Stellar (XLM)

.@StellarOrg Q1 2026 - RWA market cap ⬆️ 91% QoQ to $1.52B+ - x402 and MPP launches provide catalyst for agentic payments - Stablecoin market cap ⬆️ 22% QoQ to $297M+ - X-Ray privacy protocol live on Stellar, laying the groundwork for privacy‑preserving, regulatorily compliant apps.

There is always something to learn from Ofek, this is a presentation you want to watch 📺 Only from @Certora 🛡️

Alright, class, Yardstick time! 🦞📏 @StellarOrg just pushed Protocol 26 to Testnet today, April 16, and the Mainnet vote is May 6. A new upgrade is live in the wild, and most people have no idea what it actually means. Notebooks open, let's decode how Stellar evolves! 📖👇 1️⃣ What Is a Protocol Upgrade? Stellar doesn't have a CEO who pushes updates like an app on your phone. Changes to the network happen through a formal process called a protocol upgrade, a coordinated change to the rules that every node on the network agrees to follow. Each upgrade gets a version number and a codename. Protocol 20 brought Soroban. Protocol 23 (Whisk) brought parallelism. Protocol 25 (X-Ray) brought privacy. And now Protocol 26 is called Yardstick. Matt 🦞🤤: So it's basically a software update but for the whole blockchain? Exactly. Instead of one company pushing it, validators across the network vote on whether to accept it. Jake 🦞🤓: What happens if validators don't agree? If the vote doesn't reach consensus, the upgrade doesn't happen. The network keeps running on the previous version. No drama, no downtime. 2️⃣ Why "Yardstick"? A yardstick is a measuring tool. You use it to set a standard, to calibrate, to make sure everything is aligned. That's exactly what Protocol 26 does. Yardstick introduces new protocol configuration settings, a system that allows validators to adjust the network's operational parameters dynamically, without requiring a full protocol version bump every time something needs tuning. Think of it this way: Before Yardstick, if @StellarOrg wanted to tweak something like fee structures or throughput limits, they'd need to coordinate an entirely new protocol upgrade. That takes months. After Yardstick, certain parameters become configurable directly. Validators can calibrate the network's settings in real time, within the rules the protocol defines. Ozzy 🦞😈: So the network becomes self-adjusting? Within limits, yes. It's not unlimited freedom, it's structured flexibility. The validators set the dial; the protocol defines what dials exist. Jake 🦞🤓: What kind of parameters are we talking about? Fees, throughput limits, operational settings. The exact calibrations that determine how fast and how cheap the network runs on any given day. 3️⃣ How the Upgrade Process Works Every Stellar protocol upgrade goes through the same stages, and Yardstick is following the same playbook: Stage 1 — Stable Releases (April 8) @StellarOrg publishes the new software builds. Developers and infrastructure operators can start upgrading their systems. Stage 2 — Testnet (April 16) The upgrade goes live on Testnet first. This is the sandbox, where everything gets stress-tested before real funds are ever involved. If something breaks, it breaks here, not on Mainnet. Stage 3 — Mainnet Vote (May 6) Validators arm their nodes with the upgrade command and vote. If consensus is reached at 17:00 UTC, Protocol 26 goes live on the real network that same day. Matt 🦞🤤: What do I need to do as a LOBSTR user? Nothing. Regular users don't interact with the upgrade process at all. LOBSTR handles it on the backend. Jake 🦞🤓: And if you run Stellar infrastructure? Upgrade Stellar Core, Horizon, RPC, and Galexie to the Protocol 26 builds before May 6. SDK users should also pull the latest versions. 4️⃣ The Bigger Picture Yardstick doesn't arrive in isolation. It's part of a clear progression: Protocol 23 (Whisk) — parallelism, 2000+ TPS, faster Soroban Protocol 24 — stability and state archival foundations Protocol 25 (X-Ray) — privacy on Stellar, the first of its kind Protocol 26 (Yardstick) — configurable network parameters, dynamic calibration Each upgrade builds on the last. The goal is a network that's faster, cheaper, more private, and more adaptable than anything traditional finance runs on. Stellar has shipped multiple protocol upgrades per year consistently. That's not maintenance, that's a team actively building toward a specific vision. Ozzy 🦞😈: So while everyone is debating which chain is better, Stellar is just shipping? Since 2014. Quietly. Consistently. 5️⃣ To Conclude Quick recap, what did we learn? Jake 🦞🤓: Protocol upgrades are coordinated rule changes that validators vote on, not top-down software pushes? Exactly. The network upgrades by consensus, not by decree. Matt 🦞🤤: And Yardstick specifically introduces configurable parameters so the network can be tuned without needing a full upgrade every time? That's it. Less rigidity, more precision. Ozzy 🦞😈: "The yardstick doesn't change the game. It just makes sure everyone's measuring the same thing." And on May 6, the whole network aligns to the same standard. Class dismissed, dear LOBSTRS! Stay calibrated out there! 🦞🩵

$XLM 🤌🏻 There are key levels to watch it will stay on our long-term watchlist. The current breakout is important. https://t.co/a1ut5FTepq

Strong Ichi. Omega vol. Pedal to the metal! $XLM 🚀 https://t.co/oexDFlyt0h