Stellar Surpasses Bitcoin Cash in Market Cap Amid ETF Inclusion

Stellar (XLM) has overtaken Bitcoin Cash (BCH) in market cap, reaching $8.4 billion versus BCH’s $8.25 billion. This rise is propelled by its inclusion in the Nasdaq Crypto U.S. Settlement Price Index, signaling institutional support. Stellar’s fundamentals feature cross-border payments and tokenized assets, while its smart contract platform is advancing. Despite Bitcoin Cash’s stability in the top 20, Stellar’s progress indicates a positive trend for its future.

In a significant market development, Stellar (XLM) has officially overtaken Bitcoin Cash (BCH), climbing to the 16th position in cryptocurrency rankings based on market capitalization, as per CoinMarketCap. Currently, Stellar boasts a market cap of approximately $8.4 billion, slightly ahead of Bitcoin Cash, which stands at $8.25 billion.

This recent shift in rankings comes as Stellar experiences heightened momentum, largely due to its new inclusion in the Nasdaq Crypto U.S. Settlement Price Index. This index, which now serves as a benchmark for the Hashdex Nasdaq Crypto Index U.S. ETF, includes Stellar among major cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), and XRP. Such recognition underscores a growing institutional acknowledgment of Stellar’s increasing importance in the blockchain finance landscape.

The upward movement of XLM is supported by solid fundamental developments. Notably, the Stellar network facilitates cross-border payments in over 70 countries and has executed billions of transactions. It plays a significant role in the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs), having processed $17 billion in volume and currently holding $522 million on-chain, securing its position as one of the leading blockchains in the RWA sector.

In addition to these fundamentals, Stellar’s technical framework is also advancing. Ongoing enhancements to its smart contract platform, Soroban, include important features like concurrency support, ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation, and advanced caching techniques. These upgrades are anticipated to enhance performance and spur developer adoption, which is critical for future growth.

While Bitcoin Cash stays within the top 20 cryptocurrencies, recent volatility highlights how quickly market dynamics can shift. If renewed buying pressure emerges, BCH could reclaim a stronger market presence. Nevertheless, Stellar’s advancements and expanding use cases provide a promising outlook for its trajectory in the crypto market.

With increasing investor interest in blockchain-based financial systems, Stellar seems well-positioned to reinforce its status among dominant players in the cryptocurrency sphere as it continues to evolve and capture market attention.