Should You Buy Stellar in 2025?

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At HelloSafe, our expert has been closely monitoring the performance of the Stellar cryptocurrency for over three years. Each month, thousands of users across New Zealand trust us to analyse market trends and identify the best investment opportunities. Our analyses are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute investment advice. In line with our ethical charter, HelloSafe has never purchased Stellar nor received any compensation from entities associated with its ecosystem.

Stellar at a Glance

How much does 1 Stellar cost?

The price of Stellar is up this week. As of today, Stellar (XLM) is trading at approximately $0.27 USD, which is about $0.44 NZD, showing a 1.2% rise over the past 24 hours and a mixed performance across the last 7 days.

Its market capitalisation stands at around $14 billion NZD, putting Stellar at 30th among global cryptocurrencies by market cap, with an average daily volume near $288 million NZD over the past three months.

There are currently 31.19 billion XLM in circulation, representing about 0.35% of the total crypto market.

With a history of short-term volatility and long-term opportunities, Stellar continues to attract interest from NZ investors looking for both growth and diversification.

Our comprehensive review of the Stellar cryptocurrency

Does Stellar still have what it takes to reclaim a leadership position in the ever-evolving blockchain payments sector? After analysing Stellar’s latest trends—spanning on-chain indicators, technical signals, broader market data, and a deep dive into its competitive positioning—our proprietary algorithms reveal some thought-provoking conclusions. So, why might Stellar in 2025 once again emerge as a strategic entry point within the rapidly expanding cross-border payments and decentralised finance ecosystem?

Recent Performance and Market Context

Price Trajectory Over the Past Three Years

Stellar (XLM) has experienced an eventful three-year period, marked by strong rallies and pronounced corrections. Following a 2021 bull cycle, the price plateaued through 2022-2023 and surged to $0.64 in November 2024 before retracing to current levels around $0.2655 as of June 2025. This gives Stellar a year-on-year retracement of over 55% from its recent peak, largely in line with sectoral crypto corrections.

The current market cap stands robustly at $8.2–8.3 billion USD, with daily trading volumes holding in the $118–255M range—a figure confirming both substantial liquidity and a deep investor base.

Positive Recent Events

Stellar’s 2024 and early 2025 newsflow is dominated by high-level partnerships (e.g., Mastercard, Paxos, Ondo, Etherfuse, and SG Forge), a transformative collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and technical integrations with leading blockchain analytics platforms (Nansen, Dune, Artemis). The 2024 Protocol 22 release delivered both scalability and privacy improvements, while Smart Contract integration (via Soroban) unleashed a surge in ecosystem activity: over 1 million smart contract transactions and a 640% TVL jump (now $52M) in Q4 2024 alone.

Macro and Sectoral Tailwinds

• Continued institutional adoption of tokenised real-world assets (RWA), with over $3B in new Stellar RWA integrations expected for 2025
• Increased regulatory clarity and constructive engagement between blockchain foundations and national authorities (notably the Wyoming Stable Coin initiative)
• Growing demand for efficient, low-fee cross-border settlement amidst globalised commerce

Collectively, these dynamics suggest Stellar is benefiting from cycles of consolidation, now emerging with heightened potential as legacy financial entities embrace blockchain rails.

Technical Analysis

On-Chain and Market Indicators

• RSI (14D): Oscillating between 41.75–58.02, indicating neutral-to-bullish momentum, with potential upside if breached above 60.
• MACD (12,26,9): Slightly positive (> -0.01 to 0.001), flashing an early bullish crossover.
• Williams %R / CCI: Both giving clear buy signals (Williams %R: -73.53; CCI: -106.48).

Mixed signals arise from moving averages, as price currently sits below all major SMA levels (20 / 50 / 100 / 200 days), but this also creates the groundwork for a “mean reversion” scenario should buying pressure accelerate.

Support and Resistance

• Solid Support: $0.25–$0.26—key buy zones tested multiple times in recent weeks.
• Immediate Resistance: $0.27–$0.28—with a breakout potentially catalysing a medium-term reversal.

Momentum Outlook

• Short-Term: Oscillators and volume suggest waning bear momentum; a coiled spring scenario may be building.
• Medium-Term: Structural signals, combined with improving fundamentals, point toward an environment conducive to upside volatility once above $0.28.

Fundamental Analysis

Ecosystem Growth and Strategic Partnerships

• Transactional Performance: 18 billion operations processed and $32B in 2024 payments showcase immense network throughput.
• Ecosystem Expansion: Over 500 new developers in 2024; ecosystem now ranks 9th for speed of growth globally (Electric Capital).
• Smart Contracts/DeFi: TVL on Soroban surged to $52M—a +640% leap—underscoring powerful traction in DeFi.
• Partnerships: Integration with global leaders (Mastercard, UNDP, Paxos, MoneyGram) directly targets real-world utility and mainstream adoption channels.

