The crypto market’s latest catch-up trade is unfolding between two long-time rivals: XRP and Stellar (XLM). XRP has rebounded to around $1.40, supported by rising trading volumes, ETF inflows and signs of institutional demand. According to TradingView, XRP gained 40.94% over the past week, settling at $1.3988.
Bullish sentiment around XRP has been amplified by the broader recovery in digital assets, with Bitcoin trading above $78,000. Market participants increasingly view ETF inflows and improving regulatory clarity as key drivers that could push XRP toward the $5 level by the end of the month, though crypto volatility remains high.
Ripple’s ecosystem is also expanding. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse held an official White House meeting regarding the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. Ripple Prime raised $275 million through an institutional bond issuance, while the RLUSD stablecoin received approval in Japan and authorization under Europe’s MiCA framework, with its market cap topping $2 billion. Validators on the XRP Ledger are preparing the XLS-65/66 amendments to launch native lending pools together with Clearpool.
At the same time, Stellar has begun playing catch-up. XLM rose 22.33% over the week to close at $0.19111, testing the first major technical threshold on its path toward a broader medium-term breakout. Stellar’s fundamental narrative centers on real-world asset tokenization: the value of RWAs on Stellar has surpassed $3 billion, making the network the world leader in tokenized non-U.S. sovereign debt, with roughly $490 million issued in partnership with Franklin Templeton and Ondo Finance.
Another potential catalyst is Stellar’s planned integration with the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), which oversees $114 trillion in assets, to bring Russell 1000 securities and ETFs onto Stellar in the first half of 2027. The network is also supported by a record 2,968 monthly active developers and its transition to Protocol 28 (Adapter), expected to increase network throughput by 65% to 3,351 transactions per second.
From a technical perspective, XLM’s next move depends on its ability to hold key levels. A weekly close above the $0.217–$0.230 resistance zone could clear the way toward $0.26 and $0.30. If momentum fades and XLM fails to break above $0.195, the asset may fall back into consolidation with support at $0.177 and $0.152. The final direction is likely to be determined in mid-September, after the Protocol 28 vote and further news from Washington on the Clarity Act.
