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Crypto · October 22, 2026

Solana targets faster finality, while Wall Street cuts the cash that must move

4 sources →

Solana successfully activated the Alpenglow consensus upgrade on its mainnet on October 21, 2024, at slot 459,653,000. This upgrade, developed by the engineering firm Anza, replaces the long-standing TowerBFT protocol with a new system designed to reduce transaction finality time from approximately 12.8 seconds to roughly 150 milliseconds. By merging 'confirmed' and 'finalized' states, Alpenglow aims to provide near-instant settlement for high-stakes applications such as exchanges and merchant payments. While the network's internal speed has increased, market analysts note that external factors like custody and compliance still influence the total trade cycle.

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Hype check

How the hype check works

Confirmed · 2

Backed by filings, on-chain data, official statements or several independent publishers.

  • Alpenglow replaces TowerBFT consensus on Solana mainnet. (Anza)
  • Target finality is approximately 150 milliseconds. (Anza)

Claimed · 2

Said by a company, project or person; not yet independently confirmed.

  • Alpenglow is the most ambitious upgrade since Ethereum's Merge. (Anza)
  • Faster finality matters specifically for exchanges, banks, and merchants. (Anza)

Speculation · 1

Price talk, forecasts or unnamed sources, quoted as someone else's view.

  • Atomic settlement could potentially increase liquidity needs for participants. (CryptoSlate)

Reported by multiple outlets

  • Alpenglow was activated at slot 459,653,000 on October 21, 2024.
  • The upgrade replaces the TowerBFT consensus protocol used since 2020.
  • Target transaction finality is reduced to approximately 150 milliseconds.
  • The upgrade was developed by the core engineering firm Anza.
  • The transition merged the 'confirmed' and 'finalized' transaction states into one.

Reported by only some outlets

  • Alpenglow's first phase is called 'Votor', focusing on direct validator vote exchange.
  • A second phase called 'Rotor' for block propagation remains unscheduled.
  • The NSCC uses multilateral netting to reduce equity payment obligations by an average of 98%.
  • A future post-quantum version of the protocol named 'Quantumglow' is planned.
  • The handoff occurred at approximately 14:00 UTC.

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