Stellar (XLM) recorded an explosive weekly rally of 80%, reaching a peak of $0.297 on Saturday — its highest level since November 2021. At press time, XLM traded at $0.253, still up 19% in 24 hours. The move was powered by a rare alignment of technical signals and a major institutional collaboration.
Golden Cross Ignites Multi-Week Breakout
A golden cross appeared on Stellar's 4-hour chart early in the week, quickly followed by similar crossovers on the 1-hour, 2-hour and 3-hour timeframes. Technical analysts view this multi-timeframe bullish signal as a strong catalyst. After the pattern emerged, XLM broke through both the 50-day and 200-day moving averages ($0.164 and $0.19 respectively), which had capped its price since the start of the year.
DTCC Tokenization Deal Changes the Narrative
The Stellar Development Foundation announced a partnership with DTCC, the US financial market infrastructure giant overseeing over $100 trillion in assets. Under the agreement, asset tokenization under DTCC supervision will become possible on the Stellar network by the first half of 2027. This institutional endorsement triggered a wave of buying as traders priced in a more credible tokenization ecosystem.
Record Open Interest and Market Cap Jump
Interest in Stellar derivatives surged in lockstep. Total open interest in perpetual futures rose 21.78% in the past 24 hours to $378.99 million, reflecting sustained bullish bets from retail participants. Stellar's market cap now stands at $8.49 billion, ranking 14th among all cryptocurrencies, just behind Cardano.
Spot trading volumes also spiked following the DTCC announcement, with the weekend pullback failing to reverse the overall uptrend. The combination of strong technical signals and a clear institutional roadmap has put Stellar squarely in the spotlight.
While short-term volatility remains a risk, the rally underscores how a golden cross paired with a high-profile corporate partnership can rapidly shift market sentiment and price action in crypto markets.