Solana speeds up network performance with October protocol upgrades. * Nicholet R. * Published: November 6, 2026 * 3:38 pm * Updated: November 6, 2026 * 3:38 pm Table of Contents * Solana completed two protocol upgrades in October, cutting target slot times to 200 milliseconds on October 9 and activating Alpenglow on mainnet on October 21. * Alpenglow replaced TowerBFT and targets transaction finality of roughly 150 milliseconds, while the slot-time reduction halves Solana's original 400-millisecond target interval. * October also brought tooling updates, including Jito's BAM Direct Bundle Ingest, Solana Microscope, Transaction V1 support in Jupiter's Swap API and Solana Asset Registry. Solana completed two protocol upgrades in October that shortened both slot production and transaction finality. According to the Solana Foundation's October ecosystem roundup, the network activated the final stage of SIMD-0525 on October 9, reducing its target slot time from the original 400 milliseconds to 200 milliseconds. The change effectively halves Solana's original target interval between slots, giving applications more frequent network updates. The upgrade marks another performance milestone for Solana as its infrastructure continues evolving. October's network changes formed part of a month that also saw record RWA value across the ecosystem. Alpenglow replaces TowerBFT with faster finality. The second major change arrived on October 21, when Alpenglow went live on mainnet and replaced TowerBFT as Solana's consensus protocol. Alpenglow targets transaction finality of roughly 150 milliseconds, sharply reducing the time required for the network to finalize state under its new voting architecture. The activation followed previous testing and moved the consensus redesign from development into production, completing a major step in Solana's technical roadmap after the earlier Alpenglow mainnet rollout. The Foundation described Alpenglow as a voting protocol and listed its activation as the second completed protocol upgrade of October. The slot-time reduction and Alpenglow address different parts of network performance. Shorter slots increase how frequently block-production opportunities occur, while faster finality reduces the delay before transactions are considered settled by consensus. Together, the October upgrades target lower latency at both block production and confirmation layers. Solana's roundup lists the 200-millisecond target among October's key network metrics, alongside the approximately 150-millisecond finality target, extending the network's staged slot-time reduction program. That distinction matters because faster slot production and faster consensus finality describe separate stages of how information moves through the network in operation. October also brought updates to developer infrastructure. Jito introduced BAM Direct Bundle Ingest, allowing approved participants to submit transaction bundles directly to BAM nodes, while Solana Microscope launched as an open-source monitoring tool for programs and Squads multisigs. Jupiter's Swap API added opt-in support for Transaction V1, and the Solana Asset Registry introduced asset classifications and data feeds. The protocol upgrades therefore arrived alongside tooling designed to support applications and infrastructure operating on the faster network, reinforcing October's focus on performance and developer functionality across the broader Solana ecosystem. These releases broadened October's technical changes.

Temporal names ex-Galaxy Digital DeFi chief Michael Marcantonio as CEO. The Solana infrastructure firm behind Harmonic and Humidifi is bringing in a trading and M&A veteran as it prepares to scale an hour ago Sponsored: Vera - AI-powered prediction market intelligence, built for serious analysts Explore Vera Temporal, the Solana-focused research and development shop behind the Harmonic block-building client and the Humidifi trading venue, has named Michael Marcantonio as its new chief executive. Marcantonio previously served as Head of DeFi at Galaxy Digital. His stated ambition at Temporal is not modest: he wants the firm to outgrow names like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley. A Wall Street-sized pitch from a Solana builder. The appointment took effect around October 27, 2026. Temporal is framing the hire as a bet on scale. The firm says it is moving into its next phase of growth. Marcantonio arrives after a run at Galaxy Digital, where he led the DeFi effort. His background spans onchain trading, corporate strategy and mergers and acquisitions. He is confident Temporal has the technical depth to challenge the incumbents of traditional finance. In his words, the goal is to "reengineer the global financial system." What Temporal actually runs. Temporal operates three main pieces of infrastructure: Harmonic, Humidifi and Nozomi. Each sits at a different layer of how trades get made and settled on Solana. Harmonic is a block-building client. Harmonic has reportedly grown to cover more than 30% of Solana's validator stake in under a year. That growth puts Harmonic in direct competition with Jito, the name most traders associate with Solana block building. The news moving money, markets, and the world - before your day starts. Daily. Free. Join 34,000+ readers across crypto, finance, and policy. Humidifi is described as one of Solana's leading proprietary AMMs. A prop AMM swaps the passive pool for a professional market maker quoting its own prices onchain. Humidifi has reportedly processed tens of billions of dollars in monthly trading volume during peak periods. Nozomi is described as an execution layer central to Temporal's offerings. On a fast chain like Solana, speed of execution often decides who profits from a trade and who pays for it. Why a trading veteran fits this moment. Marcantonio's experience in onchain trading speaks to Humidifi and Nozomi. His corporate strategy and M&A background speaks to whatever Temporal plans to become next. Temporal's own announcement on X stressed its ambition to build the future of finance onchain. There has been no notable controversy around the appointment. Inside the firm, the move is being presented as a way to speed up construction of new financial infrastructure on Solana. What this means. For the Solana ecosystem, the most consequential storyline is competition in block building. If Harmonic's reported 30%-plus share of validator stake keeps climbing, Solana moves from a field dominated by one major player toward a genuine two-horse race with Jito. For traders, Humidifi is the piece to track. Prop AMMs have become a serious force in Solana trading, and a new CEO with a trading background may push Temporal to expand that business. When one company builds blocks, runs a major trading venue and operates an execution layer, questions about conflicts of interest follow naturally. Temporal's stated goal of displacing traditional financial institutions means it may eventually face the same kind of examination they do. Disclosure: This article was edited by John Chen. For more information on how Cryptobriefing create and review content, see its Editorial Policy.