Solana’s Institutional Confidence Defies Retail Skepticism
Despite a 30% monthly price decline and significant retail exodus from Solana, traditional financial institutions are demonstrating remarkable conviction through sustained investment. While retail traders have fled the cryptocurrency amid evaporating speculative demand - evidenced by Open Interest plunging to 7.06 billion - institutional players have injected $121 million into SOL ETFs this week alone, continuing a 29-day inflow streak since launch. This striking divergence between retail capitulation and institutional accumulation highlights a fundamental market disconnect that could signal deeper value recognition by sophisticated investors. The sustained institutional interest, particularly through ETF vehicles that typically represent longer-term strategic positions, suggests that professional money managers see current price levels as attractive entry points despite short-term volatility. This institutional backing provides a strong fundamental counterweight to retail sentiment, potentially setting the stage for a significant price recovery once market conditions stabilize. The contrasting behaviors between these two market segments reveal important insights about Solana's underlying value proposition and future trajectory in the cryptocurrency landscape.
Solana Price Prediction: Institutional Accumulation Contrasts Retail Exodus
Retail traders are fleeing solana amid a 30% monthly price decline, with Open Interest plunging to 7.06 billion as speculative demand evaporates. Yet traditional finance institutions display unwavering conviction, injecting $121 million into SOL ETFs this week alone—continuing a 29-day inflow streak since launch.
The divergence highlights a fundamental market disconnect. While retail capitulates, TradFi's sustained accumulation suggests institutional players anticipate upside beyond current technicals. A year-long descending triangle pattern now shows signs of reversal, with RSI momentum indicators flashing bullish signals NEAR the $2,750 support level.
ETF inflows have nearly matched last week's totals despite four new fund entrants, indicating demand extends beyond debut FOMO. This institutional vote of confidence emerges as Solana's network fundamentals remain robust, with developers continuing to build despite price volatility.
Upbit Suffers $36 Million Solana-Based Assets Security Breach
South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Upbit, experienced a significant security breach early Thursday, resulting in the loss of $36 million worth of Solana-based assets. Dunamu Inc., the operator of Upbit, confirmed unauthorized withdrawals from company wallets, with the breach detected at 4:42 a.m. local time.
The stolen assets included a variety of tokens within the Solana ecosystem, such as Bonk, Jupiter, and USD Coin. Upbit CEO Oh Kyung-seok stated the abnormal activity was contained once identified, but the funds had already been transferred to an external wallet. The incident underscores ongoing vulnerabilities in digital asset security despite advancements in blockchain technology.
Malicious Chrome Extension Targets Solana Traders, Siphons Funds
A newly discovered Chrome extension, Crypto Copilot, has been stealthily draining funds from Solana traders. Available on the Chrome Web Store since June 2024, the extension disguises itself as a tool for executing Solana trades directly from X feeds. Behind the facade, it injects unauthorized transfers into Raydium swaps, diverting at least 0.0013 SOL (0.05% per transaction) to an attacker-controlled wallet.
Socket's Threat Research Team uncovered the scheme, revealing that the extension constructs legitimate-looking swap instructions while appending hidden transfers to wallet address Bjeida. Traders see only the approved swap in their interfaces, with most wallets displaying high-level summaries that obscure the malicious activity. The fee logic is hardcoded and obfuscated within layers of JavaScript, applying either a minimum fee or a percentage-based charge—whichever is greater.
US Accounts Linked to 50% of Bundled Meme Token Launches, Bubblemaps Reports
Half of all bundled meme token launches trace back to US-based X accounts, according to blockchain analytics firm Bubblemaps. The findings highlight persistent concerns about cabal-style token launches undermining trust in permissionless launchpads.
Bubblemaps' investigation revealed geographic concentrations by cross-referencing underperforming assets with X account locations. The United States accounted for 50% of identified launches, with minimal activity from the EU and only two India-based creators. "Turns out the USA is the top X location for bundled tokens," the firm noted in a Thanksgiving Day post.
These bundled tokens frequently employ tactics like hidden team allocations and multi-wallet obfuscation. Insider sniping and coordinated pumps remain prevalent, particularly on high-throughput networks like Solana that dominate meme token activity.
