DTCC picks Stellar for tokenized securities, XLM jumps

The native token of the Stellar blockchain, XLM, surged in value this week following a significant institutional partnership announcement. The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), which settles trillions of dollars in securities transactions annually and custodies over $114 trillion in assets, selected Stellar as the first public blockchain for its tokenized securities platform.

The price of XLM increased by approximately 30 to 44 percent over several days, reaching a high near $0.30 before experiencing a partial pullback. The rally propelled Stellar's market capitalization past that of Cardano, briefly making it the 14th-largest cryptocurrency by that measure. Trading volume and open interest in derivatives markets saw substantial increases, indicating heightened investor activity.

The DTCC plans to tokenize assets it custodies, including shares from the Russell 1000 index, exchange-traded funds, and U.S. Treasury bonds, on the Stellar network. The initiative is scheduled to begin testing in July 2026, with a full rollout targeted for the first half of 2027. Denelle Dixon, CEO of the Stellar Development Foundation, stated the blockchain's compliance-focused...