Hoskinson sees Solana outpacing Ethereum in the short term

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson said Solana could outperform Ethereum in the near term due to its speed and ability to deploy upgrades rapidly.

Hoskinson shared his views during a recent discussion, comparing how Solana and Ethereum are positioned as the market approaches 2026.

He argued that Solana’s streamlined governance and technical agility allow it to respond faster to emerging trends.

According to Hoskinson, this flexibility has made Solana attractive for projects focused on tokenised equities and modern financial products.

Market data shows tokenised stocks on Solana have reached a record value of about $185 million.

Several institutional platforms, including xStocksFi, Superstate and Remora Markets, are currently building on Solana’s infrastructure.

Solana’s high transaction throughput supports large volumes of activity without significant congestion.

Despite these advantages, Hoskinson acknowledged that Solana’s financial ecosystem remains smaller than Ethereum’s.

Data from DefiLlama shows Solana’s total value locked stands at roughly $8.37 billion.

By comparison, Ethereum’s total value locked exceeds $68 billion.

Solana’s stablecoin market capitalisation is estimated at around $15 billion.

Ethereum’s stablecoin market capitalisation is significantly larger, at approximately $165 billion.

Hoskinson said these figures highlight Ethereum’s deeper and more mature financial base.

He noted that Ethereum’s development strategy prioritises long-term research over rapid iteration.

Ethereum continues to invest heavily in zero-knowledge proofs and advanced scaling technologies.

Hoskinson said Ethereum aims to function as a verification layer for multiple networks over time.

This proof-based model is designed to support internet-scale demand.

He described Ethereum’s approach as slower but more structurally resilient.

In contrast, Solana’s model emphasises speed, experimentation and near-term adoption.

Hoskinson said each network’s success depends on real-world usage by institutions and users.

Recent market data shows both assets under short-term pressure.

Ethereum fell about 2% over the past 24 hours.

Solana declined roughly 1% during the same period.

Analysts noted Solana remains down more than 58% from its all-time high.

Ethereum has fallen around 40% from its peak.

Observers said the divergence highlights differing time horizons rather than a clear winner.

At the time of reporting, Cardano price was $0.3815.