<div id="readability-page-1"><div> <h2>Key Points</h2><ul><li>Solana recorded $1.1 trillion in activity across 25.3 billion transactions in Q1 2026.</li><li>BlackRock, Visa, and JPMorgan Chase are all building on Solana's blockchain.</li><li>While Solana is in a slump, the same is true for several other top altcoins.</li><li>10 stocks we like better than Solana ›</li></ul>The crypto market didn't perform well in the first quarter of 2026, but some coins still reached major milestones. Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) is one of the best examples, as the total economic activity on its network hit $1.1 trillion for the quarter, according to data from Artemis. That's a new high for the blockchain.It's a staggering number, but it didn't do much for Solana's value. Solana is down 26% on the year (as of May 15), raising the question of why there's such a gap between its activity and price.Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an &#34;Indispensable Monopoly&#34; providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://g.foolcdn.com/image//query-dXJsPWh0dHBzOi8vZy5mb29sY2RuLmNvbS9lZGl0b3JpYWwvaW1hZ2VzLzg3MDU5Mi9idXNpbmVzcy1wcmVzZW50YXRpb24uanBnJnc9NzAw?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="700" height="467" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://g.foolcdn.com/image//query-dXJsPWh0dHBzOi8vZy5mb29sY2RuLmNvbS9lZGl0b3JpYWwvaW1hZ2VzLzg3MDU5Mi9idXNpbmVzcy1wcmVzZW50YXRpb24uanBnJnc9NzAw"/>Image source: Getty Images. <h2>Details on Solana's $1.1 trillion quarter</h2>Solana's $1.1 trillion in total economic activity refers to all the value transacted on its blockchain. This includes stablecoin transfers, which accounted for $832.7 billion of the activity, or about 76%, as well as decentralized crypto trading, crypto lending, and all other on-chain transactions.The grand total isn't the only promising sign. Solana saw its number of active users grow, an impressive feat during a bear market. The number of active addresses was above 5 million for much of the quarter, after generally ranging from 3 million to 4 million during the fourth quarter of 2025.Solana also processed 25.3 billion transactions during the most recent quarter, well ahead of any other blockchain. BNB Chain was a distant second with 1.7 billion. The number of transactions Solana processed in the quarter without any downtime shows how reliable its network has become.<h2>What's next for Solana?</h2>Solana is one of the most widely used blockchains because of its speed and low transaction fees that cost just a fraction of $0.01. While that makes it popular with everyday users, major financial institutions are also building on Solana.Last year, BlackRock launched the USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund, a tokenized money market fund, on Solana. In December, Visa launched settlement of the USDC stablecoin on Solana for U.S. banks. And earlier this month, JPMorgan Asset Management and Anchorage Digital introduced a tokenized instrument for cashless stablecoin reserves on the Solana blockchain.These are some of the most successful financial companies on the planet. Given that and Solana's activity levels, there are plenty of reasons to be positive about its future.This good news hasn't helped Solana's price so far, but crypto has been in a bear market. Other top altcoins, including Ethereum, XRP, and BNB, have also dropped over 20% on the year. This kind of volatility is one of the reasons that investing in cryptocurrency is inherently risky.If you can stomach the volatility, Solana is worth considering as a long-term investment. Cryptocurrencies often trade on hype, but Solana is one where the usage data and institutional interest support the investment case.<h2>Should you buy stock in Solana right now?</h2> Before you buy stock in Solana, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Solana wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $469,293!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,381,332!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 993% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 207% for the S&amp;P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2026. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Lyle Daly has positions in BNB, Ethereum, Solana, and USDC. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends BlackRock, Ethereum, JPMorgan Chase, Solana, Visa, and XRP. The Motley Fool recommends BNB. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. </div></div>

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In Q1 2026, Solana achieved $1.1 trillion in economic activity through 25.3 billion transactions, marking a new high for the blockchain. Despite this milestone, Solana's value has dropped 26% this year, reflecting a broader slump in the crypto market. Major institutions like BlackRock, Visa, and JPMorgan Chase are building on Solana, indicating strong future potential. However, volatility remains a concern for investors considering Solana as a long-term investment.

- Solana achieved $1.1 trillion in economic activity through 25.3 billion transactions in Q1 2026, although its value dropped 26% year-to-date as of mid-May.  
- Major firms like BlackRock, Visa, and JPMorgan Chase are leveraging Solana's blockchain for various financial instruments, reflecting strong institutional interest.  
- Despite the bear market affecting other altcoins, Solana's increasing user activity and robust transaction volume suggest potential for future growth.

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Solana Just Had Its First $1 Trillion Quarter. What Comes Next?