Crypto Market Update: Stellar Advances Payments, Hedera Enhances Smart Contracts

What Shipped

As of January 14, 2026, the crypto market shows some interesting movements, especially among Ripple, Stellar, Hedera, Flare Network, and XDC Network—five projects we’re keeping a close eye on. Bitcoin, the flagship cryptocurrency, reached a strong price of $96,429, marking a modest 1.29% increase over the past 24 hours. Ethereum, the second-largest crypto by market cap, experienced a slight dip, trading at about $3,325 with a small decrease of 0.27%.

Meanwhile, some altcoins like Flare Network and Stellar saw declines of roughly 2–3% in the last day, with Stellar now at $0.2337 and Flare at $0.0114. Ripple dropped to $2.12, down 2.5%, and XDC Network (also known as XDCE Crowd Sale) fell by over 3%, now trading near $0.0446. Hedera Hashgraph, known for its fast and secure decentralized network, also experienced a slight dip, hovering just under $0.122.

Beyond price action, these projects continue to deliver important updates and innovations:

• Stellar is focused on redefining everyday payments, aiming to make sending money as easy and affordable as sending a text message.
• They also shared five real-world applications of zero-knowledge proofs, a privacy-enhancing technology that allows data verification without revealing the data itself.
• Hedera introduced HIP-1249, an improvement to its smart contracts that offers more precise control over transaction speeds and resource usage, helping developers create more efficient decentralized applications.
• Hedera also recapped its last quarter with highlights of events and announced winners of the Hello Future Ascension Hackathon, showcasing innovation on their platform.

Why It Matters

These updates reflect a broader trend in the blockchain space toward making cryptocurrency and decentralized finance (DeFi) more accessible, reliable, and scalable for everyday users and developers alike.

Stellar’s focus on everyday payments is especially important because it aims to solve one of the biggest challenges with traditional banking and many cryptocurrencies: making small, fast, and cheap transactions available worldwide. By simplifying cross-border payments, Stellar helps people and businesses send money internationally without high fees or long wait times.

Zero-knowledge proofs are a cutting-edge technology that can greatly enhance user privacy and security. When companies or apps use zero-knowledge proofs, they can prove that a transaction or data point is valid without exposing sensitive information. This is crucial for industries like finance, healthcare, and identity verification.

Hedera’s smart contract improvements allow developers to build more precise and efficient applications. Smart contracts are self-executing contracts with the terms directly written into code. By improving how these contracts manage resources and speed, Hedera is making decentralized applications more practical for real-world use.

Meanwhile, the price changes remind us that the crypto market is still volatile. However, the continued development and adoption of these technologies suggest a positive long-term outlook, as innovation often drives value and user interest.

Builders’ Corner

For developers and curious investors, here’s what to explore:

• Stellar’s Payment Solutions: Check out their blog on redefining everyday payments to understand how they are simplifying cross-border transactions and what this means for businesses and users.
• Zero-Knowledge Proofs in Action: Dive into the five real-world use cases to see practical examples of this privacy tech, such as confidential transactions and identity protection.
• Hedera’s HIP-1249 Update: Developers working on smart contracts can learn about precise throttling, which helps manage network resources better, from the official Hedera blog post.
• Hackathons and Innovation: Follow Hedera’s ongoing hackathons like the Hello Future Ascension event to see what new projects are emerging and get inspired to build your own.

Quick Prices

What to Watch

Looking ahead, here are some key developments and events to keep on your radar:

• Regulatory News: Recent headlines show Coinbase pulling support for a major crypto bill and possible delays in crypto market structure hearings. These regulatory moves can impact the entire crypto ecosystem, so staying informed helps you understand potential risks and opportunities.
• Stellar’s Continued Expansion: With its focus on everyday payments and zero-knowledge proofs, Stellar is positioning itself as a key player in making crypto usable for the masses. Watch for new partnerships and product launches.
• Hedera’s Smart Contract Ecosystem: The improvements in smart contract technology and ongoing hackathons could lead to exciting new decentralized applications, increasing Hedera’s adoption and value.
• Market Volatility: Prices of altcoins like Ripple, Stellar, and XDC have recently dipped. Such fluctuations are normal but can offer buying opportunities for long-term investors who believe in the projects’ fundamentals.
• Innovation in Privacy: Zero-knowledge proofs and other privacy tools are becoming more common. Projects that successfully integrate these technologies may gain a competitive edge.

TL;DR: Bitcoin is up slightly, while Ethereum and several altcoins like Stellar, Ripple, and Hedera have seen small price drops. Despite market ups and downs, major projects are making solid progress—Stellar is improving everyday payments and privacy tech, Hedera enhances smart contracts, and hackathons are fueling innovation. Keep an eye on regulatory developments and new tech rollouts, as they will shape the future of crypto finance.