TLDR
- Ethereum’s staking market cap is $120 billion.
- Solana’s staking yield is approximately 6.1%.
- Institutional investors are increasingly favoring Solana.
Ethereum currently holds the highest market capitalization in staking, with an estimated value of $120 billion. Solana, however, leads in one-year staking yield, registering approximately 6.1%. This development reflects the differing supply dynamics of these two prominent Layer 1 blockchains.
Solana features a higher staking ratio of 70%, with roughly $60 billion locked. This is in contrast to Ethereum’s 30% ratio with about 37 million ETH staked. These figures illustrate the growing interest and confidence in Solana as a preferred choice for staking among users.
Institutional Stakeholders and Market Moves
Institutional players continue to participate in these markets. BitMine, for example, has recently staked an additional 86,000 ETH. In addition, DeFi Development Corp. purchased $15 million in SOL, enhancing their holdings. These moves showcase the growing inclination of institutional investors toward both Ethereum and Solana.
Ondo Finance’s deployment of Solana for tokenized treasury products illustrates project-level adoption. This aligns with Solana’s current position as a choice for developing decentralized finance projects. Furthermore, mainstream platforms like Backpack highlight Solana’s significant total value locked (TVL) of over $10 billion, reflecting robust activity.
Shifts in ETF and Bridged Capital
On January 21, 2026, Solana staking-enabled ETFs reached $1 billion in assets under management, attracting inflows of $2.92 million. In comparison, Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs experienced outflows, amounting to $1.19 billion and $297.51 million, respectively. These numbers signify a notable shift in investor preference.
A significant volume of capital, exceeding $50 million, has recently bridged from Ethereum to Solana. This influx substantially increased Solana’s demand and reflects a shift in allocation priorities among investors.
Key Metrics and Performance Comparisons
Solana’s DeFi Total Value Locked (TVL) stands at $9.228 billion, equating to Ethereum’s Layer 2s combined. Furthermore, the stablecoin supply on Solana has outpaced its Layer 2 counterparts, boasting a supply of $14.068 billion, compared to $10.12 billion from Ethereum’s L2s.
Additionally, Solana leads on-chain activity with daily chain fees of $1.03 million, significantly higher than Ethereum Layer 2s at $182,000. This data attests to Solana’s consistent performance and attractiveness to developers and users alike.
ETFs, Tokens, and Future Direction
Solana’s strong staking ratio mirrors the 2025 ETF launches and their trading volumes by November of the same year. These activities have positioned Solana favorably against Ethereum and Bitcoin amid ongoing scalability debates.
Layer 1 assets like ETH and SOL are the primary tokens affected, with no substantial impacts noted on Layer 2 solutions or altcoins beyond TVL parity with Ethereum’s L2s. The increased liquidity on decentralized exchanges typifies this ongoing migration.
“Solana’s current position in the market is analyzed from different treasury perspectives, offering unique insights into its growth trajectory.”Source
Comparative analysis
“Solana’s scalability will remain a critical determinant of capturing value moving forward.”Source
Market outlook evaluation
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