Solana Foundation Bolsters Institutional Push with Key Hires

The Solana Foundation has made two key hires to accelerate institutional adoption and payment activity on its network. Rachel Conlan, former global CMO of Binance, joins as chief strategy officer, while Jamal Raees, a former executive at Polygon Labs, becomes the general manager of payments.

The Foundation aims to leverage their expertise in building partnerships with institutions, growth of the ecosystem, and go-to-market strategies. Conlan's role will extend beyond marketing, overseeing institutional partnerships and ecosystem growth, among other responsibilities. Raees will focus on stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and the broader infrastructure required for Solana to be used as a financial settlement network.

The appointments come as the Foundation highlights substantial growth in these areas. In 2026, Solana processed over $5 trillion in stablecoin volume, while real-world assets on the network have surpassed $4.5 billion and tokenized equity supply has moved above $620 million. The hires suggest that the Solana Foundation is serious about turning its existing network activity into institutional adoption.