Solana Foundation Bolsters Institutional Push with Key Hires

The Solana Foundation has made two significant hires in its bid to attract more institutional investment and increase payment activity on the network. Rachel Conlan, a former global chief marketing officer at Binance, has been appointed as the foundation's chief strategy officer. Jamal Raees, who previously worked at Polygon Labs, will serve as general manager of payments.

The hires are part of Solana's efforts to accelerate institutional adoption and grow its payment activity. Conlan brings extensive experience in marketing and partnerships to her new role, having spent three years at Binance and held senior positions at OKX, CAA Sports, and Havas. Her remit will extend beyond marketing, overseeing institutional partnerships, ecosystem growth, and go-to-market strategy.

Raees' focus will be on developing the payment infrastructure required for Solana to become a viable financial settlement network. The foundation points to substantial growth in this area, with over $5 trillion in stablecoin volume processed during 2026, real-world assets exceeding $4.5 billion, and tokenized equity supply surpassing $620 million.