Key Highlights from Solana Crossroads: Trading Tools, Token Markets, and Real-World Applications

The Solana Crossroads conference, held in Istanbul from April 25 to 26, 2025, brought together the key players in blockchain infrastructure, including protocol teams, investors, and builders.From trading platforms to stablecoin-backed finance and on-chain lending, the conversations uncovered what is and is not working. BeInCrypto documented the most relevant developments on the ground.Jupiter Builds DeFi Superapp Focusing on Perpetual Trading, Mobile Wallet Support, and MoreJupiter founder Kash Dhanda pointed to the ongoing challenges of aggregation at scale. “New tokens are launching daily, and liquidity keeps shifting; hence, we’ve worked hard to build new systems and a robust routing engine that can keep up with this pace of change,” he said. To address this, Jupiter’s recently released Ultra Mode adds real-time slippage estimation and AI-driven routing logic. “What matters isn’t just the quoted price – it’s what ends up in your wallet.”The platform has grown beyond swaps. It now includes perpetual trading, mobile wallet support, and portfolio tools. NFT routing is next. “We’re not building features just to check boxes. The goal is to make Solana easier to trade, from start to finish,” Kash Dhanda concluded. Kamino Builds Around Simplicity and SafetyKamino Finance started with a clear objective: reduce the complexity of DeFi tools. “People had to set price ranges manually. It just didn’t work for most users,” said Viktor from the team. What began as an automated liquidity product has expanded into the largest borrow/lend platform on Solana, with over $3 billion supplied. The next release, Kamino Lend V2, introduces segmented lending markets with curated vaults, letting users choose between risk strategies without needing to manage individual settings.Kamino emphasizes safety as its foundation. “We’ve had over 15 audits, and we were among the first to adopt formal verification. Risk management is non-negotiable,” Viktor stated. 1kx Looks for Usage Over HypeAccording to Peter ‘Pet3rpan’ of venture firm 1kx, real product traction still beats funding announcements. “What makes us pay attention? Retaining, paying users. That’s it,” he said. The firm remains focused on early-stage token ecosystems and strong distribution models. One area still on their radar: Web3 gaming.“Studios are building real economies and iterating without waiting for hype. It’s quiet work, but it’s working,” he noted. One example is Pixels: a game that spent over $70 million in token incentives while raising only $4 million. “It would’ve been impossible to reach that scale with traditional ad budgets.” Drift Builds for Both Active and Passive UsersChris Heaney from Drift outlined two clear priorities: faster trades and easier liquidity access.The recently launched Swift upgrade enables gasless trading and quicker fills. Meanwhile, Drift’s new vaults allow users to deposit funds into managed strategies, opening the door for passive income on the platform.“For newer users, the full interface can be a lot,” Heaney said. “We’re now offering simpler paths for those who just want to allocate while keeping the advanced tools for active traders.”A new feature, the DLP (Drift Liquidity Provider token), is set to expand access further by letting users contribute liquidity without needing to manage it directly.Huma Finance Uses PayFi to Solve Real-World ProblemsErbil Karaman of Huma Finance spoke about building tools that matter outside of crypto’s inner circle. “Most users aren’t interested in crypto jargon. They care about inflation, slow payments, or lack of access,” he said. Huma’s PayFi network accelerates global payments by unlocking instant liquidity. Its stablecoin-backed infrastructure powers real-world use cases like cross-border payments, trade finance, and cards, working with institutions across London, Hong Kong, and Dubai. “We’re not here to convince people of crypto. We’re here to solve problems they already have, in ways that happen to use blockchain,” Karaman added. Across two days in Istanbul, Solana Crossroads revealed a clear trend: builders are no longer chasing noise but rather solving concrete problems. Teams are developing tools for broader, long-term use, whether it is improving trade execution, simplifying lending, or incorporating stablecoins into real-world payments. The conversations reflected a shift away from speculation and toward long-term growth, both on-chain and off.