Usman Salis
Stellar (XLM) been on an absolute tear this August, breaking records left and right. But here's the thing - not all records are created equal, and XLM holders might want to pay close attention to what's really happening behind the scenes.
XLM Ecosystem Finally Catches Fire with Record TVL
Let's start with the good news. Stellar's Total Value Locked just hit an all-time high of $152.11 million, jumping 80% from July's $84 million. That's according to DeFiLlama, and honestly, it's about time.
The growth isn't coming from thin air either. Protocols like Blend (a modular liquidity protocol), Stellar DEX, and Aquarius Stellar are actually pulling real money into the ecosystem. Blend lets anyone create lending markets, while the DEXs are attracting fresh capital like magnets.
Sure, $152 million sounds tiny compared to Ethereum's DeFi giants with their billions. But for Stellar? This is huge. After nearly a decade of steady building, it looks like the network is finally getting the attention it deserves.
Stellar (XLM) User Growth Hits 9.69 Million—Thanks to XRP?
Here's where it gets interesting. Stellar just crossed 9.69 million accounts, another all-time high. Stellar Expert shows the network's been adding 5,000-6,000 new addresses daily, which is solid organic growth.
But plot twist—BeInCrypto found that XLM has a strong correlation with XRP. Apparently, these two share a lot of the same investors. So when XRP pumped in 2025, it dragged XLM along for the ride. Smart money diversifying within similar use cases? Makes sense.
The user growth fits Stellar's mission perfectly. Millions are using it for cross-border payments, value storage, and DeFi. The challenge now? Making sure the network can handle all this growth without choking up.
XLM Exchange Holdings Hit Danger Zone at 1.03 Billion
Now for the reality check. Over 1.03 billion XLM tokens are sitting on exchanges right now—that's an all-time high and potentially a massive red flag.
Binance's wallet "GBAI…GPA" alone holds 1,033,411,975 XLM as of July-August 2025, according to Stellar Expert. That's a lot of potential selling pressure just waiting for the right (or wrong) moment.
This is where Stellar's Protocol 23 upgrade becomes crucial. The testnet reset is scheduled for August 14, with the mainnet vote coming September 3. Protocol 23 promises better performance, lower costs, and expanded capabilities—exactly what XLM needs to justify holding rather than selling.
Usman Salis
