October 2025 Blockchain Update: Stellar Upgrade, Ripple Growth, Hedera Gains

October 2025 Crypto Update: Ripple, Stellar, Hedera and More

What Shipped

This October, several exciting updates and developments have emerged in the blockchain space, particularly involving familiar projects like Ripple, Stellar, Hedera Hashgraph, Flare Network, and XDC Network. These platforms are pushing forward with protocol upgrades, ecosystem improvements, and new partnerships that aim to strengthen their networks and enhance user experience.

One notable upcoming event is Stellar’s protocol upgrade vote scheduled for next week. This upgrade aims to address “state archival inconsistencies,” which means improving how the blockchain stores and accesses past transaction data to ensure smoother and more reliable performance for users and developers.

Ripple and Stellar continue to emphasize open infrastructure. Stellar recently published a thoughtful piece titled “Let’s build open highways, not railroads,” highlighting the importance of open networks where anyone can participate freely, instead of closed systems controlled by a few. This philosophy supports the goal of making financial services accessible worldwide.

Meanwhile, Hedera Hashgraph’s token price has seen a healthy increase recently, reflecting growing confidence in its unique technology. Hedera uses a different approach than traditional blockchains, called a hashgraph, which promises faster and more secure transactions.

Flare Network and XDC Network also report positive momentum, with moderate price gains and ongoing development. These projects focus on interoperability (connecting different blockchains) and enterprise-friendly solutions, which are key trends in the industry.

Why It Matters

Understanding these updates helps investors and newcomers see how blockchain projects evolve beyond just price movements. For example, Stellar’s upcoming protocol upgrade is about improving the network’s long-term health — something that can lead to better user experiences and more developer activity. When a blockchain handles data efficiently, it supports more complex applications and attracts more participants.

Ripple and Stellar’s focus on open infrastructure is crucial because it promotes fairness and innovation. Open networks allow anyone—from individual developers to large companies—to build financial tools and services without needing permission. This can help bring banking and payments to underserved populations worldwide, fulfilling blockchain’s promise of financial inclusion.

Hedera’s technology is also significant. Unlike traditional blockchains that bundle transactions into blocks, Hedera’s hashgraph allows for faster consensus and finality, meaning transactions are confirmed quicker and with less energy use. This could make Hedera attractive for applications needing speed and security, like supply chain tracking or digital identity.

Finally, projects like Flare and XDC are working on interoperability and enterprise solutions, which are increasingly important. As the blockchain ecosystem grows, the ability to connect different networks and integrate with existing business systems will help blockchain technology achieve mainstream adoption.

Builders’ Corner

If you’re interested in the technical and community side of these projects, here are some highlights and resources to explore:

Stellar’s Protocol Upgrade Vote: Developers and community members are encouraged to participate in the upcoming vote to approve improvements that will fix archival inconsistencies. More info is available on Stellar’s official blog.
Open Infrastructure Philosophy: Stellar’s recent article on why open highways are better than railroads explains the benefits of decentralized, permissionless networks. It’s a great read for understanding the ethos behind many blockchain projects: Read more here.
Decentralization Myths Debunked: Another Stellar blog post explores common misconceptions about who controls blockchains, clarifying how decentralization works in practice: Check it out.
Chainlink Updates: Chainlink, a key player in blockchain oracles (which provide real-world data to smart contracts), released its Q3 2025 review and announced winning the Swift Hackathon business challenge, highlighting its growing influence in institutional markets: Quarterly Review and Hackathon Win.

Quick Prices

Here’s a snapshot of some crypto prices as of October 20, 2025, 9:00 PM ET, along with their 24-hour percentage changes to give you a sense of market momentum:

Bitcoin (BTC): $110,503 (+2.33%)
Ethereum (ETH): $3,974.49 (+0.62%)
Ripple (XRP): $2.49 (+4.55%)
Stellar (XLM): $0.324 (+2.53%)
Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR): $0.175 (+3.90%)
Flare Networks (FLR): $0.0175 (+1.28%)
XDC Network (XDC): $0.0628 (+3.48%)

Notice that Ripple and Hedera are leading with some of the strongest gains, reflecting positive sentiment around their developments.

What to Watch

Looking ahead, here are some key areas to keep an eye on:

Stellar’s Protocol Upgrade Vote: The outcome will impact network stability and could influence developer engagement and adoption.
Ripple’s Expansion Efforts: Ripple continues to push for broader adoption of its payment solutions and partnerships with financial institutions worldwide.
Hedera’s Use Cases: Watch for announcements about new enterprise applications leveraging Hedera’s hashgraph technology, which may boost demand for HBAR tokens.
Interoperability Progress: Flare and XDC Networks are working on connecting various blockchains and improving smart contract capabilities — developments here could open new opportunities for cross-chain applications.
Market Sentiment: While Bitcoin remains the market leader, altcoins like XRP, XLM, and HBAR showing strong gains could signal shifting interest and diversification among investors.

TL;DR: Stellar is preparing a key protocol upgrade to improve blockchain data handling, while Ripple and Stellar promote open, accessible networks for global finance. Hedera’s unique hashgraph tech gains traction, and interoperability projects like Flare and XDC advance steadily. Prices reflect positive momentum, especially for Ripple and Hedera. Keep an eye on upcoming votes, new partnerships, and cross-chain innovations as these projects continue to build toward a more connected and user-friendly blockchain future.

Sources

Keep us honest — cross-check our latest

We encourage readers to sanity-check today’s brief against our recent coverage. Start here:

October 2025 Blockchain Update: Stellar Upgrade, Ripple Growth, Hedera Gains