Hedera has been making some serious moves lately, and not just on the charts. While a lot of Layer-1s are caught up in the hype cycle, Hedera seems to be building where it really matters: real-world adoption. Whether it’s gaining institutional attention or powering tokenized assets, HBAR is showing up in all the right places.
Here are five reasons why Hedera is standing out from the pack right now.
What you'll learn 👉
1. Grayscale Drops Polkadot for HBAR
Grayscale just added HBAR to its Smart Contract Platform Fund, replacing Polkadot. That’s a big shift. HBAR now holds a 5.8% weight in the fund, sitting next to giants like Ethereum, Solana, and Cardano.
This isn’t just about exposure; it shows that institutions are starting to take Hedera seriously. The market reacted right away, with HBAR jumping over 4% following the news. It’s the kind of validation that doesn’t happen every day.
🔥HEDERA BUMPS OFF POLKADOT IN GRAYSCALE’S GSC FUND!
— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) July 9, 2025
Hedera’s $HBAR jumped 4.7% after joining Grayscale’s Smart Contract Fund, gaining exposure alongside $ADA, $ETH and $SOL.
Now weighted at 5.8%, this move signals rising institutional confidence in Hedera’s future.🚀 pic.twitter.com/iFVfs9MDOW
2. Hedera Keeps Showing Up in the ISO 20022 Conversation
ISO 20022 is the new messaging standard coming to global banking, and Fedwire is about to implement it. Every time this comes up, HBAR’s name gets mentioned alongside other utility-focused tokens like XRP, XDC, and XLM.
While Hedera hasn’t made anything official, its reputation for enterprise use and compliance makes it a solid candidate for deeper involvement in regulated financial infrastructure.
We’re less than a week away from ISO2022 fedwire going live & no one’s talking about it.
— Miniace (@Miniacex_) July 8, 2025
If you hold any utility, keep holding.$XDC $HBAR $QNT $XLM $XRP pic.twitter.com/L4HOu8QBag
3. Testnet Upgrades Keep Things Moving
Network upgrades don’t always make headlines, but they matter. Hedera’s next testnet upgrade is scheduled for July 10, with a short maintenance window.
What this shows is that the team isn’t sitting still. They’re constantly improving the protocol to stay scalable and reliable, two things that matter a lot if you’re aiming for real-world utility, not just speculation.
💥 BREAKING:
— STEPH IS CRYPTO (@Steph_iscrypto) July 9, 2025
HEDERA $HBAR TESTNET UPGRADE SCHEDULED JULY 10 AT 17:00 UTC — MAINTENANCE WINDOW ~40 MINUTES. pic.twitter.com/gKQhASEI4x
4. Hedera Steps Up in the RWA Game
At the Raise Summit in Paris, a Hedera speaker is giving a keynote titled “Tokenizing Everything: RWAs at Scale.” That alone says a lot about where Hedera is heading.
Tokenizing real-world assets like real estate or treasury bills is one of the hottest trends in crypto, and Hedera is positioning itself right in the middle of it. This is where blockchain and traditional finance start to overlap, and HBAR is already in the room.
Read Also: XRP Price to $500? Here’s What Happens if SWIFT Uses Ripple for Global Payments
5. EVM Compatibility Brings in More Builders
If you’re a developer, ease of use matters. Hedera being EVM-compatible means Ethereum devs can build on Hedera without changing their whole stack.
The bonus? You get faster finality and lower gas fees without sacrificing functionality. That’s a pretty attractive combo, especially for teams looking to scale without the cost headaches of Ethereum.
From institutional trust to real-world tokenization, HBAR is checking boxes that most Layer-1s are still working toward. This isn’t just hype, it’s a steady build toward something much bigger. And right now, Hedera is leading that charge.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for daily crypto updates, market insights, and expert analysis.
