What Shipped
February 2026 has been an exciting time in the blockchain world, with several key updates from popular projects like Stellar, Hedera Hashgraph, and Ripple. Stellar recently published its End of Year 2025 Report – Execution at Scale, highlighting their progress and achievements over the past year. Alongside this, Stellar introduced innovative ways to bring culture on-chain with the IRL × Stellar project, which aims to make digital culture a seamless part of blockchain experiences.
Developers on Stellar also gained new tools like the RISC Zero verifier, which helps verify smart contract execution securely and efficiently.
Meanwhile, Hedera Hashgraph announced important updates including a smooth transition from their old AccountBalanceQuery system (learn more) and welcomed FedEx to the Hedera Council, a group of companies guiding the network’s future. This partnership signals growing interest from major global businesses in using blockchain technology for supply chains (read more).
Additional Hedera news includes work on the x402 payment standard, which aims to improve how digital payments function across different platforms.
On the broader blockchain scene, Ethereum hit a milestone with 50% of its tokens staked, meaning many holders are locking their coins to support the network’s security and earn rewards. However, this has sparked some debate about how supply data is reported (details here).
Other notable moves include Zora, a digital marketplace protocol, migrating to the Solana blockchain to take advantage of faster and cheaper transactions (learn more), and Coinbase’s Base layer shifting away from Optimism’s technology stack, signaling changes in how layer-2 solutions evolve (read more).
Why It Matters
These updates show how blockchain technology continues to mature and attract real-world applications. Stellar’s focus on integrating culture on-chain aims to make blockchain more accessible and meaningful to everyday users, not just developers or traders. By embedding art, music, and social experiences into the blockchain, Stellar hopes to create a richer digital ecosystem.
Hedera’s partnership with FedEx is a clear example of how blockchain can improve global supply chains. By providing a transparent, secure ledger for tracking goods, companies can reduce fraud, increase efficiency, and respond faster to problems. This could lead to better prices and services for consumers worldwide.
Ethereum’s staking milestone is important because staking helps secure the network and reduces the risk of attacks. However, the debate around supply data reminds us that even well-established projects face challenges in transparency and communication.
Finally, the migration of protocols like Zora to faster blockchains such as Solana reflects the ongoing need for scalability — the ability to handle more users and transactions quickly and cheaply. This is crucial for blockchain to support mainstream use cases like gaming, digital art, and finance.
Builders’ Corner
If you’re interested in building on these platforms or just curious about how the technology works, here are some highlights:
- Stellar’s RISC Zero verifier: A tool that helps developers prove that their smart contracts ran correctly without revealing all details. This improves security and privacy on the network.
- Hedera’s AccountBalanceQuery Migration: If you’re using Hedera APIs, check out their migration guide to update your applications smoothly.
- Payment Standards: The x402 standard from Hedera aims to unify payment methods across different systems, making it easier for developers to build interoperable apps.
For newcomers, “staking” means locking up your cryptocurrency to help secure a blockchain network, in return for rewards. “Smart contracts” are self-executing programs that run on blockchains, enabling things like automatic payments or agreements without middlemen.
Quick Prices (February 18, 2026, 13:02 ET)
- Bitcoin (BTC): $67,156 (down 0.06% in 24 hours)
- Ethereum (ETH): $1,974.24 (up 0.5%)
- Ripple (XRP): $1.46 (down 0.57%)
- Stellar (XLM): $0.164 (down 0.7%)
- Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR): $0.1006 (up 0.1%)
- Flare Network (FLR): $0.00963 (down 0.23%)
- XDC Network (XDCE): $0.0366 (down 0.87%)
What to Watch
Looking ahead, keep an eye on a few important trends:
- Cross-border payments: Blockchain projects like Hedera and Ripple are working to make sending money internationally faster and cheaper. Innovations in this space could reshape how businesses and individuals move money globally.
- Tokenization and digital assets: The UK is evolving its regulations around digital assets, which could open more opportunities for blockchain-based investments and services (read more).
- Layer-2 solutions: Coinbase’s Base and others are experimenting with different technologies to scale Ethereum and other blockchains. These changes will impact transaction costs and speeds for users and developers.
- Adoption by major companies: With FedEx joining Hedera Council, watch for more large enterprises embracing blockchain to improve their operations.
TL;DR: Stellar and Hedera continue to innovate with new tools and partnerships, including bringing culture on-chain and improving supply chains with FedEx. Ethereum’s staking milestone shows growing network security but also sparks data transparency discussions. Protocol migrations to faster blockchains like Solana highlight the importance of scalability. Overall, blockchain technology is steadily advancing toward more practical, real-world uses that benefit everyday users and businesses alike.
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