Solana’s DeFi Landscape Evolves with Private DEXs Amid Rising Institutional Interest and Potential Challenges

Solana’s DeFi is experiencing a notable resurgence, driven by innovative private DEXs reshaping the landscape and attracting institutional interest.

• Private DEXs dominate Solana’s DeFi, reshaping efficiency with vault-based execution.

• Institutional capital surges into SOL, signaling growing confidence despite short-term overbought signals.

Solana [SOL] has emerged from the broader market downturn with renewed strength, especially across its DeFi landscape. Its decentralized finance ecosystem is undergoing a dramatic shift, fueled by a surge in private DEX activity. In Q1 2025, spot DEX volumes on Solana jumped to $180 billion, rising 62% from the previous quarter.

Solana is set to move to private DEXes

Adding to this, a new report from Pine Analytics highlights a major shift in DeFi on Solana. Private DEXs like SolFi, Obric v2, and ZeroFi now handle 40% to 60% of Jupiter-routed trades. Unlike traditional DEXs, these platforms use smart contracts and internal vaults instead of public interfaces. This signals a deeper structural transformation in how decentralized finance operates on Solana.

Elaborating on the same, the Pine Analytics report stated,

“Their routing share reflects performance, not branding. These DEXs win routes because they quote tightly, fill reliably, and avoid unnecessary exposure.”

For perspective, private DEXs on Solana will redefine trading efficiency by focusing on selective, high-liquidity token pairs, primarily SOL and stablecoins like USDC and USDT. Platforms such as Obric v2 and ZeroFi will prioritize stability by quoting only high-confidence tokens backed by reliable pricing data. In contrast, SolFi takes a more aggressive stance, catering to the fast-paced world of long-tail assets and newly launched memecoins.

What’s more?

These DEXs feature aggregator-only execution routed through Jupiter, real-time oracle-based USD pricing, and vault-managed liquidity that limits exposure and optimizes execution. This structure equips them to handle memecoin volatility effectively, with tokens like Dogwifhat [WIF] and Bonk [BONK] generating substantial volume while their oracle-driven frameworks minimize slippage.

Needless to say, Pine Analytics’ latest insights clearly reveal that DeFi on Solana is undergoing a fundamental transformation. Private execution vaults are replacing open, permissionless market participation with tightly optimized, performance-driven systems. This new architecture harnesses Solana’s high throughput but sacrifices transparency and composability.

It limits visibility into trade execution and restricts protocol interoperability, veering away from DeFi’s foundational principles. Henceforth, Solana must deliver upcoming upgrades that make public quoting more secure and efficient to reverse this trend. Until then, private vaults will continue to dominate the ecosystem.

Challenges that might knock on the door

Although private DEXs have secured a dominant role in Solana’s DeFi ecosystem, upcoming network upgrades may challenge their long-term advantage by enhancing public DEX performance and composability. These improvements could redirect momentum toward more transparent, publicly accessible platforms.

The crypto community continues to scrutinize the opaque nature of private DEX backers in an industry that increasingly prioritizes transparency. Meanwhile, institutional players continue to express strong confidence in Solana, as DeFi Development Corp. (DeFi Dev Corp) recently acquired over 172,000 SOL worth $23.6 million, setting a new record.

DeFi Development Corp. buys SOL

For those unfamiliar, a recent SEC filing unveiled that DeFi Development Corp. aims to raise $1 billion through securities sales. The goal is to accumulate Solana tokens over time. A new Coinbase report confirms $42 million has already been secured for SOL acquisitions. This suggests a larger accumulation strategy that could impact Solana’s market dynamics.

Institutional interest is rising, and Solana’s technical indicators show strong bullish momentum. The token recently surged to $180.97, supported by robust CMF and RSI signals. Despite growing confidence, RSI remained in the overbought zone, at press time, hinting at a possible short-term pullback.

Source: Trading View

Still, with expanding utility, increasing capital inflows, and the SOL/ETH pair maintaining key support despite Ethereum’s ETF buzz, Solana’s undervaluation is becoming harder to ignore. The narrative is shifting, and Wall Street may soon have to catch up.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Solana’s DeFi ecosystem is rapidly evolving, marked by the rise of private DEXs and significant institutional interest. The implications of these changes signal both opportunities and challenges ahead. As the landscape shifts, stakeholders must stay informed about developments that may impact their strategies and investments.