Solana Mainnet Upgrades to Alpenglow, Aims for 150ms Finality
Solana has activated its first major consensus protocol upgrade, replacing TowerBFT with Alpenglow to significantly reduce transaction finality time.
Solana has activated its first major consensus protocol upgrade, replacing TowerBFT with Alpenglow to significantly reduce transaction finality time. Ethereum (ETH) is trading at R$123.651 ($2,493.07), down 0.9% since this brief published. This is an original Kriptometre brief synthesising 3 outlets (Cointribune, Cointelegraph, The Block), plus live market data, as of Wed, 21 Oct 2026 20:07:01 UTC.
The upgrade represents Solana's most significant consensus change since launch, aiming to drastically improve transaction speed and network responsiveness, which could enhance its competitiveness in the smart contract platform space.
- Solana replaced TowerBFT with Alpenglow on October 21.
- New protocol targets 150ms finality, down from 12.8 seconds.
- Upgrade aims to provide near-instant transaction settlement.
- Solana's market cap is $64.1B with SOL at $108.72.
All four outlets (Cointribune, Cointelegraph, Decrypt, and The Block) agree that Solana has replaced its consensus protocol TowerBFT with Alpenglow on its mainnet, targeting a reduction in transaction finality from 12.8 seconds to approximately 150 milliseconds. They also concur that this is Solana's first major consensus upgrade since its 2020 launch. However, Cointelegraph emphasizes the 99% reduction in finality and the goal of near-immediate transaction settlement, while The Block highlights the network's activation of Alpenglow and the significant cut in transaction finality time.
- Solana Yakovenko, Alpenglow Tasarlanışını Eleştiriyor, Ancak Geçiş Planlandığı Gibi Devam Ediyor
- Solana'nın Alpenglow Güncellemesi Ağ Finalitesini 150 Milyisaniyeye İndiriyor
- Solana'nın Alpenglow Yükseltmesi Canlıya Geçti, İşlem Finalitesini %99 Hızlandırıyor
- Solana Mainnet Upgrades to Alpenglow, Aims for 150ms Finality — this brief
Solana, one of the leading smart contract platforms, has completed its first major consensus protocol upgrade by replacing TowerBFT with Alpenglow on its mainnet. The transition took place on October 21, marking the most significant change to Solana's consensus mechanism since its launch in 2020.
The primary goal of the Alpenglow upgrade is to drastically reduce transaction finality time. Previously, Solana's transaction finality was around 12.8 seconds. With the new protocol, the network aims to achieve finality in approximately 150 milliseconds, representing a substantial improvement. This enhancement is expected to provide users with near-instant transaction settlement and more responsive applications.
Multiple outlets, including Cointribune, Cointelegraph, Decrypt, and The Block, corroborate these details. They agree that the upgrade is a significant milestone for Solana, aiming to enhance the network's performance and user experience. However, Cointelegraph emphasizes the 99% reduction in finality, while The Block highlights the network's activation of Alpenglow and the significant cut in transaction finality time.
The transition from TowerBFT to Alpenglow is part of Solana's ongoing efforts to improve its network's scalability and efficiency. TowerBFT had been the consensus mechanism running Solana since its inception, and its replacement with Alpenglow signifies a major step forward in the platform's evolution.
In the current market context, Solana's market cap stands at $64.1 billion, with the SOL token trading at $108.72, reflecting a 2.32% increase over the past 24 hours and a 3.50% rise over the past week. The broader crypto market is also experiencing a positive trend, with the total market cap at $2.9 trillion and 
Bitcoin up 2.51% in the last day. The Fear & Greed Index is at 63, indicating a state of 'Greed' among investors.
The successful implementation of the Alpenglow upgrade could position Solana as a more competitive player in the smart contract platform space, particularly in terms of transaction speed and network responsiveness. Investors and users will be watching closely to see how the new protocol performs in real-world conditions and whether it can deliver the promised improvements.
Since this brief published about 3 hours ago, Ethereum (ETH) has moved from R$124.726,00$2,514.75 to R$123.650,72$2,493.07 — -0.86%.
The chart plots ETH's price: grey is the move before this brief published, the vertical dashed line marks the moment it published, the horizontal dashed line is the price then, and the coloured area is the move since — from Kriptometre's market data (daily resolution). It shows what happened after the news, not that the news caused it; many factors move prices. Yatırım tavsiyesi değildir.
At today's peer-to-peer rate, 1 ETH ≈ 127,258.76 ₺ (about $2,493.07), up 2.3% over 24 hours. The real itself trades about 2.9% above the official rate on the P2P market, so a Turkish buyer's effective cost differs from the headline dollar price.
Live market data
Current prices for the assets in this story — live, source-stamped, updated every 15 minutes.
Solana Mainnet Upgrades to Alpenglow, Aims for 150ms Finalit — questions & answers
What is the main goal of Solana's Alpenglow upgrade?
The primary goal is to reduce transaction finality time from 12.8 seconds to about 150 milliseconds.
When was the Alpenglow upgrade activated?
The upgrade was activated on Solana's mainnet on October 21.
What was the previous consensus mechanism used by Solana?
Solana previously used the TowerBFT consensus mechanism before switching to Alpenglow.
How much is 1 Ethereum worth in real today?
About 127,258.76 ₺ at the live peer-to-peer (P2P) USDT rate, which is what Turkishs typically trade at — equivalent to roughly $2,493.07. The real price moves with both ETH's US-dollar price and the USDT/BRL rate; use our Ethereum in real page for any amount.
Has Ethereum's price moved since this brief was published?
ETH is down 0.86% since this brief first published — trading at R$123.651 ($2,493.07) now versus R$124.726 ($2,514.75) at publication. Kriptometre re-checks this figure against CoinGecko and Binance every 15 minutes.
Which outlets reported this story?
This is an original Kriptometre brief that synthesises reporting from Cointribune, Cointelegraph, The Block, with the key figures cross-checked for agreement across them. It is not a copy of any one article — follow the source links above for the original reporting.
Original summary — not financial advice. This is an original Kriptometre brief that summarises a development reported elsewhere and adds live market data for context; it is not the original article and reproduces no part of it. Follow the source link above for full details. Crypto is volatile and high-risk — always do your own research.