Solana price rises 3% as bulls eye new momentum

Solana price saw a slight uptick as the cryptocurrency market looked to hold onto recent gains, with the altcoin consolidating within a key range.

The price of Solana ( SOL ) rose more than 3% in the 24-hours, up from a 6% dump the previous day. Latest gains during early trading during the U.S. session on May 20, 2025, come as Solana-focused research and development firm Anza unveiled a major consensus protocol change .

While SOL signalled the potential for a bearish flip when price broke below the $170 level, buyers have held above $165. 

The broader picture is that the altcoin ‘s price remains within the $160-$180 range, which previously held as bulls recovered to rally to highs near $260. Meanwhile, total value locked in protocols on Solana has increased from lows of $7 billion in April to above $10 billion. 

On May 19, Anza introduced Alpenglow, deemed the largest Solana Protocol consensus switch.

Key to Alpenglow is the change from the Tower BFT and Proof of History consensus protocol to Votor and Rotor. 

“Votor finalizes blocks in a single round of voting if 80% stake is participating, and it finalizes in two rounds of voting if 60% of stake is responsive. Rotor is flattening the turbine tree to reduce network latency. Higher fanout, fewer layers, lower latency,” Anza wrote.

Bitcoin ( BTC ) resilience above $100,000 amid predictions of a run to $150,000–$200,000 in 2025, along with forecasts of an altseason, suggest a broadly bullish sentiment for SOL.

Solana’s positive outlook has also been buoyed by anticipation around crypto spot exchange-traded funds. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission delaying a decision on multiple Solana spot ETFs has’nt dampened the anticipation.

Adding further to the sentiment is a recent regulatory milestone: the U.S. Senate passed a key vote advancing the ‘Genius Act.’ Experts say the bill, which aims to regulate stablecoins, now has a high chance of being adopted into law.

Solana’s price stands to benefit from any tailwinds arising from these developments. Network growth, as hinted at by the latest protocol upgrade, may also contribute to this broad bullish potential.