On July 1, a new prediction market called World launched in the Solana ecosystem. The platform operates on-chain, is already integrated into the Phantom wallet, and uses Chainlink oracles for automatic result calculation. All trades are conducted in the stablecoin CASH.
For Solana, this is an attempt to gain its own major player in the prediction segment, currently led by Polymarket and Kalshi. Interest in such services is growing, and trading volumes in this market regularly set new records.
How World Works Inside Phantom
World is unlike a traditional exchange. The platform does not hold user funds or act as an intermediary in transactions. It operates as a non-custodial protocol that passes orders to liquidity providers on the Solana network, while positions remain in traders’ wallets as tokens.
Result determination is handled by Chainlink Data Streams and Chainlink infrastructure. They receive the necessary data and automatically close markets with minimal human involvement.
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If the prediction is correct, winnings are immediately credited in the stablecoin CASH.
At launch, users have access to short-term contracts on bitcoin price movements up or down, as well as markets related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The launch of World coincided with strong momentum for Solana. In one day, the SOL token gained more than 5%, and over the week it grew by about 16%.
Solana (SOL) market performance. Source: CoinMarketCap.
The team also promised to expand the list of markets in July and add events from sports, politics, and macroeconomics.
World Replaces Kalshi Inside Phantom
In fact, the World infrastructure has been operating inside Phantom for several weeks. Previously, the wallet offered prediction markets through Kalshi and integration with DFlow, but then began gradually migrating users to its own solution. All positions opened after June 1 are now running through World.
One of the main differences of the new system concerns settlements. Previously, users had to manually redeem winning positions after the event ended. Now, payouts are automatic.
This is a significant advantage for the project. The Phantom audience is about 20 million users, so World immediately gets access to a huge base of potential traders without needing to launch a separate app.
At the same time, Kalshi remains a serious competitor. According to media reports, the company is considering raising investments at a valuation of about $40 billion.
Before the launch, the World team spent several weeks building hype with an unusual ad campaign. Social media featured images of a glowing globe and the slogan Trade Everything, and project representatives even claimed they had ‘no product at all.’
Pedro Miranda, head of consumer at the Solana Foundation, believes that prediction markets are one of the most interesting use cases for fast blockchains.
‘World should show what Solana is capable of: real-time markets, on-chain settlements, and a user experience that doesn’t force people to change their usual way of working,’ he said.
Can World Compete With Polymarket and Kalshi?
World is entering a market where strong players have already emerged. Polymarket proved the demand for this model back in 2024, when trading volume on the US presidential election prediction market exceeded $3 billion. Later, the platform itself entered the Solana ecosystem thanks to integration with Jupiter.
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Kalshi is developing along a different path. It is a regulated US exchange that last year won a legal dispute against the CFTC and received the right to launch election contracts.
Polymarket, on the other hand, faced regulatory claims a few years ago, paid a $1.4 million fine, and effectively left the US market.
World has decided not to follow either path. The platform operates as an open on-chain protocol without a license or central operator.
But this is where the main question arises. The project has yet to show confirmed trading volumes and deep liquidity. For prediction markets, this is crucial, as liquidity ensures tight spreads and stable pricing.
Integration with Phantom can quickly bring in users, but building a full-fledged market takes time.
At the same time, overall interest in the sector remains high. In June, open interest in prediction markets reached a record $1.48 billion.
Additional attention was drawn by a memecoin called World that appeared on Pump.fun. The project team specifically emphasized that they have no connection to it.
Dynamics of open interest in the prediction market. Source: X / a16z crypto.
Currently, World is betting not on already proven volumes, but on the multimillion audience of Phantom and automatic on-chain settlements. The first real test for the platform will be the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Only then will it become clear whether the new service can turn high user interest into real liquidity and secure a place alongside the leaders of the prediction market.
