Remember when everyone counted Solana out after the FTX collapse? 

Well, SOL just crossed $100 billion in market cap, briefly passing Binance's BNB to become crypto's fourth-largest player. 

Let's break down how this former "Ethereum killer" became crypto's comeback story of the year.

Numbers Tell The Story

SOL's sitting pretty at $206, up 5% in just 24 hours. 

But zoom out and the story gets better – we're talking 130% growth over the past year. 

For a project that lost 70% of its value in the FTX mess, that's not just a recovery – it's a renaissance.

From FTX Fallout to Flying High

The FTX collapse hit Solana hard. 

Makes sense – Sam Bankman-Fried and his crew were Solana's biggest cheerleaders and holders. 

When FTX went down, plenty of folks wrote Solana's obituary. But something interesting happened instead.

Rather than fold, Solana's ecosystem exploded. 

Projects like Pump.fun and Raydium started pulling in serious volume. 

Developers stuck around, attracted by those lightning-fast transactions and dirt-cheap fees. 

This Time It’s Different

We all love a good chart, but is anyone actually using Solana?

It turns out, yes… and they’re using it a lot.

DeFi exploded by 500% over the last year, and some serious tech upgrades mean the network is more stable now.  

And maybe, just maybe, Solana can finally kick its old reputation of someone having to turn it off and then back on again. 

Perhaps the most bullish signal is that institutional money is flowing in, giving Solana the kind of legitimacy it never had during the last bull run.

Then there's the memecoin factor. 

Turns out Solana's speed and low fees make it perfect for launching the next DOGE wannabe. 

Every new dog coin brings more users, more transactions, and more attention to the network.

The Road to $300+?

Analysts are getting bold, throwing out targets like $300 to $400. 

But here's what's interesting – these numbers actually make some sense. 

With Trump potentially bringing crypto-friendly policies and the overall market looking strong, 

Solana's got more than just technical momentum.

Last time Solana pumped, it was all about promises and potential. 

This time it's about actual usage. 

Real projects, real users, real revenue. 

The network's not just surviving; it's thriving without any celebrity endorsements or exchange backing.

New highs for daily active users and growing developer activity bode well for the chain. 

Unlike 2021, this growth feels organic. 

It's seemingly built on actual utility rather than pure speculation.

A New Soul for SOL?

Solana's rise is a sign that crypto markets are maturing... and it's pretty good news for SOL holders. 

A project can lose its biggest backers and still thrive if the tech and community are solid enough.

The question isn't whether Solana deserves its $100 billion valuation – it's whether it can keep building on this momentum. 

With network improvements continuing and new projects launching daily, SOL might just be warming up.