Solana: podcast episodes, research and news
Overview
Solana is a high-throughput layer 1 blockchain known for fast, low-cost transactions. All of its activity runs on one shared chain instead of being split across many separate rollups. Solana has gone from an outage-prone network to the home of large consumer apps, memecoin markets and payments, and more recently institutional products. Its ecosystem is also unusually event-driven. Breakpoint and community gatherings such as Solana Crossroads set much of its calendar, and many launches are timed around them.
Solana is the chain Hodl Up has covered most, largely because we have been on the ground at its events. At Breakpoint 2025 in Abu Dhabi we recorded eight interviews: Ryder, Unitas Labs, KYD Labs, WeSplit, 1inch, Solstice, Bitwise and BitRobot. In Istanbul we recorded Crossroad Chronicles with Bangerz, Solflare and Erbil Karaman. Danny Nelson of Bitwise has attended nearly every Breakpoint. He describes Solana's shift from its outage era to its institutional phase.
The builders cover the full stack:
- Solflare. Quicks explains why the wallet stays focused on Solana while most wallets race to support every chain.
- Flash Trade. Anas talks about trading tools.
- Solstice. Ben Nadareski covers its stablecoin and yield products and the SLX launch.
- Pudgy Penguins. The team explains why it launched PENGU.
We also ask what Solana's growth costs. Bangerz closed Crossroads with a roast of Solana. Jake Lee of Magnet explains why so much crypto growth in memecoin-heavy markets is unsustainable. Danny Nelson asks whether institutionalization strengthens the space or moves it away from crypto's original ethos. These are open questions, and the guests don't all agree.
This hub collects every Solana episode, plus our research and news on the network. Breakpoint London runs from November 15 to 17, 2026, and our episodes from it will appear here and on the Breakpoint hub.
Disclosure: Hodl Up has a partnership with Flash Trade, and the hosts took part in Solstice's Flares campaign.
Episodes15 episodes
Reconnecting With Ben: The SLX TGE, Community Feedback & The Future of Solstice
While in Paris, we had an insightful discussion with Ben Nadareski, the CEO of Solstice, about the recent SLX TGE, the community feedback, the whole thought process behind it, and what lies ahead.
The Terminator "Coming Onchain" Is Officially in Production
BREAKING: The Terminator “Coming Onchain” is officially in production. We sat down with Amanda from BitRobot Network and talked about the future of robotics and what role AI plays in it. They are building, anon - and they’re doing it on Solana. Wrapping up our Breakpoint discussions the best way possible.
Splitting Bills With Crypto Bros Got Easier With WeSplit
This Christmas, even crypto bros can split the bill… peacefully. We met with Pauline, founder of WeSplit, to talk about bill splitting 101. We got into scaling WeSplit, why Solana, taxes in France, her builder journey and a WeSplit crypto card in 2026. Enjoy!
The Social Recovery Secret: How Your Friends Can Save Your Crypto!
We chatted with Louise from Ryder at Breakpoint to break down how Ryder One works and why it is a game changer. Our straight-to-the-point episode.
NFTs Were a Scam. This is the Real Future of Tickets.
At Breakpoint, we met with Ahmed, founder of KYD Labs, to talk about putting tickets where they belong: onchain. We got into why ticketing is still a mess, how “tickets as RWAs” could change events and how TIX Protocol is building it all on Solana!
Ex-Banker Reveals: Why Your Bank is Actually Scared of DeFi
Even after all these years of building, crypto liquidity feels fragmented. We broke down how 1inch Aqua aims to fix this with Sasha in Abu Dhabi.
Bitcoin to $1.3 Million? Bitwise Research Expert Explains How
Serious, somewhat institutional chat at Breakpoint with Danny. Internet capital markets are forming on Solana. Does institutionalization strengthen the space or move it away from Satoshi’s original ethos?
Bringing Institutional Grade DeFi to Solana
Insightful discussion at Breakpoint 2025 with Ben in Abu Dhabi. We went deep in USX, eUSX, and the upcoming SLX TGE, scheduled to happen in Q2 of 2026.
The Stablecoin Narrative: How Long Will it Last?
We had a chill chat with Xuling from Unitas Labs at Breakpoint 2025 in Abu Dhabi. USDu yield-bearing stables, onchain delta-neutral, real yield w/o banks, Orca & Kamino integrations.
Building a Global Brand Through NFTs: The Pudgy Penguins IP
Peter Lobanov from Pudgy Penguins joins Hodl Up to share how he and Luca Netz revived the brand, scaled it globally, and made it the face of crypto.
From Idea to Execution: Building a Trading Platform on Solana
Anas from Flash Trade joins Hodl Up to talk about why trading should be onchain, the long road to full decentralization, and the rise of perpetual DEXs.
Building an Audience in Web3
Bangerz joins Hodl Up to talk about her journey from traditional art to crypto, building a massive audience, minting her first NFT, and why there’s “no crying in the casino” when trading memecoins.
Bringing Credit Onchain With Huma Finance
Erbil from Huma Finance joins Hodl Up to talk about bridging TradFi and DeFi, why access to money matters, and how Huma is bringing credit onchain.
Crypto Marketing: Are We Early?
From discovering crypto to scaling Solflare, Solquicks talks community, Twitter Spaces, and how Web3 has reshaped the way he talks and lives. Bullish!
Decentralizing the Internet Via Blockchain
Frank Mong, COO of Helium, joins Hodl Up to share how Helium started with just 10 people, built its own blockchain, and eventually migrated to Solana. We dive into why he believes HNT could become the currency powering data across the internet.
Research and guides4 articles
Guests who discussed it14 guests
Ben NadareskiCEO & Founder at Solstice2 episodesStablecoinsDeFi
Amanda YoungCOO at BitRobot Network1 episodeAISolana
Pauline Mila-AlonsoCEO & Founder at WeSplit1 episodePaymentsSolana
Louise IvanCEO & Founder at Ryder1 episodeCustodySecurity
Ahmed NimaleFounder at KYD Labs1 episodeRWAsNFTs
SashaHead of BD at 1inch1 episodeDeFi
Danny NelsonResearch Analyst at Bitwise1 episodeBitcoinMarket structure
XulingMarketing at Unitas Labs1 episodeStablecoinsDeFi
Peter LobanovCCO at Pudgy Penguins1 episodeNFTsSolana
Anas KhaderFounder at Flash Trade1 episodeDeFiSolanaBangerzArtist and creator1 episodeNFTsSolana
Erbil KaramanFounder at Huma Finance1 episodeDeFiPayments
SolQuicksHead of Marketing at Solflare1 episodeSolana
Frank MongCOO at Helium1 episodeDePINSolanaFrequently asked questions
What is Solana?
A layer 1 blockchain built for speed and low fees, used for payments, trading, consumer apps, DePIN and tokenized assets. Its native token is SOL.
What is Solana Breakpoint?
The Solana Foundation's annual flagship conference. Hodl Up covered Breakpoint 2025 in Abu Dhabi and will be in London for the 2026 edition. See the Breakpoint hub.
What is Solana Crossroads?
A community-organized Solana conference held in Istanbul. Hodl Up recorded its Crossroad Chronicles series there.
What are internet capital markets?
An idea popular on Solana: issuing and trading assets, from tokens to tokenized securities, directly on-chain. Bitwise's Danny Nelson discussed it at Breakpoint 2025.