The Stellar network experienced its busiest day in the past month on October 23, processing an unprecedented 14.16 million transactions. According to on-chain analytics platform Chainspect, the network’s average transaction speed was recorded at 163.9 transactions per second (TPS). This marked a significant spike in activity, signaling robust demand for the network’s services.
Network Demand Sustained Despite Elevated Load
The surge in activity persisted into the following day, October 24, when transaction capacity reached new peaks of 224.6 TPS at certain intervals. This two-day period of heightened activity highlighted Stellar’s capability to handle substantial traffic without succumbing to the short-term spikes often witnessed in other blockchain networks.
Remarkably, Stellar managed to maintain its cost structure despite the increased load. While many major blockchains face congestion and rising transaction fees under similar conditions, Stellar’s average transaction fee remained steady at $0.00012. This was reminiscent of a similar event on October 11, when the network processed 12 million transactions and maintained a transaction speed of 139 TPS, yet avoided a rise in fees.
Stellar, during the October transaction surge, kept the average fee at $0.00012, demonstrating its ability to remain cost-effective under increased demand.
Recent Upgrades Bolster Network Capacity
The uptick in traffic can be attributed to recent technical upgrades. The introduction of Protocol 28, known as the Adapter upgrade in September, enabled developers to restructure mechanisms to boost transaction capacity. Following these modifications, a peak of 217.4 TPS was recorded over 100 blocks on September 26.
Infrastructure enhancements continued on October 14 with the deployment of Chainlink price feeds. Teams are now preparing for the imminent voting on Protocol 30, labeled as the Bell upgrade, anticipated in the coming days.
Stablecoin and RWA Transactions Drive Growth
October’s transaction peak coincided with a significant influx of capital into stablecoins and tokenized real-world asset (RWA) sectors. A report for the third quarter of 2025 indicated that Stellar’s total financial transaction volume rose by 71% quarter-over-quarter, reaching $33.2 billion.
During the same period, stablecoin transfer volume saw an impressive 121% increase, totaling $25.1 billion, with an annual growth rate of 314%. A notable contributor to this growth was the new asset USDT0, which achieved $200 million in transaction volume within ten weeks.
On the blockchain, the volume of RWA assets surged to $4.1 billion. This category’s major developments include the first automated renewable institutional repo transaction secured by U.S. Treasury bonds through USDM1 tokens.
In Q3 2025, Stellar’s total financial transaction volume reached $33.2 billion, while stablecoin transfer volume climbed to $25.1 billion.
Developer Growth and Platform Resilience
Stellar now ranks second globally among L1 networks in terms of active developers. L1 refers to a foundational blockchain layer operating on its primary chain. Currently, around four thousand experts work on Stellar’s platform infrastructure.
Despite the influx of new users, the network has maintained operational continuity. Stellar’s availability rate remained at 99.99%, with the total number of accounts surpassing 11 million. The recent record-setting transaction volume highlights the network’s capacity to handle high loads without escalating costs or disrupting services.
