Responding to mounting user frustration over lagging transactions and network congestion, Coinbase has implemented a major infrastructure upgrade to enhance support for the Solana blockchain. The exchange now reports a five-fold improvement in transaction throughput—addressing long-standing concerns about speed and reliability.
In a statement shared Thursday, Coinbase detailed several technical enhancements, including asynchronous transaction processing, advanced RPC optimizations, and new failover protocols aimed at improving resilience. The improvements also extend to liquidity optimization and tighter operational controls, ensuring smoother transaction execution across Solana’s growing ecosystem.
Coinbase framed the upgrades as part of a broader strategy to future-proof its Solana integration.
“These improvements enable faster, more reliable sends and receives, reinforcing our commitment to provide industry-leading performance and reliability for our users,” the company stated.
“We are continuing to invest in our Solana infrastructure so we can meet demand as Solana scales into the future.”
Memecoin Frenzy Overwhelmed Solana, Triggering Action
Coinbase’s decision to overhaul its Solana infrastructure was driven by surging pressure earlier this year. In January, users reported hours-long delays in SOL deposits and withdrawals, blaming the issues on network congestion sparked by a wave of memecoin speculation.
The chaos peaked around Inauguration Day, when political-themed tokens linked to the incoming president and first lady went viral. But the strain had been building for weeks, as speculative trading activity pushed Solana’s usage metrics to new highs.
On January 5, Solana recorded $3.79 billion in on-chain volume and reached 4.5 million active addresses in a single day. At the time of reporting, SOL was trading at $134.44 with $5 billion in 24-hour volume—making it the third-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
“Coinbase has seen unprecedented Solana transaction activity … and our systems have been unable to validate and process transactions at the speed that we are receiving them,” Coinbase Support wrote on X.
Scalability Becomes Top Priority Across Blockchain Sector
Coinbase’s move mirrors an industry-wide trend toward improving blockchain scalability and network performance. As decentralized applications and user activity grow, exchanges and developers are investing in infrastructure upgrades to support higher transaction loads and ensure a smooth user experience.
Other platforms are similarly implementing technical improvements aimed at increasing throughput, reducing latency, and enhancing operational resilience. Together, these initiatives reflect a broader push to evolve blockchain ecosystems into more scalable and user-centric networks.
Quick Facts
- Coinbase increased Solana transaction throughput by five times
- Enhancements include failover systems and better operational controls
- Upgrades aim to improve stability and speed on Solana
- The initiative is part of a broader industry scalability focus
