👑 Solana just became the revenue king.

also OpenAI backs a movie for Cannes.

Author

Cryptopolitan News
September 09, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Solana: The retail chain that’s out-earning everyone

Ethereum is the chain Wall Street trusts.
It’s the staking economy, the infra rails, the ETF king.

But Solana? Solana is the chain of people.

And right now, the people are winning.

So far in 2025, Solana has raked in $1.25 billion in revenue, more than 2.5x Ethereum’s $523 million. No other chain is even close.

The wild part? Solana’s revenue doesn’t come from protocol fees. It comes from apps that regular users actually use.

  • Pump.fun pulled $52M in the past month.

  • Axiom bot hit $200M faster than any crypto app in history.

  • Jupiter, Meteora, Phantom are all making eight-figure hauls.

Ethereum is still the institutional chain. But institutions aren’t the ones driving the scoreboard right now, it’s retail degen culture on Solana.

And yet, institutions are noticing. Forward Industries just announced a $1.65B Solana treasury, with backing from Galaxy, Jump, and Multicoin. Whales have been pulling tens of millions in SOL off exchanges into long-term storage. Solana’s TVL is up 15% this month, even as Ethereum’s slipped for a while.

The result? SOL’s price is up 21% in 30 days, its market cap back above $100B, trading volume shot up 74% in a single day. These are strong signs.

Retail is king

Ethereum still has the institutional moat. But Solana is showing that retail chains can out-earn the institutionals when the ecosystem is built for speed and apps.

It’s not about replacing Ethereum. It’s about proving that crypto’s biggest growth engine isn’t Wall Street, it’s still the crowd.

🧠 Signal vs Noise

The SEC, under Commissioner Hester Peirce, is holding its sixth crypto roundtable of the year on October 17, this time focused on financial surveillance and privacy. It comes alongside proposed amendments to crypto rules, safe harbors, and looser broker-dealer requirements, signaling a softer regulatory tone since Gary Gensler’s exit.

Here’s the context:

  • The Trump administration has pushed for a friendlier stance on digital assets.

  • Since January, both the SEC and CFTC have rolled back investigations and lawsuits.

  • The agencies are exploring 24/7 capital markets, crypto derivatives oversight, and new exemptions.

  • Lawmakers like Cynthia Lummis are pushing the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, but real legislation isn’t expected until 2026.

But there are caveats:

  • Roundtables are listening sessions, not policy.

  • Privacy remains a politically sensitive subject: too soft, and critics frame it as enabling money laundering.

  • The SEC and CFTC leadership remain in flux, with only acting chairs at the helm.

📢 Signal: The SEC is shifting from “regulation by enforcement” to more collaboration and dialogue, a meaningful change for U.S. crypto policy.
💭 Noise: Don’t expect fast results. These roundtables won’t rewrite the rules anytime soon, and privacy will stay a regulatory minefield.

📈 Chart our analyst is watching

Hyperliquid is riding the $HYPE wave.

  • Trading volume touched $755M in 24h, a three-month high for the crypto

  • A record open interest of $2.1B, showing traders are piling in

  • HYPE overtook Chainlink’s ($LINK) in market cap

The rally isn’t just hype (pun intended). It’s tied to a fierce competition around who gets to launch USDH, Hyperliquid’s native stablecoin.

📚 Quick explainer: Why everyone want’s to launch USDH

Issuing USDH means controlling the rails for billions in trading. The winner gets the fees, the flows, and a permanent seat at the center of Hyperliquid’s liquidity machine.

Paxos, Frax, Agora, and Sky (DAI) are all battling for that spot, with validators set to decide.

Medium article picks: By our HR department

Headline picks: To pair with your coffee :D

Cat Coffee GIF by Meowingtons

🍿 Culture Corner

OpenAI is backing Critterz, an AI-assisted animated film set for global release in 2026. Produced with Vertigo Films and Native Foreign, the movie will debut at Cannes after just nine months of production (vs. 3 years typical) on a sub-$30M budget.

AI tools like GPT-5 and DALL¡E will handle design, paired with human sketches and voice actors. The goal: prove AI can make films faster and cheaper.

But not everyone’s sold. Critics warn AI films may feel inauthentic, and Hollywood unions are still fighting over job displacement. Meanwhile, Disney and Warner Bros. are suing AI platforms for copyright risks.

Love it or hate it. Critterz is Hollywood’s first real AI stress test.

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