- SoFi became the first nationally chartered US bank to enable direct SOL deposits from external wallets.
- Over 13.7 million customers can now manage Solana alongside traditional banking accounts within the app.
- While SOL price remains range-bound, the integration marks a significant step in bridging regulated banking and public blockchains.
The line between traditional banking and public blockchains just blurred a little more.
SoFi, now a nationally chartered U.S. bank, has become the first of its kind to enable direct deposits on the Solana network. That’s not a small headline. It means more than 13.7 million customers can transfer SOL directly from external wallets into their SoFi crypto accounts. No complicated bridges. No third-party exchanges in between. Just wallet to bank app.
For a regulated institution, that’s a meaningful shift.
Crypto Inside a Bank App
SoFi already allowed users to buy, sell, and hold crypto. But this move changes the flow. Customers can now receive SOL straight into their accounts and manage it alongside checking and savings balances inside the same mobile interface.
That integration matters for adoption. It lowers friction.
Crypto has often required jumping across platforms — exchange here, bank there, wallet somewhere else. When those walls start disappearing, behavior changes. Users don’t need to “leave” the banking system to interact with blockchain assets anymore. It all sits in one dashboard.
SoFi isn’t a niche fintech either. Founded in 2011 as a student loan refinancing startup, it eventually secured a national bank charter and now manages over $50 billion in assets. Its brand presence stretches beyond finance — from SoFi Stadium hosting Super Bowl LVI and WrestleMania to upcoming 2026 World Cup matches and 2028 Olympic events. It’s mainstream.
And now, it’s directly wired into Solana.
What This Signals for Solana
While Solana’s price hasn’t exactly been celebrating — currently trading around $81.42 after slipping roughly 5% in 24 hours and nearly 4% over the week — the infrastructure story keeps building in the background.
Short-term charts still show resistance overhead. Analysts like Crypto Tony point to the $91–$92 zone as a firm ceiling, with mid-range supply sitting between $85 and $87. Bulls haven’t reclaimed that region yet.
On the downside, $76.60 stands out as key support. If price revisits that level and buyers step in decisively, a rebound toward $82 could follow. But if $76.60 breaks cleanly, downside toward $72 opens up.
So in the near term, SOL remains range-bound. Technical structure hasn’t flipped bullish yet.
Bigger Picture: Infrastructure Over Price
What’s interesting here isn’t today’s candle. It’s the structural shift.
A nationally chartered U.S. bank integrating direct Solana deposits suggests regulatory comfort with certain blockchain rails. It also signals that public networks — not just private ledgers — are becoming viable settlement layers for regulated finance.
That doesn’t guarantee immediate price appreciation. Markets rarely move in straight lines, especially in crypto. But over time, easier access tends to widen participation.
SoFi plugging into Solana won’t single-handedly drive SOL above resistance. But it strengthens the bridge between DeFi and traditional banking. And those bridges, once built, rarely get dismantled.
Price may be consolidating. Infrastructure, though, keeps expanding.
