Ethereum and Solana's Preparation for DeFi Innovation in 2026

2025: The Consolidation Year

The year 2025 marked a consolidation period where major layer-1 networks prepared the infrastructure for better collaboration and developed real-world financial use cases. For Ethereum, this signified an increase in institutional adoption and steady progress on scalability. As developers approached 2026, they began to see collaboration as a major challenge.

Solana's Focus

For Solana, the focus was on testing the network's performance under real demand and strengthening its infrastructure. This process laid the groundwork for deeper financial use cases in the coming year. When the two networks came together, it provided a glimpse into how leading platforms in the sector were positioned.