Stellar (Stellar-XLM) - the native currency of the blockchain specialized in facilitating payment transactions - has emerged as one of the standout alternative currencies with stable gains over the past month, as its price increased by 7% on May 11, regaining a market value of $10 billion, and crowned its exciting monthly performance with a 38% rise to reappear in the list of the top 15 digital currencies by market capitalization.

Stellar blockchain transaction metrics steal the spotlight from Ethereum and Ripple.

Stellar blockchain first emerged as a network fork from the Ripple blockchain in 2014 after a sharp split within Ripple (XRP) project management, with XLM being viewed as a direct competitor to XRP since then. While the latter boasts a market value exceeding $150 billion, XLM has performed stronger over the past month, with Messari data indicating that Stellar blockchain processed over 3.3 million transactions costing only $4,000 to complete on May 11.

Stellar blockchain transaction statistics, source: Messari. In comparison, the Ripple blockchain processed about 530,000 transactions costing $3,500 to complete, while Stellar blockchain - as a leading platform for smart contracts - continues to amaze users with its remarkable efficiency, especially when compared to the efficiency of the Ethereum blockchain.

Built for payments. pic.twitter.com/ybnSrGAXt7

— Stellar (@StellarOrg) May 8, 2025

The Stellar network recorded over 470 million transactions with an average fee not exceeding $0.0015 per transaction, while the Ethereum blockchain executed more than 108 million transactions with an average fee of $1.90 per transaction. Meanwhile, Stellar's user base has expanded significantly, recording over 9.5 million wallet addresses according to Stellar blockchain explorer data, and developer activity on Stellar blockchain has accelerated with more than 630,000 smart contracts deployed on the blockchain by May 7.

Major entities supporting Stellar blockchain through partnerships with Mastercard (NYSE:MA), IBM, and others

The increasing adoption of blockchain has not gone unnoticed by major financial institutions, which have increasingly begun to use Stellar blockchain in their operations. Recently, MoneyGram launched the “Ramps” service, a developer-friendly API supported by Stellar blockchain to facilitate the use of Circle's USDC stablecoin, allowing users to easily deposit and withdraw funds through their digital wallets.

Cash-to-crypto just got easier.

Launched today, @MoneyGram Ramps is a developer-centric API that enables ramp integration with just a few lines of code, powered by the Stellar network. No banking integration required. https://t.co/wvix1eGH5V

— Stellar (@StellarOrg) May 2, 2025

During 2024, the Stellar Foundation entered into prominent partnerships with leading entities such as Mastercard and Franklin Templeton. Mastercard relied on Stellar blockchain to provide a 'Crypto Credential' solution for securely managing digital assets, while IBM partnered with Stellar Foundation to develop international payment solutions, particularly in the South Pacific region; these developments contribute to boosting investor confidence and interest in XLM, which has been clearly reflected in its recent positive performance.

XLM Price Prediction: Fibonacci levels and rising indicators suggest a potential surge towards $0.50

The daily price movement chart for the XLM/USDT pair has recently surpassed the Fibonacci extension of 1.618 at $0.3168, becoming the nearest support level currently. Looking at technical indicators, it seems that the price of XLM is taking its first steps on a positive trajectory marked by rising peaks and troughs.

XLM Price Prediction, source: TradingView. After bouncing up from the support area of $0.24, the price of XLM successfully reached key Fibonacci extension levels, currently stabilizing between the 1.618 and 2.0 levels, targeting the important resistance barrier at $0.3756, which represents a historical obstacle that could determine the continuation of its upward path or halt it in the foreseeable future; if the price of XLM manages to surpass it, it could target $0.5088, allowing for potential gains exceeding 56% compared to its current level.

$XLM (Stellar Lumens) looks to be breaking out of its Bull Flag-like setup and can be getting ready for another major leg up towards the $0.681 target!

This can consist of an over 126% increase and a break above this target can bring $1.291819 into play… https://t.co/Jy6DpD7s8J pic.twitter.com/2LLxzUMVZh

— JAVONMARKS (@JavonTM1) May 9, 2025

On the other hand, the relative strength index (RSI) reading indicates 68.89, approaching the overbought territory, suggesting a possibility of a temporary correction or price stabilization within a narrow range. If the first scenario occurs, the nearest significant support levels to watch are $0.3168, followed by deeper Fibonacci support levels at $0.2868 and then $0.2569.

The post Stellar (XLM) surpasses Ripple (XRP) in transactions and rises by 38% as bulls look to break the $0.50 barrier