SharpLink CEO Joe Chalom isn’t sold on Solana for big-money institutional use. He says that even though it’s fast and cheap, it’s not secure or reliable enough for their needs. Meanwhile, Ethereum is dominating the stablecoin world, handling over 65% of all stablecoins and about 10 times more tokenized assets than Solana as of January 2026.
This argument recently popped up on X after CoinDesk shared Chalom’s thoughts from a podcast. Right now, there’s over $300 billion in stablecoins globally, and Ethereum has more than 54% of that pie, way ahead of Solana’s 5%. Chalom, who used to head up digital assets at BlackRock, thinks the stablecoin market will hit $500 billion by the end of the year, which will really boost Ethereum.
“Solana has been fast and cheap, but it has not been secure.”@SharpLink CEO @joechalom says that institutions prioritize security, liquidity, and reliability, which is why high-value activity like stablecoins and tokenized assets are concentrating on Ethereum. pic.twitter.com/v4hiB8WGEc
— CoinDesk (@CoinDesk) January 26, 2026
Ethereum’s security wins enterprise trust.
Institutions favour Ethereum for high-value DeFi due to proven stability. Tokenized assets on Ethereum and L2s reached $18 billion in 2025, with forecasts for $100 billion in 2026, mostly on Ethereum. BlackRock and JPMorgan select Ethereum for tokenization, citing compliance and settlement guarantees. Solana trails with $12.9 billion in broader RWAs but leads niche tokenized stocks at $874 million.
Community threads echo risks like Solana’s MEV issues and validator centralization. Yet traders praise its accessibility for fast payments, where stablecoins surged 567% to $12-14 billion last year.
Also Read: Ethena Plans $250M Allocation to Securitize’s Tokenized CLO Fund on Solana
Solana pushes retail, eyes RWA gains.
Solana’s stablecoin supply hit $14.068 billion, edging Ethereum L2s’ $10.12 billion in some metrics. DeFi Planet reports Solana’s RWA tokenization momentum into 2026, nearing $1 billion volume and drawing institutional interest. This positions Solana for retail innovation while Ethereum handles secure settlements. Such splits shape 2026 strategies. SharpLink holds major Ethereum stakes, betting on its standards for billions in DeFi capital.
So where is Solana in institutional use today?
As of August 2026, Solana has moved well beyond its earlier reputation as a retail-focused blockchain. Its institutional use is now most visible in high-throughput financial applications where speed and low transaction costs are valuable, including tokenized securities, stablecoin payments, real-world asset issuance and regulated investment products.
Solana is increasingly emerging as a complementary infrastructure layer for payments, tokenization and faster on-chain financial operations. Rather than an either-or outcome, 2026 is showing that institutions are beginning to adopt a multi-chain strategy.
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