Kalshi Launches Tokenized Prediction Contracts on Solana, Hits $11B Valuation

Kalshi Integrates Event Contracts with Solana Blockchain

Prediction platform Kalshi has announced a significant expansion into the cryptocurrency ecosystem by launching tokenized versions of its event-based contracts on the Solana blockchain. This move aims to attract crypto-native users and potentially increase competition with existing platforms like Polymarket.

The integration enables users to buy, sell, and trade blockchain-based representations of Kalshi’s prediction markets, which cover a range of events including US election outcomes and sports results. By bringing these contracts on-chain, Kalshi seeks to provide users with the anonymity and enhanced liquidity often found in Decentralized Finance (DeFi) platforms.

“There’s a lot of power users in crypto,” said John Wang, Kalshi’s head of crypto.

Wang highlighted that the platform aims to leverage the deep liquidity within the crypto sector and empower developers to create independent front-end applications that utilize Kalshi’s market infrastructure. DeFi protocols Jupiter and DFlow will act as bridges, connecting Kalshi’s off-chain orderbook to Solana’s on-chain liquidity layer.

Increased Competition in Prediction Markets

With the introduction of contract trading on Solana, Kalshi is poised to intensify competition with established blockchain-native prediction platforms such as Polymarket, which has gained significant traction, particularly in US political markets. Kalshi experienced a notable surge in activity throughout 2024 following a federal court ruling that permitted the company to list political event contracts. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) ultimately decided not to appeal this ruling in May.

Significant Funding Boosts Valuation

This strategic move into the crypto space follows a substantial funding round in November, reportedly led by Sequoia Capital and CapitalG, which injected $1 billion into Kalshi. This investment has propelled the firm's valuation to approximately $11 billion, bringing it closer in scale to Polymarket, which recently secured a $2 billion infusion from the Intercontinental Exchange earlier in the year. Other major financial players are also showing interest in the prediction market sector. Robinhood is expanding into prediction markets through an acquisition linked to FTX, and Coinbase is reportedly exploring similar opportunities. New findings from tech researcher Jane Manchun Wong suggest that Coinbase is preparing to launch its own prediction markets platform.