Solana Foundation Bolsters Team With Binance Vet and Polygon Labs Alum

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

The appointments are aimed at building partnerships with institutions and developing go-to-market strategies to drive growth in these areas. Conlan's remit will extend beyond marketing, encompassing institutional partnerships, ecosystem growth, and strategy, while Raees will focus on stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and infrastructure development.

Solana has seen significant growth in these areas, with over $5 trillion in stablecoin volume processed during 2026, real-world assets exceeding $4.5 billion, and tokenized equity supply topping $620 million. The network is positioning itself as a competitor to Ethereum's Layer 2 networks in the realm of tokenized finance.