Stellar (XLM) Faces Price Pressure Amid Institutional Expansion
CME Futures Launch Signals Institutional Interest
CME confirmed plans to expand its crypto derivatives, with futures for Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar (XLM) scheduled to launch on February 9, 2026. This is bullish for XLM because a CME futures listing provides a regulated, institutional-grade venue for exposure, which can improve liquidity and attract new capital.
Rails Launches Institutional Custody Solution on Stellar
Institutional crypto derivatives platform Rails launched "Institutional-Grade Vaults" on the Stellar network. This system allows brokerages and fintechs to access perpetual contracts while client assets are held in audited, onchain smart contracts, separating custody from trading execution. This is a significant development for XLM as it directly addresses a major institutional concern: counterparty risk. By choosing Stellar for its speed and regulatory reputation, Rails validates the network's infrastructure for high-stakes finance.
Stellar Ranks Among Top RWA Development Platforms
According to Santiment data, Stellar (XLM) ranked as the fourth-most active blockchain in real-world asset (RWA) development over the past 30 days, behind Hedera, Chainlink, and Avalanche. The metric tracks meaningful GitHub activity, indicating committed building.
Price Performance and Technical Concerns
The live Stellar price today is $0.161355 USD with a 24-hour trading volume of $179,564,069 USD. Stellar is down 1.67% in the last 24 hours. XLM has decisively broken the $0.18 support that held for over a year. Next major historical support isn't until the $0.10 - $0.12 zone from 2023.
Analysts highlight its drastic underperformance versus Bitcoin and the broader crypto market this cycle. The network's low on-chain activity and transaction volume are raising fundamental concerns.
Market Position
The current CoinMarketCap ranking is #20, with a live market cap of $5,277,345,619 USD.