The Stellar ecosystem is experiencing a significant divergence, as Stellar network activity has reached record levels of participation despite its price falling below $0.20 during this current week. According to DefiLlama data, the volume of tokens locked in DeFi protocols exceeded 900 million XLM, demonstrating an unexpected resilience throughout the entire financial sector.
This increase in platform usage, which ignores the bearish market trend, reflects a sustained confidence from long-term investors, who seem to prioritize technical utility over the immediate market volatility. In fact, the liquidity protocols Blend and Aquarius Stellar are leading this expansion, jointly accounting for nearly 70% of the total value locked within this specialized financial ecosystem.
Growth of locked value and stability of active users
Although the total value measured in dollars stands near 163 million, the exponential increase in XLM units deposited suggests that users are taking advantage of low prices to strengthen their exposure to internal yield products. Likewise, Artemis metrics reveal that weekly active users have remained constant at around 60,000, showing no signs of mass abandonment due to the crash of the current valuation.
On the other hand, the derivatives market indicates a drastic reduction in open interest, reaching minimum levels not seen since late 2024, which could signal that leveraged selling pressure is gradually diminishing. This situation favors the creation of a lateral consolidation zone, where Stellar network activity serves as fundamental support to prevent further price declines while the broader market eventually stabilizes.
Could real world assets drive the price of XLM?
The relevance of this phenomenon lies in the growing adoption of real-world assets (RWA), whose valuation within the network reached 1 billion dollars earlier this year. As the blockchain is an infrastructure optimized for tokenization, Stellar ranks among the top four projects in RWA development, attracting the interest of large global financial institutions and specialized software developers.
In addition, the remittance giant MoneyGram continues to test dollar-backed stable instruments in Colombia, using the network to facilitate fast and low-cost international transfers. According to the wallet provider Scopuly, XLM is an essential technical requirement for operations, which is why the growth of tokenized assets drives a fundamental demand that could stabilize the asset in the medium term.
Looking ahead, the stabilization of Stellar network activity and the expansion of stablecoins suggest that the ecosystem is maturing beyond simple commercial speculation. While identifying the exact market bottom remains complex, the strengthening of the infrastructure and the constant use of the network offer an optimistic outlook for the asset’s recovery in the face of new bullish market cycles.
