Stellar has had a quietly consequential few weeks. While XLM’s price has been grinding through a recovery from its February 2026 low near $0.14 — currently trading around $0.19 with a 7.72% gain over the past seven days — the more significant developments have been happening at the institutional and protocol level rather than on price charts.

Three events in rapid succession have repositioned how the market should be thinking about Stellar heading into the second half of 2026.

Clearstream Adds XLM to Regulated Custody

On July 8, Clearstream — Deutsche Börse Group’s post-trade services provider and one of the most systemically important financial infrastructure operators in Europe — expanded its institutional crypto custody service to include XLM alongside five other major digital assets. With approximately 2,500 institutional clients including major banks and asset managers, Clearstream’s custody service represents a MiCA-compliant on-ramp for European institutions that would otherwise lack a regulated pathway to XLM exposure.

This matters in a specific way. Institutional participants don’t buy assets through retail exchanges. They require regulated custody infrastructure that meets their compliance obligations before they can allocate. Clearstream providing that infrastructure for XLM removes a structural barrier that has kept a meaningful segment of European institutional capital on the sidelines regardless of the investment thesis.

Tokenized RWA Volume Crosses $3 Billion

On July 7, the value of real-world assets tokenized on the Stellar network crossed $3 billion — a milestone that reflects several years of quiet infrastructure buildout finally generating measurable economic activity. Stellar’s compliance-first architecture, built-in DEX, sub-cent transaction fees, and existing relationships with institutions like Franklin Templeton, Circle, and MoneyGram have made it a preferred rail for RWA tokenization projects that need regulatory defensibility alongside technical performance.

USDC is natively issued on Stellar, and Circle’s CCTP integration announced in May 2026 now enables native cross-chain USDC transfers across 23 blockchains — dramatically expanding Stellar’s interoperability footprint and making it a more practical settlement layer for multi-chain RWA structures. MoneyGram’s integration provides access to 475,000 physical off-ramp locations globally, adding the last-mile infrastructure that purely digital rails typically lack.

Protocol 27 Vote and a Quantum Preparedness Plan

The July 8 Protocol 27 mainnet vote introduces delegated authentication features that improve smart contract security and developer flexibility on the Soroban platform. Soroban — Stellar’s Rust and Wasm-based smart contracts layer — has been live since early 2024 and is in active but early adoption, with DEXs and AMMs like Phoenix and Aqua already running and lending markets currently in development.

The longer-term roadmap includes a three-stage Quantum Preparedness Plan. The 2026 phase introduces NIST-approved quantum-safe signature types for Soroban smart contract accounts. A 2027 protocol update will allow traditional Stellar accounts to add these new signers while maintaining their existing address and history. And a planned 2026 Protocol 24 upgrade will integrate zero-knowledge proofs and confidential assets — allowing private transactions that still provide the compliance verification data that regulated institutions require.

That combination — privacy plus compliance simultaneously — is a technically difficult problem that most privacy-focused chains have failed to solve. Stellar’s approach, which prioritizes meeting institutional requirements rather than maximizing anonymity, reflects a deliberate choice about who the network is building for.

The Core Question Heading Into H2 2026

XLM is currently trading around 79% below its all-time high and below its 200-day moving average, with roughly one-third of total supply still to enter circulation. The infrastructure story — Clearstream custody, $3 billion in RWA volume, CCTP integration, Soroban buildout — is improving faster than price action suggests.

The thesis hinges on a single question: does Soroban adoption cross from infrastructure deployed to developers and users actually showing up? If Soroban’s DeFi ecosystem develops genuine activity comparable to what Stellar’s payment rails already process, XLM at current levels looks meaningfully undervalued relative to comparable L1s. If adoption stalls and Stellar remains primarily a payment network with an underutilized smart contract layer, the discount is more justified than it appears.

The $0.25 to $0.27 resistance zone is the near-term technical level to watch. A decisive close above that range would be the first signal that the institutional catalysts are beginning to feed through into sustained price recovery.

Few token launches in 2026 have generated the kind of immediate traction that Cap’s CAP token has produced. Launched on June 26 following a batch auction that closed 5.5x oversubscribed at a $106 million fully diluted valuation, CAP recorded nearly $900 million in volume during its first 10 days and closed day one at a $325 million fully diluted valuation — more than a 4x increase over early participants’ entry valuation and roughly 3x the public auction clearing price.

