The Solana Foundation has hired Rachel Conlan, formerly Binance's global chief marketing officer, as Chief Strategy Officer, and Jamal Raees, a Polygon Labs veteran, as General Manager of Payments. The foundation says the hires will help it pursue partnerships with banks, asset managers, and payment companies, and the announcement lands as SOL trades near $124, up sharply over the past week.
The Solana Foundation announced on September 24, 2026 that it hired Rachel Conlan, former global chief marketing officer at Binance, as Chief Strategy Officer, alongside Jamal Raees, a veteran of Polygon Labs, as General Manager of Payments.
According to the foundation, the new hires will help it secure partnerships with banks, asset managers, and payment companies as the financial sector increasingly shifts toward blockchain technology. Conlan wrote on X that she joined to help Solana "bring Internet Capital Markets to life", describing a network connecting assets, trading, and payments.
Two executives, two different mandates
Conlan spent three years as Binance's global chief marketing officer and previously held senior roles at OKX, CAA Sports, and Havas. At Solana, she will focus on developing institutional partnerships, driving ecosystem growth, and leading sales initiatives aimed at attracting companies to the network.
Raees joins from Polygon Labs, where he built experience in payment systems and stablecoins, gained through earlier work at Bridge, now part of Stripe, and at Wyre. In his new role, he will build relationships with payment companies and businesses looking to move funds across the Solana network.
Solana leads in tokenized stocks as SOL rebounds
Solana currently leads all blockchains in tokenized stock trading, hosting more tokenized stocks than any other platform. As of September 27, SOL trades around $123, up 2.8% for the day following a 15% weekly surge.
Despite $5 trillion in stablecoin volume moving through the network, Solana's transaction fees remain extremely low at 0.000005 SOL per transaction, which offers minimal direct returns to SOL holders. The foundation's hires raise the question of whether the new appointments will generate renewed investor interest and demand for SOL.
According to CoinGecko data cited by the outlet, SOL is up roughly 2.7% over the past 24 hours and 14.5% over the past seven days, with a market capitalization of about $73 billion. The token has recovered from below $100 earlier this month, and CoinGecko's historical data shows SOL closing at $122.08 on September 25.
At current levels, $120 stands as an important psychological support zone, while a sustained move above $125 could put $130 into focus; beyond that, $140 could become the next resistance area. SOL remains roughly 58% below its $293.31 all-time high, leaving substantial room to recover if broader market momentum stays bullish.
Source: Cryptonews
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