The native token of Chainlink, LINK, experienced a 3.6% rebound on Friday, reaching $16.96, as institutional buyers approached key support levels. This resurgence follows robust trading activity, with over 3 million tokens exchanged during the morning session. Moreover, blockchain company Stellar has announced a significant integration with Chainlink’s suite of services, including the Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP), data feeds, and data streams.
Stellar’s Strategic Move into Real-World Assets and DeFi
Stellar’s decision to join the Chainlink Scale program represents a strategic leap for this payment-focused blockchain. The integration grants developers and institutions access to a proven infrastructure that currently secures over $100 billion in total value locked across DeFi protocols. The timing is particularly opportune, as Stellar announced impressive growth indicators for Q3 2025, reporting a $5.4 billion volume in risk-weighted assets.
The network also noted a 700% quarterly increase in smart contract calls and a 37% rise in full-time developers. These metrics reflect a thriving ecosystem eager for institutional-quality tools that bridge traditional finance and blockchain infrastructure.
With the CCIP integration from Chainlink, Stellar developers can now transfer assets across blockchains without the need to rewrite smart contracts, streamlining complex operations such as cross-chain lending and yield farming into singular atomic processes. Complementing this, data feeds and streams provide reliable real-time pricing information, essential for DeFi protocols managing substantial capital flows.
Geoffrey Kendrick of Standard Chartered recently forecasted a $2 trillion boom in DeFi tokenization by 2028, driven by the rising demand for tokenized equities, funds, and stablecoin-based money market products. Stellar’s adoption of Chainlink positions it to capture a share of this burgeoning trend, especially as Wall Street institutions increasingly explore tokenized assets.
Technical Outlook for LINK
The recent 3.6% rebound has pushed LINK above critical technical levels, although weakness during trading hours in the U.S. has brought the token back below $17. Traders are now monitoring support around $16.37, with short-term price targets set at $17.46 and $18.00.
Technical analysts suggest that LINK is emerging from an oversold configuration. The relative strength index (RSI) has recently shown signs of diminishing bearish momentum, while Bollinger Bands have positioned LINK near the lower band, indicating a potential reversal.
The 78% surge in trading volume during the breakout confirmed institutional participation, although short-term rebalancing has led to some profit-taking. Looking ahead, crypto analysts expect LINK to trade between $16.77 and $18.79 in November 2025, with a possible upturn toward $20 to $25 if buyers maintain momentum above significant resistance levels.
Stellar’s integration highlights that institutional adoption of Chainlink technology remains strong, despite recent price vulnerabilities. The continuation of LINK’s rebound will largely depend on broader cryptocurrency market sentiment and sustained institutional interest around current support zones.
John is a seasoned journalist at The Bothside News, specializing in balanced reporting across news, sports, business, and lifestyle. He believes in presenting multiple perspectives to help readers form informed opinions. His work embodies the publication’s philosophy that truth emerges from examining all sides of every story.
