Hunter Horsley, CEO of Bitwise, has expressed that Solana (SOL) might surpass Ethereum (ETH) in the competition to launch staking-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This insight was shared via a post on X by Coin Bureau on October 2, 2025, and has generated significant interest among investors and analysts monitoring Solana's rapid growth in the cryptocurrency sector.
Horsley emphasized that Solana's technical advantages, such as its ability to handle thousands of transactions per second with low fees, make it a more attractive option for staking ETFs compared to Ethereum, which has faced challenges like network congestion and high costs. He noted that Solana's growing ecosystem, including expanding applications, wallets, and staking services, facilitates the creation of these financial products, potentially allowing for a faster rollout than Ethereum.
Staking ETFs enable investors to earn rewards from proof-of-stake cryptocurrencies without managing technical complexities. While Ethereum has been the primary choice due to its size, Horsley's comments suggest that Solana could lead in this emerging market, offering regulated funds for easier access to SOL rewards. Factors bolstering Solana's position include its transaction speed, cost-effectiveness, and increasing institutional interest for treasury diversification and long-term growth.
Analysts are closely watching this development, with many acknowledging Solana's potential to compete strongly with Ethereum in the coming years. Although past network outages have been a concern, improvements in Solana's reliability are noted. If Solana launches staking ETFs first, it could mark a major milestone for the crypto market, boosting adoption and encouraging more portfolios to include SOL. The next few months are seen as critical in determining whether Solana can indeed overtake Ethereum in this high-growth area.