--- title: "Stellar Clears Its Biggest Hurdle. Now Comes the Real Test" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/283329355.md" description: "Stellar (XLM-USD) has overcome a significant regulatory hurdle with the U.S. SEC and CFTC's digital commodity classification, enhancing its investment appeal. Institutional partnerships are growing, but the challenge remains to convert this progress into sustained demand for its token, XLM, which trades at approximately $0.17. Stellar's network offers quick transactions and low fees, with a total value locked of around $163 million, indicating increasing DeFi activity. Its energy-efficient consensus protocol and predictable fees position it favorably against competitors like Ethereum." datetime: "2026-04-20T09:45:43.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/283329355.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/283329355.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/283329355.md) --- # Stellar Clears Its Biggest Hurdle. Now Comes the Real Test Stellar (XLM-USD) is a blockchain built for cross-border payments, and it has just cleared a major overhang that could reshape its investment case. The March 2026 U.S. digital commodity classification by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) removes a key regulatory hurdle, while institutional partnerships continue to build around its network. ### Claim 30% Off TipRanks - Unlock hedge fund-level data and powerful investing tools for smarter, sharper decisions - Discover top-performing stock ideas and upgrade to a portfolio of market leaders with Smart Investor Picks However, the real test is whether that progress can translate into sustained token demand, as XLM has historically struggled to convert usage into price momentum. Its native token, XLM, trades around $0.17, giving it a market cap of roughly $5.6 billion. ## **The Network Specifics are Competitive** Stellar settles transactions in roughly 3–5 seconds, with fees typically under $0.00001 per transaction, paid in XLM. The network taps a global payments stack reaching over 180 countries via cash‑to‑crypto ramps and regulated payment partners. Total value locked (TVL) currently stands around $163 million, reflecting moderate but growing decentralized finance (DeFi) activity on the chain. The Stellar Consensus Protocol achieves finality without proof-of-work or proof-of-stake. That makes it far more energy-efficient than most Layer 1 competitors. Fixed, sub-penny fees give enterprises the cost predictability that variable gas fees on Ethereum (ETH-USD) cannot. 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