Ethereum and Solana set the stage for 2026’s DeFi reboot

Ethereum saw a surge in institutional adoption and progress on scaling in 2025, while Solana was stress-testing the network and hardening its infrastructure. What to know : The year 2025 has emerged as a year of consolidation, with major layer-1 networks laying the groundwork for the tooling and technology that will lead to better interoperability, as well as pushing forward with real-world financial use cases. For Ethereum, that meant a surge in institutional adoption and steady progress on scaling, while builders increasingly looked toward interoperability as the key challenge heading into 2026. For Solana, the focus was on stress-testing the network under real demand and hardening its infrastructure, setting the stage for deeper financial use cases in the year ahead. Together, the two networks offer a glimpse into how the industry’s leading platforms are positioning themselves for the next wave of adoption.