Stellar’s remarkable performance this year is set to escalate further as it gears up for the Protocol 20 upgrade starting on December 11. This upgrade, initially hinted at last year, signifies significant progress in Stellar’s engineering efforts. It will introduce 12 new Core Advancement Proposals (CAPs), bringing long-awaited smart contract functionalities to the platform.
Smart contracts are pivotal in the evolution of blockchain systems, enabling Stellar to embrace DeFi and NFT innovations. The upgrade schedule includes releases for Stellar Core, Horizon, and Soroban RPC on December 11, paving the way for subsequent milestones leading to the public network’s final upgrade by January.
This isn’t Stellar’s first attempt at the Protocol 20 enhancement; it was previously implemented on the testnet in September. As Stellar strategically rebrands and strengthens its payment capabilities through major partnerships, the introduction of smart contracts positions it competitively within the industry.
This protocol upgrade may potentially contribute to XLM’s price surge, currently up by 47% year to date, though trailing behind XRP’s 83% increase.
