Solana Foundation Bolsters Institutional Push with Binance Vet Conlan

The Solana Foundation has strengthened its efforts to attract institutional investors by hiring two high-profile executives. Rachel Conlan, former Binance global Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), joins as Chief Strategy Officer, while Jamal Raees, ex-Polygon Labs executive, takes on the role of General Manager of Payments.

Conlan's remit at Solana goes beyond marketing, encompassing institutional partnerships, ecosystem growth, and go-to-market strategy. Meanwhile, Raees will focus on payments, covering stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and infrastructure for financial settlement networks.

The appointments come as the Solana Foundation highlights significant growth in these areas. The network has reportedly processed over $5 trillion in stablecoin volume during 2026, with real-world assets exceeding $4.5 billion and tokenized equity supply reaching above $620 million.

Solana is shifting its focus from consumer crypto applications to financial infrastructure, competing with Ethereum's Layer 2 networks and newer payment-focused chains for institutional adoption.