Attractive Relative Valuation and Structure

• Market Capitalisation: At $8.2–8.3B, Stellar remains in the upper echelons of crypto market caps, yet still with considerable room to catch up to direct competitors if major network catalysts bear out.
• Circulating Supply: 31.19B XLM out of a max 50B—transparent, with inflation now moderate and capped.
• Fee Model: Minuscule network fees ($126k total in 2024) favour broad adoption by cost-sensitive institutions.

Liquidity and Market Position

• Trading Volume: Sustained at $118M–$255M daily, ensuring efficient price discovery and liquidity for all investor types.
• Dominance: Stellar continues to defend its status as one of the top 30 digital assets by market cap, consistently attracting high-profile global interest.

Positive Catalysts and Forward-Looking Perspectives

• Major Protocol Upgrades: Protocol 22’s privacy/scalability boost, and further Soroban enhancements, favour ecosystem stickiness and new developer onboarding.
• New Use Cases: Integration of $3B in RWA, steady DeFi/NFT growth, and increasingly mainstream cross-border payments workflows.
• Favourable Regulatory Trends: Constructive signals from global regulators and engagement in pioneering stablecoin pilots (e.g., Wyoming Stable Coin).
• Institutional Tailwinds: Collaborative projects with UNDP and multilateral agencies anchor Stellar as a trusted partner in global digital asset adoption.

Investment Strategies: Entry Points Across Horizons

Short-Term

• Argument: Current base-building above $0.25, combined with strengthening technical oscillators, suggests opportunistic entry ahead of potential technical breakouts.
• Strategy: Positioning near support, while monitoring $0.28 as a short-term breakout target, may capture early-stage momentum.

Medium-Term

• Argument: Ongoing adoption and visible pipeline of protocol upgrades support a “buy the dip and ride the trend” strategy.
• Strategy: Partial accumulation on further consolidations, with an eye on pre- or post-announcement surges around protocol developments.

Long-Term

• Argument: Stellar’s compelling fundamentals—scalable infrastructure, Tier-1 partnerships, and relentless ecosystem growth—justify a core portfolio allocation for those seeking next-generation payments rail exposure.
• Strategy: Incremental buys on technical retracements, using dollar-cost averaging to absorb volatility and align with multi-year upside scenarios.

Stellar Price Projection Table

Is Now the Right Time to Consider Stellar?

Stellar’s return to growth territory is underpinned by a rare combination of positive technical momentum, strong ecosystem expansion, and increasingly valuable real-world use cases. The network’s ability to scale, strike transformative global partnerships, and anchor itself as a foundational payments protocol all support renewed interest at current levels. With a sharply rebounding DeFi presence, improving regulatory clarity, and sustained developer engagement, Stellar seems to represent an excellent opportunity for forward-looking investors seeking asymmetric upside in the digital payments and DeFi space.

While high volatility remains an inherent feature, the setup for 2025 and beyond appears structurally bullish. The next key technical thresholds are $0.25 as immediate support and $0.28 as near-term resistance. Looking ahead, powerful drivers such as new protocol upgrades and major ecosystem integrations could well propel Stellar into a decisive new growth phase.

Stellar remains a high-volatility cryptocurrency offering strong dynamic investment opportunities, where risk management remains essential. The recent pace of price acceleration highlights Stellar’s capacity for swift, substantial market moves. As the macro context evolves, selectivity and vigilance are warranted—and, as always, investors should watch for technical inflection points and major protocol announcements as catalysts for the next upward move in Stellar.

How to buy Stellar?

It’s straightforward and secure to buy the cryptocurrency Stellar (XLM) online via a regulated platform in New Zealand. As a retail investor, you can choose between two main approaches: buying Stellar directly at the spot price (owning the coins in your wallet), or trading Stellar through CFDs (Contracts for Difference) to speculate on its price without owning the underlying asset. Each method has its own advantages, risks, and costs. To help you find the solution best suited to your needs, you’ll find a detailed comparison of leading platforms further down the page.

Spot Purchase

Buying Stellar “at spot” means you purchase real XLM coins, which are held in your platform account or withdrawn to your personal crypto wallet. You own the actual asset and can transfer, hold, or sell the coins at your convenience. Most New Zealand crypto platforms charge a fixed commission per transaction, commonly around 0.10% to 1%, and possibly a small NZD withdrawal fee.

Example

Suppose Stellar trades at $0.27 USD per coin (approx. $0.45 NZD). With an investment of $1,000 NZD, you can buy roughly 2,220 XLM coins (assuming a $5 NZD transaction fee).

