By Stellar (XLM) is capturing market attention as its price surges amid a wave of network upgrades, institutional support, and increased investor engagement.
Over the past week, XLM has posted double-digit percentage gains, driven by strong fundamentals and a decisive technical breakout that signals a shift in sentiment across the ecosystem.
At press time, XLM was trading around $0.2924, up 15% on the day and over 25% on the week.
This price rise comes as on-chain metrics, including Total Value Locked (TVL) and stablecoin activity, hit new highs, suggesting the rally is supported by more than just market speculation.
Stellar’s TVL surge signals strong ecosystem growth
A notable catalyst behind the recent upward movement in Stellar’s price is the surge in Total Value Locked within its DeFi ecosystem.
According to data from DeFiLlama, Stellar’s TVL climbed to a record high of $108.88 million this week, indicating deeper engagement with XLM-based protocols.
This growth in TVL is particularly significant as it highlights real value being deployed across Stellar’s decentralised finance (DeFi) tools.
Even more compelling is the fact that this increase came during a midweek session when crypto market activity typically slows, adding further weight to the strength of the move.
Investors are now watching closely to see if Stellar can sustain these gains as the network becomes more attractive to both developers and users.
The TVL milestone reflects not just heightened interest but also rising confidence in Stellar’s infrastructure to support more complex and scalable applications.
Smart contract upgrades draw developer attention
Adding fuel to the bullish fire, Stellar is currently in the process of rolling out Protocol 23, a network upgrade that introduces several high-impact changes to its smart contract capabilities.
This includes the integration of Soroban parallel execution, reusable inter-ledger caching, and Merkle Tree support.
These enhancements are expected to dramatically improve the efficiency and scalability of the network, enabling developers to build faster and more secure decentralised applications.
Moreover, the addition of Unified Asset Events (CAP-67) allows for better tracking of token movements, further expanding the utility of Stellar’s infrastructure.
The mainnet vote for Protocol 23 is set for August 14, giving the network a clear timeline for potentially unlocking its next wave of DeFi, NFT, and RWA development.
Traders are eyeing this upcoming vote as a key moment that could drive further price momentum if passed.
🚀 Stellar $XLM Surges 14% as Major Releases Land! 💥 $XLM is on the move — up 14% this week and now trading at $0.2636 (+6% in 24 h)! 📈 Big updates are fueling the rally across the Stellar ecosystem! 🛠 Stellar Core v23.0.0rc2 (Protocol 23 release candidate) is live, packed
Institutional adoption is boosting market confidence
Beyond retail enthusiasm, institutional interest in Stellar is also on the rise.
Recent disclosures reveal that financial heavyweights Franklin Templeton and Circle have already deployed over $500 million in the US.
$XLM holders, have you actually looked at this? 👀 Franklin Templeton and Circle aren’t playing with testnets, they’ve dropped nearly half a billion in real U.S. Treasuries on Stellar. THIS IS BULLISH 🔥 How long before the rest of TradFi catches on and starts piling in?
Treasuries on Stellar’s network, confirming real-world utility beyond speculative trading.
These deployments are not tests; they represent genuine investments flowing through Stellar’s infrastructure.
As more institutions look to tokenise real-world assets, Stellar’s established capabilities and regulatory-forward approach could make it a go-to blockchain for TradFi players.
This growing institutional backing significantly strengthens the long-term outlook for XLM and lends credibility to its current price action.
It also sets Stellar apart from many altcoins that lack similar fundamentals.
Stellar (XLM) price outlook is bullish
From a technical standpoint, XLM has broken out of a descending channel that has defined much of its 2025 price action.
It has also reclaimed the 50-day simple moving average at $0.2597, suggesting a shift in structure and market bias.
Indicators such as the RSI, which is hovering just below 60, and a bullish MACD crossover further confirm the strength of the current rally.
Traders now target a short-term resistance at $0.284, with some forecasting a potential run toward $0.3079 if momentum continues.
Longer-term projections are even more ambitious, with analysts like JAVONMARKS suggesting a price target of $0.681 based on the current bullish structure.
$XLM (Stellar)’s momentum looks to be slowly shifting back to the bull side and prices could be preparing for a major continuation with them still broken out! Them still being broken out means that $0.681 is in play and that an over 165% run to reach it can take place which
If the rally continues and the upcoming upgrade is approved, these targets may not be out of reach.
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