Despite the issues caused by validator control reasons, the popularity of SOL is still gaining momentum, with $271.8 million in revenue during the second quarter of 2025. This result outperforms fellow layer-1 and layer-2 chains for three quarters in a row. Solana is followed by Tron and Ethereum — $165.2 and $129 million in revenue, respectively.
The system’s DApp activity doesn’t lag, either. The financial statement of Jito is projected to reach this level in July 2025:
- Fees — $15.3 million;
- Revenue — $767,000;
- Net deposits — $2.7 billion.
Wrapping It Up
For investors, the key is to keep tracking technical indicators and monitoring macroeconomic news and actions of whales. Rival blockchains with more promising stats also negatively influence the position of Solana, namely, its market share. As long as SOL survives liquidation hunts and safeguards its realized price during the quarter, its rate of $180 may still be feasible, although the chances for that get slimmer and slimmer.