Stellar Protocol 24 Upgrade, Rising Token Prices, and New Blockchain Innovations

What shipped

October 2025 has been an exciting month in the world of blockchain, especially for projects like Ripple, Stellar, Hedera, Flare Network, and XDC Network. Several important updates and developments have recently been announced that show how these projects are advancing and creating more opportunities for users and developers alike.

One of the standout updates comes from the Stellar ecosystem, which released a detailed Protocol 24 Upgrade Guide. This upgrade improves the network’s performance and adds new features to make it easier and faster to transact on Stellar’s blockchain. Stellar also celebrated its i³ Awards 2025, recognizing innovative projects built on its platform, encouraging developers to keep pushing boundaries.

Meanwhile, Ripple and Stellar continue to grow their ecosystems with rising token prices, reflecting positive market interest. Hedera Hashgraph has experienced a notable price increase of over 3% in the last 24 hours, signaling growing confidence in this unique blockchain alternative that uses a different technology called “hashgraph” for fast and secure transactions.

Flare Network is also making progress, with its token price up by around 10% in the last day. Flare is known for bringing smart contract capabilities to blockchains that don’t support them natively, like XRP from Ripple. This means users can do more complex operations on these networks, such as creating decentralized finance (DeFi) applications.

On the broader Ethereum front, there’s a lot of excitement as well. An analyst recently projected a path for Ether (ETH) to reach $10,000, fueled by strong buying activity from big holders known as whales and sharks. This optimism was highlighted in a recent article titled ETH $10K Path Projected by Analyst.

Additionally, a podcast from Stellar introduced Etherfuse, a project aiming to bring 100 sovereign (national) currencies onchain. This means they want to tokenize real-world money on blockchains, making it easier to transfer and use globally with the trust and speed of blockchain technology.

Why it matters

These updates highlight a few important trends in blockchain that beginners and investors should understand:

Network upgrades improve usability: Protocol upgrades like Stellar’s make transactions faster and cheaper, which encourages more people and businesses to use the blockchain.
Interoperability and smart contracts expand possibilities: Flare Network’s work on enabling smart contracts for blockchains that don’t have them unlocks new use cases like DeFi, lending, and automated agreements.
Token price movements reflect growing confidence: When tokens like Hedera, Ripple, and Stellar rise in value, it often means more users and investors believe in the project’s future.
Bringing real-world assets onchain: Projects like Etherfuse aim to bridge traditional finance and blockchain by tokenizing national currencies, which could revolutionize how money moves globally.

For new investors, it’s encouraging to see multiple projects advancing simultaneously, each tackling different challenges and opportunities. This diversity helps strengthen the overall blockchain ecosystem and creates more entry points for users to get involved.

Builders’ corner

If you’re a developer or someone curious about building on these networks, here are some concrete things to explore:

Explore Stellar’s Protocol 24: Read the official upgrade guide to understand new features like improved transaction types and better network stability.
Build smart contracts on Flare: Flare Network offers the ability to create smart contracts on XRP and other blockchains that previously lacked this feature. This opens up opportunities to build decentralized apps (dApps) for payments, finance, and more.
Check out Hedera’s fast consensus service: Hedera uses a different technology called hashgraph, which allows very fast and fair transaction ordering. This could be ideal for applications requiring high throughput and security.
Follow the Ripple and Stellar ecosystems: Both have active developer communities and grants programs supporting new projects, which can be a great way to get involved and receive support.

Quick prices

As of October 25, 2025, here’s a quick look at some key crypto prices and their 24-hour changes:

Bitcoin (BTC): $111,379 (+1.0%)
Ethereum (ETH): $3,933 (+1.1%)
Ripple (XRP): $2.59 (+4.7%)
Stellar (XLM): $0.33 (+4.1%)
Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR): $0.17 (+3.2%)
Flare Network (FLR): $0.017 (+10.1%)
XDC Network (XDC): $0.063 (+0.7%)

These steady price gains suggest growing interest and positive sentiment around these projects.

What to watch

Looking ahead, here are some key developments and events to keep an eye on:

Rumble’s Bitcoin tipping launch: Rumble plans to roll out Bitcoin tipping for its 51 million users in December. This could introduce many new people to using Bitcoin for everyday transactions. Read more.
Further Ethereum price movement: Watch how the $10,000 ETH prediction plays out, especially as whales and sharks increase their holdings.
More sovereign currencies onchain: Follow Etherfuse and similar projects working to tokenize real-world money for easier global transfers.
Developers adopting new protocols: As networks like Stellar upgrade, see how quickly developers build new apps and services leveraging these improvements.
Bitcoin treasury firms’ valuation trends: Some Bitcoin treasury firms are currently valued below their BTC holdings, reflecting market caution. This could impact institutional sentiment. Learn more.

Staying informed about these developments can help you make better decisions whether you’re investing, building, or just curious about blockchain technology.

TL;DR: Stellar’s Protocol 24 upgrade and i³ Awards highlight growing innovation, while Ripple, Stellar, Hedera, and Flare Network see positive price gains reflecting confidence. Etherfuse aims to bring 100 national currencies onchain, bridging traditional finance and blockchain. Developers should explore new smart contract capabilities and network upgrades. Watch for Rumble’s Bitcoin tipping launch and Ethereum’s price momentum as key upcoming events.

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Stellar Protocol 24 Upgrade, Rising Token Prices, and New Blockchain Innovations