- Jed McCaleb’s 2014 Ripple exit aligned with its banking pivot; Stellar focused on aid and retail blockchain solutions.
- Ripple partnered with Bank of America for CBDCs; Stellar aided UN humanitarian projects via tokenized assets.
Jed McCaleb, co-founder of Ripple, left the company in 2014 amid speculation about internal disagreements. Public discussions often framed his departure as a rift, but evidence suggests it aligned with Ripple’s broader strategy to advance institutional financial solutions.
McCaleb later founded Stellar, a blockchain platform initially perceived as a competitor. However, the two projects now operate in distinct yet complementary roles within global payment infrastructure.
Ripple’s focus after 2014 shifted toward partnerships with banks and payment providers, including institutions like Bank of America and SBI Holdings. Its XRP token became a tool for improving liquidity in cross-border transactions, particularly for central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilots.
Stellar, by contrast, prioritized accessibility for individuals and nonprofits, working with groups like the United Nations to distribute aid via blockchain and enabling low-cost stablecoin transfers for retail users.
McCaleb’s exit coincided with Ripple’s push into regulated financial systems, a move mirrored by Stellar’s parallel growth in grassroots applications. This timing suggests a coordinated division of focus rather than a split.
Ripple targeted large-scale banking upgrades, while Stellar addressed gaps in financial inclusion, such as humanitarian aid delivery and microtransactions. Both blockchains later adopted the ISO 20022 standard, a universal framework for payment data, reinforcing their roles in interconnected systems.
Strategic alliances further highlight this divide. Ripple deepened ties with traditional finance, collaborating on projects like the Digital Dollar Project. Stellar partnered with entities like Franklin Templeton to tokenize assets and with Ukraine’s government for wartime aid disbursements. These efforts reflect tailored approaches: Ripple streamlining institutional workflows, Stellar expanding access for underserved populations.
Industry analysts note that McCaleb’s departure allowed Ripple to consolidate its position in banking without diluting its mission. Meanwhile, Stellar’s emergence created a secondary channel for blockchain adoption, one less constrained by regulatory hurdles facing institutional partners. The two platforms now function as dual pillars in a shared vision for modernizing payments—one from the top down, the other from the ground up.
Stellar (XLM) is currently trading at $0.2895, experiencing a -0.44% daily loss, but showing solid +17.66% growth over the past week and +1.17% over the past month. Despite being down -12.76% year-to-date, XLM has posted an impressive +154.08% gain over the past year and +207.24% over the last 6 months, indicating a robust long-term uptrend.
Its market capitalization is around $8.94 billion, with a 24h trading volume of $201.17 million, and a circulating supply of 30.86 billion XLM.
Technically, XLM is showing strong buying interest, with the Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 71.5, indicating that it is approaching overbought conditions. Immediate resistance lies near $0.30, and a confirmed breakout above this psychological level could push the price toward $0.36–$0.40.
On the downside, key support zones are around $0.27–$0.26. The technical outlook remains neutral-to-bullish, and analysts suggest that XLM could be preparing for a larger breakout if momentum persists.
