Solana Exec: Blockchain Can Help Fix Broken Investment System
According to Akshay BD from the Solana Foundation, today’s financial markets aren’t working well for most investors. Speaking at the Accelerate 2025 conference, he said that blockchain could solve many of these problems. He believes Solana can help make investing something everyone can do — not just the wealthy.
Investment Worries Are Growing
Akshay pointed out that many investors feel uncertain. Bond yields are low, asset prices are very high, and traditional investing strategies — like the 60/40 mix of stocks and bonds — are no longer reliable.
He also mentioned a growing gap between people who earn money from work and those who grow wealth through owning assets like stocks or real estate. Regular people often can’t invest in private markets, which are usually limited to rich or accredited investors. As a result, public markets become overcrowded and risky.
AI Could Widen the Wealth Gap
Akshay warned that as artificial intelligence advances, the economic divide could get even worse. He asked: Will we end up needing universal basic income to support people who can't keep up? Or is there a better way — like “universal basic ownership,” where anyone with a smartphone can own a piece of the economy?
He described a future where people could invest in anything — from big companies to local coffee shops — just by scanning a QR code. Blockchain and tokenization could make this possible, giving everyone a chance to be an owner.
Stock Market Is Still Overvalued
The U.S. stock market has been valued above normal levels for years. For example, the S&P 500’s price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio has stayed above 19.6 since 2018, much higher than its historical average of around 16.1. This shows that investors have been willing to pay more for stocks, often due to low interest rates and high hopes for tech companies.
But high valuations can lead to trouble — like what happened during the dot-com crash or the 2008 financial crisis.
Letting More People Invest
To avoid another bubble, Akshay believes we should open up investing opportunities to more people. He says blockchain — especially real-world asset (RWA) tokenization — can help. While others have tried this before, the technology wasn’t ready. But now, Akshay says, crypto tools can turn everyday economic activity into investment opportunities.
“Crypto starts off like a game,” he said, “but quickly becomes something much more powerful.”
