The Solana blockchain, often dubbed the "get-rich-quick chain for the average user," continues to generate momentum—not just from the explosive rise of MEME tokens, but also from a thriving ecosystem of innovative decentralized applications (dApps). While projects like BOME (Book of Meme) have captured headlines with overnight wealth creation, the broader Solana landscape is home to high-performing DeFi platforms, liquid staking protocols, cross-chain bridges, and next-generation financial tools that deserve equal attention.
This surge in activity isn’t accidental. According to DeFiLlama, Solana’s 24-hour DEX trading volume recently hit **$36.2 billion**, surpassing Ethereum’s $30.05 billion and ranking first for four consecutive days. With such robust on-chain activity, it's clear that Solana’s infrastructure supports more than just viral memes—it powers a full-stack Web3 economy.
Let’s explore the most promising applications beyond MEME coins currently shaping Solana’s future.
🌐 Top DEX Platforms: Raydium, Orca, and Jupiter
Decentralized exchanges (DEXs) remain the backbone of any active blockchain ecosystem. On Solana, three platforms dominate: Raydium, Orca, and Jupiter—each offering unique advantages for traders and liquidity providers.
Raydium: The Go-To DEX for MEME Token Trading
As an automated market maker (AMM) built on Solana, Raydium was one of the earliest platforms to integrate with Serum’s order book system. Despite Serum’s decline, Raydium evolved independently and now leads in MEME token trading volume.
Most trending tokens like BOME and SLERF launch their pools directly on Raydium, where over 90% of their trading volume occurs. It also offers features like liquidity mining, staking, and Acceleraytor—a launchpad for new projects.
👉 Discover how top-tier DEX platforms are reshaping decentralized trading on high-speed blockchains.
In March, DAO Maker announced a $2 million SOL liquidity pool addition on Raydium as part of its expansion into Solana, launching AI-driven projects like YOUR AI. Over the past week, Raydium captured over **$12.9 million in fees**, placing it among the top 10 highest-earning DeFi protocols globally.
Its native token RAY saw an 89% increase in value over 30 days, reaching a market cap of $530 million.
Orca: Simplicity Meets Performance
Orca stands out for its clean interface and user-first design. Unlike feature-heavy competitors, Orca focuses solely on core functionalities: token swaps and liquidity provision.
Despite its minimalist approach, Orca ranks as the third-largest DEX globally by 24-hour volume, trailing only Uniswap and PancakeSwap. Its daily volume exceeds $1.4 billion, making it the most traded DEX on Solana.
The platform’s governance token, ORCA, trades at $4.03 with a fully diluted valuation (FDV) of $40.1 billion—indicating strong long-term investor confidence.
Jupiter: The Ultimate Swap Aggregator
Jupiter isn’t just another DEX—it's a powerful transaction aggregator that scans multiple liquidity sources across Solana, including Raydium, Orca, and Mercurial, to deliver optimal swap rates.
What sets Jupiter apart is its upcoming perpetual contracts feature, currently in testnet with support for SOL, ETH, and WBTC. Additionally, its LFG Launchpad helps emerging projects raise funds and distribute tokens transparently.
Jupiter made headlines earlier this year by announcing a massive 1 billion JUP token airdrop to approximately 955,000 wallets—the largest in crypto history by recipient count.
The first LFG project selected was Zeus Network, a cross-chain communication protocol launching its IDO in April. Meanwhile, JUP DAO has committed 10 million USDC and 100 million JUP tokens to fuel further growth.
With a 30-day price surge exceeding 120%, JUP now trades at $1.19 and boasts a $16 billion market cap.
🔐 Liquid Staking Protocols: Marinade, Jito, and BlazeStake
Staking has evolved beyond simple yield generation. On Solana, liquid staking protocols allow users to earn rewards while maintaining capital efficiency through tradable staking derivatives.
Marinade Finance: Market Leader in mSOL
Marinade is the largest liquid staking protocol on Solana, with over 9.98 million SOL staked—valued at $17.4 billion—and an annual percentage yield (APY) of 8.9%.
Users receive mSOL tokens representing their staked position, which can be used across DeFi platforms for lending, borrowing, or liquidity provision.
Its governance token MNDE trades around $0.31, with a FDV of $310 million.