Gain scenario

If Stellar’s price rises by 10%, your investment now equals $1,100 NZD.
Result: $100 NZD gross gain, a +10% return on your initial investment.

Trading via CFD

CFD trading lets you speculate on Stellar’s price movement without actually owning XLM tokens. You open a position reflecting Stellar’s price and can use leverage. CFDs generally incur a “spread” (the difference between buy and sell price) and a possible overnight funding fee if the position is held beyond one day.

Example

You open a CFD position on Stellar with $1,000 NZD margin, using 5x leverage. This gives you $5,000 NZD market exposure.

Gain scenario

If Stellar gains 8%, your position rises by 8% × 5 = 40%.
Result: $400 NZD gain on your $1,000 NZD margin (excluding fees or overnight costs).

Final Advice

Before investing, it’s essential to compare the fees, security, and conditions of available trading platforms, as these can impact your potential returns. Each method—spot buying or CFD trading—suits different profiles and goals: spot is for those seeking long-term ownership, CFDs for active traders comfortable with leverage and short-term price movements. You’ll find a platform comparison lower on this page to help you make an informed choice tailored to your experience and objectives.

Our 7 tips for buying Stellar

The latest news about Stellar

Stellar’s real-world assets ecosystem expanded significantly through strategic partnerships, reinforcing resilience and global reach.
Over the past week, Stellar formalised collaborations with institutions such as Paxos, Ondo, Etherfuse and SG Forge, supporting the tokenisation of $3 billion in real-world assets. This expansion, while global, improves Stellar’s capacity to underpin cross-border transactions—a domain highly relevant for a New Zealand audience, given Aotearoa's open economy and transnational financial flows. These partnerships add credibility and adoption momentum to the Stellar blockchain, which could influence how Kiwis and local fintechs consider DeFi integration or stablecoin use for remittance and trade.

Stellar’s technical indicators show neutral to slightly bullish momentum, with positive signals from oscillators and steady market activity.
XLM’s 7-day price movement shows mixed trends, but the MACD (12,26,9) and RSI (14 days) have returned to the “buy” zone on most trading timeframes. Trading volume remains robust, ranging between $118M and $255M USD daily, and the sentiment among technical analysts has shifted to neutral-to-positive, highlighting stabilization after earlier drawdowns. For New Zealand investors active on international exchanges like Binance and Coinbase (which both list XLM), these technical signs offer potential entry points with moderate upside, especially given the analyst price target of $0.345—a 30% gain over current levels.

Institutional adoption momentum rises as Stellar advances blockchain analytics and smart contracts infrastructure.
Recently, Stellar’s integration with prominent analytics platforms Nansen, Dune and Artemis has boosted transparency and data accessibility for institutional and retail market participants. The launch of the Soroban smart contracts platform saw a 640% growth in total value locked and over one million smart contract transactions. For New Zealand’s tech and crypto entrepreneurs, this infrastructure maturity is crucial—it lowers the entry barrier for deploying new financial applications, increases transparency, and potentially accelerates the development of NZ-localised fintech or digital asset projects on Stellar.

Stellar’s regulatory alignment and transparent fee mechanics support compliance and risk management for Kiwi investors and businesses.
New Zealand-based traders benefit from the clear tax treatment of cryptoassets, as XLM gains or losses are classified as capital gains for most Kiwis, mirroring mainstream international practice. Combined with Stellar’s network processing $32 billion in payments in 2024 with under $130,000 in total fees, the platform’s transparency and low operational cost profile are positive attributes for compliance-focused institutions or cross-border remittance providers in Aotearoa, who seek both cost advantages and regulatory clarity.

Global blockchain leadership reinforces Stellar’s profile as a premier payments solution with surging developer and ecosystem growth.
In 2024, Stellar ranked as the 9th fastest-growing blockchain ecosystem according to Electric Capital, with over 500 new developers joining and over 147 million payments processed in Q1 2025 alone. This pace of fundamental innovation signals long-term viability and relevance for Kiwi investors or enterprises looking to integrate global-standard blockchain payment rails, either for local applications or to expand New Zealand’s reach in Asia-Pacific and beyond.

FAQ

P. Laurore

Finance expert

Co-founder of HelloSafe and holder of a Master's degree in finance, Pauline has recognised expertise in personal finance, which she uses to help users better understand and optimise their financial choices. At HelloSafe, Pauline plays a key role in designing clear, educational content on savings, investments and personal finance. Passionate about financial education, Pauline strives, with every piece of content she oversees, to provide reliable, transparent and unbiased information for independent and informed financial management. To this end, she has tested over 100 trading platforms to help internet users make the right choices.

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