Voting power is a strong incentive to attract validators and improve overall network health.
The idea is simple: Giving validators a say in governance brings more participation into the network. More validators means stronger security, improving network health, developer activity, and, in turn, more demand.
In this context, Solana’s latest move is getting attention.
The Solana Foundation has launched Solana Governance Proposals (SGP), a new on-chain governance mechanism that lets validators vote on ecosystem governance issues through stake-weighted voting.
Interestingly, any validator with at least 100,000 delegated SOL can submit an SGP. However, a proposal must first gain backing from at least 15% of the network’s total staked SOL before moving to a formal vote.
From a technical standpoint, the impact could be notable.
According to Blockworks data, nearly 68% of Solana’s circulating supply is already staked across more than 700 validators. With SGP now live, governance participation could become more active, potentially pushing more SOL into staking and further strengthening the validator ecosystem.
From a market standpoint, the timing couldn’t be better. With Q3 just underway, the launch adds another bullish catalyst, positioning Solana [SOL] to build on its recent momentum as network participation and staking activity continue to improve.
Why Solana’s OI spike could signal strength
Despite broader market weakness, Solana closed June with strong on-chain momentum.
The move was fundamentally driven. Solana’s total RWA value climbed to a new all-time high above $3 billion, rising more than 25% month over month and outperforming every other major chain.
The launch of SPCX on Solana has further strengthened its RWA infrastructure, making the sector an increasingly important growth driver for the network heading into H2.
Notably, that momentum is now feeding into the derivatives market.
As the chart below shows, SOL Open Interest jumped 17.3% over the past 24 hours to a five-week high of $2.3 billion, while Bitcoin and Ethereum Open Interest remained largely flat.
The likely catalyst is Solana’s expanding role in tokenized equities, xStocks, and other on-chain financial products.
Normally, a sharp jump in Open Interest signals rising leverage and the risk of a volatile unwind. Even so, Solana’s current setup looked different.
With SOL trading around $80, Forward Industries resumed accumulating the asset.
The largest corporate SOL treasury added more than 500,000 SOL during fiscal Q3 at an average purchase price of $79, taking total holdings to 7.55 million. That suggested the latest Open Interest expansion may have been supported by renewed demand.
Meanwhile, SGP is giving validators a bigger role in protocol governance, creating stronger incentives to stake and participate in the network. If more SOL continues moving into staking, the liquid supply could tighten further.
In that context, SOL’s retest of the $80 level looks less like a resistance test and more like the early stages of a broader trend continuation.
Final Summary
- SGP gives validators more governance power, encouraging higher staking participation.
- Strong RWA growth, treasury buying, and rising Open Interest are driving SOL’s momentum beyond speculation.