Jito: Capturing MEV Value for Stakers
Jito takes liquid staking further by redistributing Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) profits back to users. By staking SOL, participants receive JitoSOL, a liquid staking derivative that earns both base staking rewards and MEV bonuses.
With nearly 9 million SOL staked, Jito holds the second-highest TVL on Solana at $16 billion.
Its token JTO, launched in late 2023, currently trades at $3.05 with a FDV of $30.5 billion.
BlazeStake: Emerging Challenger with bSOL
BlazeStake ranks third in TVL with $470 million locked and offers its own liquid staking token, bSOL.
While smaller in scale, it provides competitive yields and aims to expand into multi-chain staking solutions. Its token BLZE has a total supply of 10 billion and trades at $0.0018.
📊 Key Infrastructure Projects: Pyth & Wormhole
Beyond trading and staking, Solana’s strength lies in foundational infrastructure that enables advanced DeFi use cases.
Pyth Network: Real-World Data On-Chain
Pyth is a decentralized oracle network delivering real-time financial data—from stock prices to crypto feeds—directly to smart contracts.
Backed by Jump Trading, Pyth conducted one of the largest airdrops ever: 600 million PYTH tokens distributed to 750 million wallet addresses.
Today, PYTH trades at $1.02** with a staggering FDV of **$10.1 billion, reflecting its critical role in powering Solana-based derivatives and lending markets.
Wormhole: Universal Cross-Chain Messaging
Originally a bridge between Ethereum and Solana, Wormhole has evolved into a general-purpose messaging protocol connecting over a dozen blockchains.
Its upcoming token W, with a total supply of 10 billion, will be distributed via airdrop to over 397,000 eligible addresses. Though not yet listed officially, W trades OTC at $1.78.
Wormhole enables asset transfers, NFT bridging, and cross-chain contract calls—making it essential for multi-chain interoperability.
📈 Derivatives & Lending: Drift Protocol, Kamino, Marginfi
As institutional interest grows, so does demand for sophisticated financial instruments on Solana.
Drift Protocol: High-Performance Derivatives Trading
Drift is a DeFi-native perpetuals exchange offering leveraged trading up to 5x. With **$286 million in TVL** and over $159 billion in cumulative volume, it's one of Solana’s fastest-growing dApps.
Though Drift hasn’t launched a token yet, it introduced a points program in January 2024—potentially signaling an upcoming airdrop.
Kamino & Marginfi: Next-Gen Lending Platforms
Kamino integrates lending, leveraged yield strategies, and concentrated liquidity into one suite. With $1.18 billion TVL, it ranks third on Solana and plans to launch its KMNO token via Genesis Airdrop in Q2 2025.
Marginfi focuses on capital efficiency with its unified margin account model. It recently launched YBX, a yield-bearing stablecoin backed by LSTs like JitoSOL and mSOL. With $777 million TVL and an active points program, a future token launch seems likely.
👉 See how next-gen lending platforms are redefining capital efficiency in DeFi ecosystems.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Is Solana still relevant after the MEME coin hype?
A: Absolutely. While MEME tokens brought attention, Solana’s real strength lies in its scalable infrastructure and growing suite of DeFi, NFT, and cross-chain applications that continue to attract developers and users.
Q: Which Solana projects are likely to launch tokens soon?
A: Kamino (KMNO), Marginfi, Drift Protocol, and Jupiter are all running incentive programs or have confirmed upcoming token launches—making them strong candidates for future airdrops.
Q: How do I participate in liquid staking on Solana?
A: You can stake SOL through protocols like Marinade (mSOL), Jito (JitoSOL), or BlazeStake (bSOL). These tokens represent your staked assets and can be used across DeFi for additional yield.
Q: What makes Jupiter different from other DEXs?
A: Jupiter aggregates liquidity from multiple sources to offer better prices and lower slippage. It also supports advanced features like limit orders and is expanding into perpetuals trading.
Q: Are there risks involved in using Solana-based dApps?
A: Yes—like any blockchain ecosystem, risks include smart contract vulnerabilities, impermanent loss in liquidity pools, and network congestion during high traffic periods. Always conduct due diligence before investing.
With strong fundamentals spanning trading, staking, lending, and infrastructure, Solana remains one of the most dynamic ecosystems in crypto—far beyond just MEME speculation.