Standard Chartered’s crypto analyst Geoff Kendrick believes Solana can still surge to $2,000 by 2030, even though SOL recently dropped close to the $100 mark.
Short-Term Target Adjusted, Long-Term View Intact
He has revised down his 2026 target for SOL to $250 from $310, largely because overall market conditions across crypto have weakened. Even so, he argues the bigger, long-range opportunity stays intact—especially if Solana moves past its memecoin-heavy image and becomes a core rail for stablecoin-based micropayments.
Moving Beyond the Memecoin Narrative
Kendrick notes that Solana appears to be gradually shaking off the “memecoin chain” narrative. In 2025, nearly half of the network’s protocol fees were linked to memecoin trading on decentralized exchanges. However, recent activity indicates a shift toward SOL–stablecoin trading pairs, which can signal more utility-driven usage tied to payments and everyday transfers.
The analysis also suggests stablecoin transactions on Solana have accelerated and are now higher than Ethereum’s stablecoin turnover, reflecting stronger demand for fast, low-cost transaction flow.
Why Fees Matter for Micropayments
Fees are a major part of the argument. Traditional payment systems struggle with micropayments because fixed charges make small-value transfers inefficient. Solana’s very low network fees—often under one cent—could make it more practical for high-frequency, small transactions, including machine-to-machine payments and in-app pay-per-use models.
Institutional Interest Continues to Grow
The report also points to increasing institutional participation. It claims a Solana-focused ETF has captured most net inflows among SOL-related ETFs, and that both ETFs and digital asset treasuries now control a meaningful share of the overall SOL supply.
SOL Price Outlook Through 2030
On that basis, Kendrick’s updated trajectory places SOL at:
- $400 in 2027
- $700 in 2028
- $1,200 in 2029
- $2,000 in 2030
Stablecoin micropayments are framed as the main driver behind the long-term growth thesis.
