Bitcoin (BTC) Hovers Near $100K as Capital Rotates Into Altcoins XRP and Solana

Bitcoin (BTC) is hovering near $100,000 on Tuesday, and on-chain data suggests capital is rotating from the leading cryptocurrency into altcoins

The price of Bitcoin is hovering near $110,000 as on-chain data suggests capital is rotating out of the leading cryptocurrency and into altcoins like XRP, Solana, and Cardano.

Among the top five cryptocurrencies, Solana and XRP are now competing for dominance in both retail and institutional portfolios this cycle. Legendary trader Peter Brandt recently reignited the debate on X, asking followers to choose between XRP and Solana (SOL) for a hypothetical $100,000 investment. The statement led to an interesting discussion, especially considering the latest catalysts supporting the price trend for both altcoins, it rages on.

XRP vs. Solana

The native token of the XRP Ledger is currently valued at $135.65 billion, compared to Solana’s $91.66 billion. Both rank in the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap.

Recent developments in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission vs. Ripple lawsuit triggered the re-listing of XRP across major exchanges, contributing to its return to the top five cryptos by market cap. Ethereum’s (ETH) slowdown and technical complexity associated with developing on the platform led to the rise of Solana and Layer 2 chains.

Solana-based DEXes and meme coin launchpads pushed the chain’s TVL higher and made SOL Ethereum’s mainstream competitor.

The key difference between the two is Ripple’s future plans for XRP and the Solana Foundation’s roadmap for the development of SOL.

Catalysts driving gains in XRP

XRP has surged 12% year-to-date and 59% in the last six months, supported by three major catalysts:

The SEC vs. Ripple lawsuit reached a turning point in mid-May with Judge Torres ruling in favor of no violations in the institutional sales of XRP. The decision sparked a rally in the altcoin as major exchanges like Coinbase and Binance announced the re-listing of XRP.

The SEC also dropped its claim that Stellar Lumens (XLM), Cardano (ADA), and Solana are securities in an updated complaint.

The news catalyzed a strong rally in ADA and SOL, and further supported the bullish trend in XRP.

Catalysts driving SOL gains

The top three catalysts powering Solana’s price gains, a 19.50% monthly gain and nearly 7% gains in the last seven days, are:

The recent integration of Solana into the DeFi Llama protocol led to the migration of several Solana-based protocols’ TVL to the DeFi aggregator.

The development unfolded after the clash between DeFi Llama and Token Terminal, the other major DeFi aggregator, over the calculation of the total value locked in decentralized finance.

As the drama unfolded, community members began pressuring DeFi Llama to integrate Solana support to avoid having the majority of the ecosystem's TVL.

The move to add support for Solana to the DeFi Llama protocol would also allow for a more accurate picture of the DeFi landscape to be presented, considering that the majority of the TVL is locked in Solana DeFi protocols.

Solana is also being used by a growing number of developers and projects, especially after the recent hype around Solana-based meme coins and launchpads.

The DEFI STATION launchpad announced the upcoming launch of its token on the Solana chain in the final quarter of 2025.

The launchpad has already facilitated the tokenization of several projects, including the meme coin token Balenciaga and the fashion house Maison Margiela.

The launchpad's move to Solana follows the migration of several major projects to the chain, including the integration of Chainlink (LINK) price feeds on the Solana network.

The development unfolded after the clash between DeFi Llama and Token Terminal, the other major DeFi aggregator, over the calculation of the total value locked in decentralized finance.

As the drama unfolded, community members began pressuring DeFi Llama to integrate Solana support to avoid having the majority of the ecosystem's TVL.

The move to add support for Solana to the DeFi Llama protocol would also allow for a more accurate picture of the DeFi landscape to be presented, considering that the majority of the TVL is locked in Solana DeFi protocols.

Solana is also being used by a growing number of developers and projects, especially after the recent hype around Solana-based meme coins and launchpads.

The DEFI STATION launchpad announced the upcoming launch of its token on the Solana chain in the final quarter of 2025.

The launchpad has already facilitated the tokenization of several projects, including the meme coin token Balenciaga and the fashion house Maison Margiela.

The launchpad's move to Solana follows the integration of Chainlink (LINK) price feeds on the Solana network.

XRP and Solana price forecast

XRP ended its downward trend and consolidation phase with a breakout to $2.65 in mid-May 202