Stellar (XLM) is having a breakout moment. The price is up over 13% today, now trading at $0.2866, and trading volume has jumped more than 61%. A mix of technical upgrades, big-name partnerships, and real-world adoption is pushing XLM higher, and traders are starting to take notice.
One of the biggest reasons for the pump is the Protocol 23 upgrade. Stellar just rolled out the release candidate for Core v23.0.0, and it’s packed with new features. We’re talking faster transaction speeds, better support for NFTs and stablecoins, and a new way to track asset movement across the network.
There’s also a system for parallel execution of Soroban smart contracts, which could make the whole network much more efficient. The final vote to launch this upgrade on the mainnet is set for August 14.
🚀 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)! 📈
— Scopuly – Stellar Wallet (@scopuly) July 9, 2025
Big updates are fueling the rally across the Stellar ecosystem!
🛠 Stellar Core v23.0.0rc2 (Protocol 23 release candidate) is live, packed… pic.twitter.com/FRNfrAI4UJ
Then there’s PayPal. The payments giant is getting ready to launch its stablecoin PYUSD on the Stellar network. This is a big deal. Once live, it’ll power cheap, fast cross-border payments in over 170 countries, with Stellar doing the heavy lifting behind the scenes.
PayPal has already rolled out PYUSD across Venmo and is offering yield incentives to bring more users in. Stellar’s role in that rollout could open the doors to massive adoption.
🚀 $XLM IS GEARING UP FOR GREATNESS 🌍💸
— Scopuly – Stellar Wallet (@scopuly) July 8, 2025
Something big is brewing on the Stellar blockchain… and it's closer than ever! 👀
While the market wakes up, XLM is already moving — and smart money is watching. 📈🔥
🔹 PayPal’s PYUSD is coming to Stellar.
That’s right — global… pic.twitter.com/Zl3CkeJ6rv
On top of that, institutional money is flowing in. Franklin Templeton and Circle have reportedly moved nearly $500 million in real U.S. Treasuries onto Stellar. That’s not demo money, that’s actual value being transferred using Stellar’s rails. It’s a huge vote of confidence in the network’s stability and scalability.
$XLM holders, have you actually looked at this? 👀
— X Finance Bull (@Xfinancebull) July 9, 2025
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? pic.twitter.com/1v8Z5PalcL
Read Also: SUI Eyes Breakout – SUI Price Pushes Toward Key Resistance
Moreover, XLM is benefiting from all the buzz around ISO 20022. That global payment standard is going live with Fedwire soon, and XLM keeps getting mentioned alongside other utility coins like HBAR, XRP, and QNT. Investors seem to be betting that Stellar will play a bigger role in the evolving financial system.
And finally, the network itself is booming. In June alone, Stellar handled over 197 million operations. Stablecoin supply on the network has grown to more than $667 million. These aren’t just pretty numbers; they show real demand. And with XLM breaking above key resistance levels, many traders think the rally isn’t over yet. Some are even eyeing the $0.30–$0.35 range as the next stop.
Put it all together, and it’s clear this isn’t just another random altcoin pump. Stellar price is moving for solid reasons, and the market is paying attention.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for daily crypto updates, market insights, and expert analysis.
