Standard Chartered lowered its Solana price target for 2026 to $250 from $310 on 4 February, confirming a sharply higher $2,000 projection by 2030. This prediction reflects near-term execution risk but long-term conviction in the network’s payments thesis. As of writing, SOL traded at $97, valuing the network at roughly $54 billion and leaving the revised 2026 target implying a 158% upside from current levels. The forecast lands as large-cap altcoins consolidate amid cautious institutional positioning and selective risk-taking.

? JUST IN: Standard Chartered cuts its 2026 Solana price target to $250, citing slower scaling of the next major use case. pic.twitter.com/3zuOl86K2g

— The Daily Block (@thedailyblock) February 4, 2026

On the tape, SOL has struggled to regain momentum after its post-memecoin rally cooled, with traders increasingly focused on fundamentals rather than speculative flows. That shift aligns with broader institutional narratives highlighted in recent institutional outlook on Solana, where long-term adoption, not short-term hype, anchors valuation frameworks.

Why did Standard Chartered cut its 2026 Solana target?

The bank’s digital assets research team pointed to a slower-than-expected transition away from what it described as Solana’s “memecoin casino” phase toward durable revenue-generating use cases. While Solana’s technology enables sub-cent transaction fees, Standard Chartered expects meaningful micropayment adoption to take two to three years to scale, delaying price realization. For traders, that timeline matters because it pushes fundamental catalysts beyond the current cycle.

Micropayments position Solana for long-term upside

Standard Chartered’s long-term optimism rests on Solana’s ability to make micropayments economically viable at scale. Traditional card networks often charge around $0.30 per transaction, making sub-dollar payments impractical, while Ethereum fees can still spike above micro-transaction thresholds during congestion. Solana’s low and predictable fees change that equation, opening use cases like per-article content payments, creator monetization, and machine-to-machine AI transactions.

Early signals are emerging. Coinbase’s x402 protocol, which facilitates stablecoin micropayments, reports an average transaction size of just $0.06. If volumes scale, on-chain activity could translate into sustained fee revenue and higher network utilization, reinforcing bullish long-term projections similar to themes discussed in Solana institutional adoption analyses.

What risks could stop Solana reaching $2,000 Solana?

The path to four-digit prices is not straightforward. Solana faces competition from Ethereum layer-2s and other high-throughput chains targeting the same payments niche, while outages or validator centralization concerns could undermine confidence. On-chain data already shows exchange supply stabilizing rather than falling, suggesting limited near-term supply shock to force prices higher.

Standard Chartered’s own staggered targets—$400 by 2027, $700 by 2028, and $1,200 by 2029, explaining that execution risk remains front-loaded. For investors, the message is clear: the bank sees structural upside tied to payments adoption, but expects volatility and patience to define the journey, consistent with its broader Standard Chartered crypto outlook.

The big picture here is that Solana’s revised targets frame a market transitioning from speculation to utility. The near-term downgrade reflects timing risk, while the $2,000 target by 2030 call signals confidence that low-cost blockchain payments could ultimately support a much higher valuation.

HYPER Presale Surpassed $31 Million Milestone Amid Growing Demand

Bitcoin Hyper’s token presale has surprised analysts with massive demand. The presale has already raised more than $31 million, making it the best crypto presale of 2026. Top third-party auditors like Coinsult and Spywolf have reported no contract vulnerabilities, which has helped draw more attention to the project.

Another major attraction for experienced investors has been the 39% p.a. Staking rewards. The presale is ongoing, offering early participants the chance to purchase tokens at an undervalued price of just $0.013675.