Group 1 - Standard Chartered encourages investors to focus on "quality" blockchain projects amid near-term volatility in digital assets [1] - The bank's Head of FX and Digital Assets Research, Geoff Kendrick, is actively accumulating digital assets during the downturn, viewing it as a defining moment for long-term positioning [2] - Kendrick identifies Ethereum and Solana as top layer-1 exposures, emphasizing that quality projects will prevail in the market [3] Group 2 - Standard Chartered has lowered its end-2026 price forecast for Solana (SOL) to $250 from $310, citing the time needed for the network's next major use case to mature [4] - Despite the price cut, the bank has raised its longer-term projections for Solana, asserting that its structural advantages remain intact [4] - The bank believes Solana's architecture positions it to dominate micropayments, especially as AI-driven applications and stablecoin transactions gain traction [6] Group 3 - If the thesis regarding Solana's dominance in micropayments holds, the bank expects SOL to outperform Bitcoin between 2027 and 2030, while gradually catching up to Ethereum [7] - There is a notable shift in Solana's decentralized exchanges, with trading flows moving from meme coins to SOL-stablecoin pairs [7] - Standard Chartered notes that these stablecoins are turning over two to three times faster than their Ethereum counterparts [8]
Standard Chartered Says “Buy Quality” as Solana Dip Opens Long-Term Outperformance Window