By the week of June 26 to July 3, CAP had climbed to the number two position in the lending and borrowing category by trading volume, trailing only Aave’s $2.3 billion with $394 million of its own — ahead of Maple Finance, Morpho, Compound, and Spark. For a protocol that launched its governance token less than two weeks prior, that positioning is remarkable.

A Launch Across Every Major Venue Simultaneously

CAP launched simultaneously across many of the industry’s largest venues: spot trading went live on Coinbase, Binance Alpha, Kraken, Bybit, Bithumb, Crypto.com, Bitvavo, HTX, MEXC, and BitMart, while perpetual futures opened on Binance, OKX, Bybit, and Bitget. That breadth of simultaneous availability is unusual even for well-capitalized protocol launches and reflects the institutional backing behind the project’s distribution strategy.

CAP is currently trading around $0.024 with a 24-hour volume of $373 million — a volume-to-market-cap ratio that reflects intense trading activity from a still-developing holder base.

What Cap Actually Builds

The protocol operates on what it calls a covered credit model — a structure that separates yield generation from speculative token economics in a way most DeFi lending platforms haven’t managed. Cap is a credit platform backed by financial guarantees. The platform relies on a market of underwriters to independently originate and insure USD loans out of its portfolio to companies in the real economy. In return, underwriters receive a premium from the credit spreads of loans. Dollar depositors earn a secured yield that’s insured by underwriters.

That design produces a yield source that doesn’t depend on token emissions — a distinction that matters enormously for protocols trying to attract capital that won’t flee the moment incentives taper.

In its most recent quarter, Cap originated a $100 million revolving credit facility to Susquehanna Crypto, which it described as the largest on-chain credit facility of its kind. Over the same period, borrower adoption rose 175% and total loans outstanding climbed more than 300%.

The Institutional Roster Behind the Protocol

The protocol counts Franklin Templeton, Susquehanna, Triton Capital, Flow Traders, Nomura’s Laser Digital, GSR, and IMC Trading among its seed backers following an $11 million round in April 2025. Franklin Templeton’s involvement goes beyond passive investment — Cap was onboarded as a BENJI client, adding Franklin Templeton’s tokenized money market fund as a supported deposit asset, directly linking traditional finance infrastructure to Cap’s credit rails.

Cap’s institutional restaking partnership with EtherFi, Symbiotic, M11 Credit, and FalconX brings real, non-inflationary yield from dollar-denominated institutional lending to ETH holders — marking a milestone for programmable credit and insured private credit on-chain.

TVL Is Growing Even as Price Pulls Back

Even as CAP’s price fell from its debut levels, deposits into the protocol continued to climb. Total value locked reached $260.6 million as of July 6, up from $218.2 million nine days earlier — a roughly 19% increase over the period. Cap has also processed more than $5 billion in cumulative volume across its lifetime and offers depositors 5-7% annualized yield on dollar deposits.

That divergence — price pulling back while TVL grows — is actually a healthier signal than a token price that stays elevated while the protocol stagnates. It suggests capital is entering the system for yield purposes rather than purely for speculative token exposure, which is exactly the dynamic a sustainable credit protocol needs to demonstrate.

CEO Benjamin Sarquis Peillard framed the launch succinctly: private credit is overdue for innovation, on-chain markets need sustainable yield, and Cap’s credit allocation mechanism addresses both concerns. With $260 million in TVL, number two lending protocol status by volume, and Franklin Templeton’s tokenized fund integrated as a deposit asset, the early evidence suggests the market agrees.

The milestone listing propels WEMIX’s native coin into Western markets including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia

SINGAPORE, 8th July, 2026 — WEMIX, the Layer-1 blockchain ecosystem developed by gaming giant WEMADE, today announced that its native coin (WEMIX) has been officially listed on Kraken, one of the world’s longest-standing, most liquid and secure cryptocurrency exchanges. Trading is scheduled to commence on 7 July 2026, allowing Kraken’s global user base to deposit, withdraw, and trade WEMIX against the USD.

