Reviewed by Reviewed by Renuka Tahelyani Updated 14:00 EDT October 5, 2026 Share Share Share Back to Top Solana has kicked off Q4 in a way that has put the spotlight back on the SOL/ETH ratio
Technically speaking, SOL/ETH closed Q3 nearly 6% lower, showing that Ethereum significantly outperformed Solana in the last quarter. Whereas SOL returned 60%, ETH delivered 73% ROI, meaning that in FOMO fashion, Ethereum currently has the stronger setup heading into Q4
But Solana’s latest on-chain activity suggests the gap might be beginning to close. According to Blockworks data, Solana has kicked off Q4 processing more spot DEX volume than Ethereum mainnet, all of Ethereum’s L2s and Hyperliquid combined. In figures, that means Solana processed over $1.6 billion in spot DEX volume, up more than 50% on Ethereum
As a critical metric of on-chain activity, the early divergence could set up a stronger SOL/ETH setup in Q4
The reasoning behind this is simple: Higher DEX volume is an indicator of increased activity on the Solana blockchain, which could lead to higher demand for the network, thereby giving SOL more room to appreciate against ETH. Interestingly enough, the liquidity setup is already starting to support this thesis
According to RWA Foundation, stablecoin market cap across the top 10 chains grew by $815.7 million in the last 24 hours. Solana alone captured nearly 50% of that growth, adding $378.1 million. For SOL, that fresh liquidity could fuel even more capital into the ecosystem, giving its DEX a further boost as Q4 begins
The key takeaway? One sector could already be pointing to where this liquidity and rising DEX activity are heading. So, if Solana [SOL] continues to capture a larger share of this activity, it could serve as the next catalyst for SOL to gain ground over Ethereum and potentially set the stage for a SOL/ETH breakout
In a recent post, Solana highlighted a development that caught the market’s attention
Nasdaq listed it, Solana moved it.” A drone defense company had more trading volume on Solana than its home exchange while Fiserv plugged in 90+ banks and credit unions. Solana also posted $365 million in Q3 app revenue, its tenth consecutive quarter leading the pack in crypto-native assets
According to AMBCrypto, the main takeaway is that a Nasdaq-listed company saw more volume on Solana than its home exchange, signifying that tokenized assets are the driving force behind the network’s growth, with the tokenized stock trading volume on Solana crossing a record $4.4 billion in September
While Ethereum [ETH] still holds dominance in the wider RWA space, Solana’s Q3 momentum in the tokenized stocks and real-world use cases arena is helping to close the gap. If the trend continues, the increased level of tokenization activity could provide Solana with a key catalyst for capturing more on-chain volume and potentially narrowing the gap with Ethereum in Q4
In this regard, the fact that Solana kicked off October by outperforming Ethereum in terms of DEX volume could be seen as a precursor to the on-chain dominance of SOL, which could eventually lead to a breakout of the SOL/ETH pair above the 0.05 resistance level
Ritika Gupta is a coin-based journalist at AMBCrypto who focuses on how economic and political trends impact cryptocurrencies. A social sciences graduate from Gargi College, she reports on AI, DeFi, Web3, and blockchain, using her hands-on experience to turn complex crypto developments into clear, practical insights for readers
