Stellar (XLM) Aims to Reclaim Its Spot as the 14th Largest Digital Asset

2025-11-10

In the ever-changing world of digital assets, rankings can shift overnight and Stellar (XLM) has just experienced one of those shifts.

Once proudly holding the position as the 14th largest cryptocurrency, Stellar now finds itself a step behind after being overtaken by Zcash (ZEC), a privacy-centric crypto project that has seen tremendous growth in recent months.

Stellar (XLM) to Become the 14th Largest Digital Asset

Stellar (XLM) Aims to Reclaim Its Spot as the 14th Largest Digital Asset

As of early November 2025, Zcash’s market capitalization climbed to roughly $9.41 billion, just nudging past Stellar’s $8.88 billion.

While the difference may seem marginal, the symbolic weight is significant, Zcash’s impressive surge of over 1,100% year-to-date showcases the rising investor appetite for privacy-driven digital currencies.

Stellar, on the other hand, remains a cornerstone of the blockchain ecosystem for entirely different reasons. Its mission has always been clear: to make cross-border transactions fast, affordable, and inclusive. And though it’s temporarily down a notch in ranking, its fundamentals remain as strong as ever.

The Rise of Zcash (ZEC): Privacy Meets Profitability

Zcash’s remarkable ascent in 2025 has been nothing short of meteoric. The project’s foundation lies in zero-knowledge proof technology, allowing transactions to be verified without revealing sender, receiver, or transaction amount details.

This privacy-first approach has drawn considerable interest from both institutional and retail investors, especially as data security concerns dominate global discourse.

In addition, Zcash has benefited from the renewed spotlight on financial privacy following various global regulatory crackdowns on data sharing.

As a result, many traders and holders have diversified into privacy coins as a hedge against potential surveillance, propelling ZEC’s valuation beyond Stellar’s for the first time in years.

Stellar’s Strength: Connecting Traditional Finance to Blockchain

Unlike Zcash, Stellar’s mission isn’t about anonymity, it’s about connection. Founded in 2014 by Jed McCaleb, one of Ripple’s co-founders, Stellar aims to bridge the gap between traditional financial institutions and blockchain technology.

At the heart of its innovation is the Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP). Unlike traditional proof-of-work or proof-of-stake systems, SCP relies on a reputation-based validation model, which makes transactions faster, cheaper, and more environmentally sustainable.

Stellar has long been a favourite among fintech firms and banks looking to tokenize real-world assets (RWA) or issue digital financial products. Through its Soroban smart contract platform, the network continues to expand its utility, supporting developers who want to build scalable financial applications without compromising on security or efficiency.

Its current metrics are equally impressive:

Market Cap: Approximately $8.88 billion
Circulating Supply: Around 32.09 billion XLM tokens
Total Supply: Capped at 50 billion XLM

While these numbers reflect a solid foundation, Stellar’s challenge lies in standing out amid the noise of newer, high-performance blockchains and the growing narrative around privacy tokens.

The Road Ahead for Stellar (XLM)

The good news for Stellar supporters is that rankings fluctuate and XLM has shown resilience time and again. The token’s long-term value proposition lies not in short-term speculation but in sustainable utility and adoption.

With the expansion of Soroban, Stellar is now more capable than ever of supporting DeFi, NFTs, and enterprise-grade applications, all while maintaining its original purpose of financial inclusion.

Additionally, as regulators worldwide begin to scrutinize privacy coins, projects like Zcash could face challenges that might inadvertently boost interest back towards more transparent platforms like Stellar.

Moreover, Stellar’s partnerships with payment processors and central banks exploring CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) issuance on its network position it strategically for future growth. These collaborations underline its credibility in real-world financial ecosystems, a factor that many speculative tokens lack.

Join Bitrue Exchange to Trade Stellar (XLM)

If you’re keen to support Stellar’s journey and take advantage of potential market movements, consider joining Bitrue Exchange, a trusted global trading platform.

Bitrue offers a user-friendly interface, competitive trading fees, and secure access to major crypto assets, including XLM and ZEC. Whether you’re looking to trade, stake, or diversify, Bitrue provides the tools you need to engage confidently in the market.

Conclusion

Stellar (XLM) may have temporarily lost its 14th place position to Zcash (ZEC), but this doesn’t signal a decline in its potential.

While Zcash thrives on the current wave of privacy enthusiasm, Stellar continues to focus on what it does best, creating real-world utility through cross-border payments, smart contracts, and financial inclusion.

As the market evolves, Stellar’s vision of connecting people, banks, and blockchain technology positions it for a strong comeback.

With ongoing developments in Soroban and partnerships in the fintech sector, Stellar remains one of the most resilient and purpose-driven projects in the crypto space.

If you haven’t yet, consider joining Bitrue Exchange to explore trading Stellar (XLM) and stay ahead of future market opportunities.

FAQ

What caused Stellar (XLM) to lose its 14th position to Zcash (ZEC)?

Zcash overtook Stellar due to a sharp increase in investor demand for privacy-focused cryptocurrencies, leading to a massive rise in its market cap.

What makes Stellar different from other cryptocurrencies?

Stellar focuses on fast, affordable cross-border transactions and uses the Stellar Consensus Protocol instead of energy-intensive mining or staking.

Can Stellar (XLM) regain its previous ranking?

Yes, with continued adoption of its Soroban smart contract platform and strategic partnerships, Stellar has strong potential to reclaim its position.

Is Stellar (XLM) a good long-term investment?

Stellar’s focus on real-world financial integration and blockchain scalability makes it a solid long-term project, though market volatility always applies.

Where can I trade Stellar (XLM) safely?

You can buy, sell, and trade Stellar (XLM) on trusted platforms like Bitrue Exchange, which offers secure transactions and user-friendly trading tools.

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Disclaimer: The content of this article does not constitute financial or investment advice.

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