What shipped
Welcome to our February 23, 2026 update on some of the most exciting developments in blockchain and crypto technology. Today, we’re focusing on several key projects and organizations: Ripple, Stellar, Hedera Hashgraph, Flare Network, and XDC Network. These projects continue to push the boundaries of what blockchain can do, from improving cross-border payments to enhancing supply chain transparency.
First, let’s talk about the recent news and updates:
- Ripple and Stellar: Both networks have seen positive momentum recently. Ripple’s XRP price rose by about 1.04% in the last 24 hours to $1.35, while Stellar’s XLM increased nearly 0.9% to $0.15. Stellar also shared several insightful blog posts, including a deep dive into the hidden risks of Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanisms, which are popular methods blockchains use to validate transactions securely and efficiently.
- Hedera Hashgraph: Hedera’s price gained close to 1% and currently sits around $0.0946. The Hedera team announced that FedEx has joined its governing council, a significant endorsement highlighting the growing interest from major global corporations in blockchain technology to improve supply chains. They also shared updates on migrating from older account query methods to newer, more efficient ones.
- Flare Network and XDC Network: These projects are focused on interoperability and enterprise blockchain solutions. Flare’s token price held steady with a slight dip of about 0.15%, while XDC’s price dropped nearly 1%. Both continue to work on expanding their ecosystems and enhancing the utility of their platforms.
Why it matters
Understanding these updates is important because they reflect how blockchain technology is maturing and becoming more integrated into everyday business and financial systems. For example, the addition of FedEx to Hedera’s council is not just a headline—it signals that large companies see blockchain as a reliable way to track goods globally, reduce fraud, and improve efficiency.
The discussions around Proof-of-Stake risks are also crucial. PoS is a method where those who hold more tokens have a bigger say in validating transactions, which is energy-efficient compared to older methods like Proof-of-Work. However, as Stellar’s recent blog points out, PoS can have vulnerabilities such as centralization risks, meaning a few large holders might have too much control. Being aware of these helps investors and developers make better choices about which projects to support.
Finally, the ongoing work on cross-border payments and interoperability—how different blockchains communicate with each other—is a major step toward making cryptocurrencies more practical for everyday use worldwide. Projects like Ripple and Stellar are leading the charge here, aiming to make sending money across countries faster and cheaper.
Builders’ corner
For developers and tech enthusiasts, there are some exciting resources and innovations worth exploring:
- Stellar’s new blog posts: They recently published a technical comparison of different privacy and security technologies used to build “dark pools” (private trading venues). These include MPC (Multi-Party Computation), FHE (Fully Homomorphic Encryption), and TEEs (Trusted Execution Environments). Each technology offers different ways to keep transactions private while still being secure and verifiable.
- Hedera’s migration guide: If you’re building on Hedera, check out their latest instructions on moving from the older AccountBalanceQuery API to newer, more efficient methods. This helps improve app performance and user experience.
- Ripple and Stellar ecosystem growth: Both networks have active developer communities and offer grants, tutorials, and SDKs (software development kits) to help newcomers build decentralized applications (dApps) that can benefit from fast, low-cost transactions.
Quick prices
Here’s a snapshot of current prices and how they’ve changed over the last 24 hours:
- Bitcoin (BTC): $64,134 (-0.69%)
- Ethereum (ETH): $1,840.66 (-1.04%)
- Ripple (XRP): $1.35 (+1.04%)
- Stellar (XLM): $0.15 (+0.90%)
- Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR): $0.0946 (+0.97%)
- Flare Network (FLR): $0.0090 (-0.15%)
- XDC Network (XDCE): $0.0337 (-0.99%)
What to watch
Looking ahead, keep an eye on these key themes and events:
- Cross-border payments innovation: Ripple and Stellar continue to develop faster and cheaper ways to send money internationally. Their partnerships with banks and payment providers could bring real-world adoption.
- Enterprise blockchain adoption: With companies like FedEx joining Hedera’s council, expect more large organizations to explore blockchain solutions for supply chain, logistics, and payment processing.
- Security and privacy tech: Advances in encryption and privacy, as discussed in Stellar’s recent posts, will be critical for wider blockchain adoption, especially in regulated industries.
- Regulatory environment: Watch how governments approach digital assets and tokenization, particularly in regions like the UK, where new frameworks are evolving to support innovation while protecting investors.
- AI and blockchain integration: Recent launches like NEAR’s super app highlight growing interest in combining artificial intelligence with blockchain to create smarter, more private applications.
TL;DR: Ripple, Stellar, Hedera, Flare, and XDC continue to advance blockchain technology with new partnerships, tech updates, and ecosystem growth. Prices show mixed short-term moves, while major companies like FedEx join blockchain councils, signaling increasing real-world adoption. Developers have fresh resources to build privacy-focused and efficient apps. Keep an eye on cross-border payments, enterprise use cases, and evolving blockchain privacy technologies for exciting opportunities ahead.
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