TLDR
Stellar (XLM) rose 5.66% in the past 24h, defying a -4.07% 30-day trend. Key drivers include bullish technical patterns, strategic partnership momentum, and growing institutional interest in tokenized assets.
- Technical Rebound – Broke key resistance levels after oversold signals
- Partnership Momentum – Visa integration and Archax tokenization deal
- Institutional Positioning – Accumulation by large holders ahead of Protocol 23 upgrade
Deep Dive
1. Technical Breakout (Bullish Impact)
Overview:
XLM rebounded from critical support at $0.403–0.405 (tested multiple times on Aug 19–20) after its 7-day RSI hit oversold levels (34.23). The price cleared resistance at $0.418–0.420, aligning with Fibonacci retracement levels.
What this means:
- Short-squeeze dynamics emerged as liquidations spiked ($102M BTC liquidations in 24h likely impacted altcoin volatility)
- MACD histogram flipped less bearish (-0.0068 vs prior -0.012), signaling reduced selling pressure
Key watch:
A close above $0.422 (50% Fib level) could target $0.447 next.
2. Visa/Archax Partnerships (Bullish Impact)
Overview:
- Visa: Expanded Stellar’s role in its stablecoin settlement network (announced Aug 9)
- Archax: Stellar Development Foundation’s investment in the UK-regulated digital securities platform (Aug 18)
What this means:
- Visa’s network handles $12T+ annual volume – even marginal adoption could boost XLM’s utility
- Archax deal positions Stellar as a hub for tokenized RWAs, a $26B market growing 60% YoY
3. Protocol 23 Upgrade Anticipation (Mixed Impact)
Overview:
The Protocol 23 upgrade (testnet live since July 2025) aims to:
- Enable 5,000 TPS via parallel transaction processing
- Reduce smart contract costs by 40%
What this means:
- Developers are building Soroban-based DeFi apps, with TVL up 21% to $122M in August
- However, some traders are selling the news – XLM remains 12% below its July peak
Conclusion
XLM’s rally combines technical momentum with real-world adoption catalysts, though profit-taking risks linger near $0.45. Key watch: Can the Visa partnership drive measurable stablecoin volume growth on Stellar in September? Monitor the $0.403 support – a breakdown here would invalidate the bullish structure.