Prediction: A Big (And Bullish) Change Is Coming to Solana in 2027

Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) just held the first on-chain governance votes in its history on a trio of proposals that would reshape the network, and the results are in. Just a few weeks ago, I doubted that these proposals would actually reach a vote. They did, and two of the three passed.

By 2027, I predict that Solana will start to see the big benefits of those outcomes, and here's why.

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What was just voted on

The three Solana Governance Proposals (SGPs) that just got voted on were numbered SGP-0001, SGP-0002, and SGP-0003.

The first, SGP-0001, ratifies the Solana Constitution, a document that formalizes a framework weighting voting power in the network's governance according to a holder's economic stake. It also codifies how future proposals could be brought to a vote, among other governance-related topics. SGP-0001 passed, as I expected, since it's a necessary prerequisite to the network's widely accepted goal of conducting most of its governance activities on-chain rather than using third-party technology.

SGP-0002 was somewhat controversial, as it doubles the rate at which the new issuance of SOL tapers off. It passed, and that's good for holders, because the value of their holdings will be diluted less over time. But it also means that stakers and delegators who earn the new issuance will collect lower yields in the long run, with validators taking a smaller commission alongside them.

SGP-0003, the most contested of the three, failed.

It would have changed Solana's transaction fees by charging more for more computationally intense transactions. Because the question failed, there will be no increase in daily coin burns when the network is under heavy usage, which was the clearest mechanism the network had evaluated for turning network usage into tangible value for coinholders.

This isn't over yet

If the transaction fee reform had been implemented, it could have backfired and hurt Solana. The proposed fee schedule would have scaled fees with computing demand, so the most demanding programs, like those related to on-chain artificial intelligence (AI) agents, would have paid the most. That's a big part of why it didn't pass. The AI agent segment is one that Solana is trying to attract to its chain right now, so the reform could have potentially been a major headwind to growing it out.

A similar proposal could still be voted on in another form in the future, and I predict that one will be. Expect the same tension when the fee reform question returns in another form. The upside for reform would be so large that the chain is unlikely to pass it up. There are many ways a proposal could approach this issue, and a range of trade-offs, so expect the details to be substantially different next time around.

Nonetheless, Solana's supply picture is now a bit better over the long term than it was just a week ago.

SGP-0002 will plausibly be preliminarily implemented by October, since the specification already exists. Actual activation on the chain will be a staged rollout, which on recent precedent means the first half of 2027. The future of the cryptocurrency will change when it's in force -- and, in my view, very likely for the better.

Alex Carchidi has positions in Solana. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Solana. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.