Anza, Solana's core developer, has set October 21 as the target date for the Alpenglow upgrade, a consensus upgrade designed to improve transaction efficiency on the Solana blockchain.
The upgrade is projected to reduce transaction finality from 12.8 seconds to 150 milliseconds, representing approximately 85 times faster performance than current speeds. According to reports, this improvement could serve as a significant catalyst for both institutional and on-chain activity.
Network Activity and Trading Volume
Recent trading data highlights growing institutional interest on Solana. SPCX, a tokenized version of SpaceX shares, crossed $1.5 billion in spot trading volume, reaching $1.58 billion between June 12 and October 12. The rising volume in tokenized stocks reflects broader adoption trends on the network.
Solana's on-chain activity also showed substantial growth in the third quarter. Network transactions reached 29.3 billion, the highest quarterly total since Q3 2025. During the same period, SOL rallied 60%.
Technical Levels and Market Positioning
SOL is currently facing resistance at the $125 level. According to liquidation data, over $1.24 billion in short positions could be liquidated if SOL climbs above $125, while over $625 million in long positions face liquidation if the price drops below $90.
Market sentiment remains mixed, with SOL showing difficulty maintaining levels above $100. The timing of the Alpenglow upgrade coincides with a period of technical uncertainty for the asset.
