Solana cuts finality to 150ms while Wall Street trims payment needs 98%
Two upgrades, two ways to speed up clearing
Solana turned on an update on its main network called Alpenglow on October 21. This update cuts the time it takes for a transaction to become irreversible to about 150 milliseconds. At the same time, the US clearing system offsets the amounts traders owe to each other, lowering the total cash that has to move for most stock trades.
What changes and why it matters
These two moves speed up different steps of settling a trade. Solana's update speeds up the point where a deal is locked in on the blockchain. The clearing system lowers the total cash that has to be sent. But faster locking in on the network does not speed up sending cash or checking if the rules are met. Those separate steps are usually what hold up the process.
The main numbers and facts
- Solana's new design targets a 150 millisecond finality.
- One US clearing system offsets, on average, 98% of the money owed for stock trades.
- A theoretical math test shows funds could cycle up to about 85 times faster if the only step was waiting for the network to lock in.
- US clearing now takes about a day to settle a stock trade.
What Solana's update does
The first step of the update, called Votor, lets the computers that check the network send votes directly to each other. This shortens the wait to just one or two voting rounds. The second step, called Rotor, is not scheduled yet. Before this update, it took about 12.8 seconds for a trade to become locked in. With the update, the system aims for much less.
How clearing offsets amounts
A group called the National Securities Clearing Corporation acts as a middleman for stock trades. It cancels out the buys and sells between its users. This leaves only the leftover money to be moved. A related group reported that this offset covers 98% of the total owed, handling $608 trillion of stock trades in 2025. Solana has its own method where both users set up the money beforehand, and the network locks in both sides at the same moment.
Where the real delays still happen
Even with faster network locking in, the whole clearing process can still be slow. The time taken to move cash, check rules, and get signatures is usually what slows things down. In one test, if users need 60 seconds for those other checks, the faster network locking in only cuts the total time by a small fraction. A global banking group also warned that clearing every trade the moment it happens can actually raise the cash needed on hand.
What is still being worked on
Major US stock clearing groups are also starting to test digital versions of stocks. One group said it completed live tests with more than 30 firms on various stock tasks, from moving treasury papers to sharing security as a guarantee. It also said that on Solana, the digital dollars in play totaled about $18 billion as of September.
Sources
Newisty Editorial Team covers technology, cryptocurrency, digital products, online platforms, developer tools and the wider digital economy. Our content is researched from official sources, company announcements, public documentation, market data and other primary or reputable sources. Articles are reviewed and edited before publication for clarity, accuracy and useful context.