Listing on Kraken represents a pivotal shift in liquidity and market exposure for WEMIX. While WEMIX has historically maintained an entrenched position within South Korea, South America, and regional Asian markets, this integration into Kraken vastly expands its global reach. It opens access for Western institutional and retail investors across regions including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia, which will serve as a base for international users interacting with WEMIX’s extensive digital economy.

Shane Kim, CEO of WEMIX and Vice President of WEMADE, said: “Aligning with partners who share our commitment to compliance and security is paramount. Given Kraken’s reputation, we are honored to collaborate with them as we scale our market reach, establish a strategic foothold in the U.S. — the world’s largest financial market — alongside other key Western regions, and evolve into a truly global blockchain ecosystem.”

As WEMIX sets its sights on scaling its Real-World Asset (RWA) initiatives, securing this major listing by tapping into the immense capital pool of the biggest financial market in the world also significantly elevates WEMIX’s global visibility, enables deeper liquidity, and positions the ecosystem to attract a vast new wave of participants.

WEMIX’s listing on Kraken comes amid its parent company’s aggressive expansion across fintech, cross-border payments, and the RWA market. Along with upcoming AAA game launches designed to solidify its market leadership and deepen the WEMIX Web3 gaming ecosystem, WEMADE recently launched StableNet, Korea’s first dedicated Layer-1 blockchain for KRW-backed stablecoins, and established the Global Alliance for KRW Stablecoin (GAKS). Key alliance members include Web3 behemoths such as Chainlink, Chainalysis, and CertiK.

“Bolstered by massive infrastructure leaps like StableNet and the GAKS alliance, WEMADE is building the future of Web3 gaming and its convergence with fintech. Now, cementing our footprint in the Western financial ecosystem further proves that WEMIX, our Web3 arm, is built for the global stage,” Kim added.

Beyond its milestone listing on Kraken, WEMIX remains committed to securing further high-profile exchange integrations, systematically driving global liquidity, and expanding access for its growing international community.

For media enquiries, please contact: pr@wemix.com

About WEMIX
WEMIX is a leading blockchain ecosystem for gaming and digital economies, powered by its highly scalable, EVM-compatible Layer-1 mainnet, WEMIX3.0. With a wide range of integrated services-including NFTs, DeFi, stablecoin payments, and tokenized in-game assets-WEMIX enables seamless integration between gameplay and real-world value. Designed to be transparent, sustainable, and developer-friendly, WEMIX serves as the foundation for the global Web3 gaming ecosystem. For more information, please visit https://wemix.com.

About WEMADE
WEMADE is the only company combining over two decades of AAA game development success with a fully operational, game-proven blockchain ecosystem-built entirely on its proprietary Layer-1 mainnet, WEMIX3.0. Known for global hits such as The Legend of Mir, MIR4, NIGHT CROWS and Legend of YMIR, WEMADE is leading the industry in seamlessly integrating gameplay, tokenomics, NFTs, stablecoin payments, and blockchain infrastructure. Through WEMIX PLAY, WEMADE delivers a unified digital economy where players, creators, and investors can own, trade, and benefit from digital assets-powering the next generation of interactive entertainment and driving the evolution of Web3 gaming. For more information, please visit https://wemade.com.

About Kraken
Founded in 2011, Kraken is one of the world’s longest-standing and most secure crypto platforms globally. Kraken clients trade more than 600 digital assets, traditional assets such as US futures and US-listed stocks and ETFs, and 6 different national currencies, including GBP, EUR, USD, CAD, CHF, and AUD. Trusted by millions of institutions, professional traders and consumers, Kraken is one of the fastest, most liquid and performant trading platforms available.

Kraken’s suite of products and services includes the Kraken App, Kraken Pro, the Krak App, Kraken Institutional, Kraken’s onchain offerings and the Ninja Trader retail trading platform. Across these offerings, clients can buy, sell, stake, earn rewards, send and receive assets, custody holdings, and access advanced trading, derivatives, and portfolio management tools.

Kraken has set the industry standard for transparency and client trust, and it was the first crypto platform to conduct Proof of Reserves. It complies with regulations and laws applicable to its business, while actively protecting client privacy and maintaining the highest security standards.

For more information about Kraken, please visit www.kraken.com.