Stellar’s native token XLM has stormed back into the spotlight with a 102% rally in the final week of May, making it the biggest gainer among the top 50 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. The coin rose from as low as $0.146 on Wednesday to peak at $0.298 on Saturday, breaking out of a four-month consolidation zone and climbing to the 14th spot in the rankings.
A major catalyst behind the surge was the Stellar network’s announcement of a collaboration with the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), the U.S. financial infrastructure giant that handles custody, clearing, and settlement for trillions of dollars in securities transactions. The partnership will allow the DTCC to bring tokenized traditional assets onto the Stellar blockchain, injecting significant value and visibility into the ecosystem.
Coinciding with the partnership, South Korean exchanges Upbit and Bithumb reported phenomenal trading volumes for XLM. Combined, the two platforms registered $201.7 million in XLM trades over 24 hours, placing Stellar at the top of the altcoin volume list. XRP followed with $82.3 million, while Worldcoin (WLD), Xertra (STRAX), and Ondo (ONDO) also attracted heavy investor interest.
The surge was backed by strong market fundamentals. Spot inflows hit over $20 million on May 28, the highest daily inflow in more than ten months. Meanwhile, open interest in XLM futures skyrocketed from roughly $100 million on May 25 to over $361 million by May 30, levels not seen since October 2025. Despite a spike in negative funding rates suggesting bearish bets, spot flows remained net positive, indicating sustained bullish dominance.
