Solana (SOL) is a highly performant blockchain platform known for its incredible speed and efficiency in processing transactions. Officially launched in March 2020 by Anatoly Yakovenko, Solana aims to provide fast, secure, scalable decentralized applications (DApps) and crypto-currencies. It is designed to support high-throughput blockchain applications without sacrificing decentralization or security, making it an ideal platform for a wide range of applications including DeFi, NFTs, and enterprise blockchain solutions. Solana's native token, SOL, is used to pay for transaction fees and for staking to secure the network.