Stellar To Release Protocol 20 Testnet Upgrade, Will XLM Rally?

• Stellar will release the testnet upgrade of Protocol 20, preparing for the mainnet activation of the Soroban smart contracts platform.
• The upgrade aims to release candidate versions of Stellar Core and Horizon, which are essential components of the Stellar blockchain network.
• Stellar Horizon simplifies interaction between applications and developers with the mainnet through APIs, making it easier to deploy applications.
• Validators will vote on integrating the tested upgrades into the mainnet once the stable version is released.
• Soroban is a smart contracts platform that integrates with the existing Stellar blockchain, offering features like multi-core scaling and an optimized fee model.
• The Stellar Development Foundation has introduced a $100 million Adoption Fund to incentivize Soroban adoption.
• XLM prices have been volatile but have shown an overall uptrend in the past three months.

The article provides positive information about Stellar's upcoming testnet upgrade, the Soroban smart contracts platform, and the $100 million Adoption Fund. However, it also mentions the recent price retracement of XLM.