XDC Network February 2026 Update: Cancun Upgrade, USDC Expansion, BitGo Custody, Trade Finance Growth
Major XDC Network Upgrade & Institutional Adoption | February 2026 XDC Pulse
February 2026 marked another milestone month for the XDC Network, with progress across protocol development, institutional infrastructure, ecosystem expansion, and global engagement. From a major network upgrade to growing institutional integrations and increasing participation in global financial forums, the ecosystem continues to advance its vision of building blockchain infrastructure for real-world finance.
A major technical milestone for the network was the successful activation of XDC Network v2.6.8, known as the Cancun upgrade, at Block 98,800,200. The upgrade aligned XDC with Ethereum Cancun standards and introduced EIP-1559 on mainnet, alongside improvements in EVM efficiency, stronger consensus performance, enhanced RPC stability, and compatibility with Solidity v0.8.28. All nodes successfully completed the mandatory upgrade and are now fully synchronized with the network, maintaining consensus following the hard fork activation. This upgrade further strengthens XDC’s focus on production-grade infrastructure designed for trade finance, real-world asset tokenization, cross-border payments, and scalable decentralized applications.
Ecosystem development also continued to expand with the opening of applications for Cohort 3 of the XDC RWA Accelerator, focused on strengthening the DeFi ecosystem on the XDC Network. The program targets teams building decentralized exchanges, lending platforms, liquidity and derivatives products, as well as essential infrastructure such as bridges, fiat on-ramps, oracles, and wallets. Selected participants receive direct technical support from the XDC Network and XDC Foundation, along with access to Plug and Play’s global corporate and investor network.
Within the accelerator ecosystem, Raze Finance was officially welcomed into the XDC ecosystem. Emerging from the XDC RWA Accelerator, Raze is developing institutional-grade, real-world-asset-backed vaults on XDC designed to support USDC liquidity while enabling underserved small and medium-sized enterprises to access capital.
Institutional infrastructure also strengthened this month as XDC secured regulated custody support through BitGo Bank & Trust’s MPC framework, enabling compliant custody services for both XDC and USDC. This development reinforces XDC’s readiness for institutional capital deployment by meeting the security, compliance, and operational standards required by financial institutions entering the digital asset space.
Trade finance adoption continued to gain momentum as Contour joined the XDC ecosystem and welcomed Rahul Bhargava as Interim COO. Under his leadership, the organization continues its mission to deliver scalable, compliant, real-time digital Letters of Credit and settlement infrastructure powered by XDC rails, further advancing blockchain-based solutions within global trade finance.
XDC Network also signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding with Murundi Group, focusing on blockchain-powered supply chain traceability and digital trade documentation across the India–Australia corridor. The initiative will initially focus on rice and coffee trade flows, with a framework designed to scale globally and support broader digital trade transformation.
Australia remained a key region for infrastructure expansion. Following the integration of AUDD, the Australian Digital Dollar, on the XDC Network, enterprises can now move value between AUD and USD with deep liquidity, low slippage, and near-instant settlement. To further strengthen liquidity infrastructure, XDC also launched an AUDD–USDC liquidity pool on Curve Finance, supporting settlement across Australia–US and broader APAC trade corridors.
USDC accessibility across the ecosystem expanded further as Alchemy Pay added fiat on-ramp support, allowing users to purchase USDC using more than 50 fiat currencies via Visa, Mastercard, and local payment rails. Additionally, Encryptus Global launched a dedicated USDC initiative, enabling companies and high-net-worth individuals to access liquidity on XDC with improved efficiency, lower costs, and faster settlement speeds.
Exchange accessibility also grew as Kraken enabled USDC deposits and withdrawals on XDC with zero withdrawal fees, while introducing a new USD margin trading pair for XDC, expanding market liquidity and accessibility for traders.
Community engagement continued to expand globally, with Coinone launching an XDC engagement campaign in Korea through the XDC Engagement Hub, a quest-based on-chain rewards platform designed to drive participation and ecosystem activity. The campaign saw strong engagement from the community, with participants completing tasks and earning rewards for their involvement.
The XDC Network also received increased media exposure as Co-Founders Atul Khekade and Ritesh Kakkad were featured on Bloomberg, highlighting the growing institutional relevance of blockchain infrastructure. Atul discussed the transition of mortgages, salaries, and everyday payments onto blockchain rails, while Ritesh explored institutional use cases including stablecoins, real-world asset tokenization, ETFs, regulatory clarity, and cross-border settlement. Their insights underscored how blockchain is steadily evolving into critical infrastructure for modern global finance.
Global engagement remained strong throughout February as the XDC team participated in several major financial and blockchain events. The team joined the Broadridge and Digital Chamber session in New York, where discussions focused on the State of Digital Assets in 2026 and how blockchain can support traditional financial institutions through improved liquidity, faster settlement, and reduced operational risk.
The network also participated in the Fund Finance Symposium in Miami, engaging with financial leaders exploring how digital infrastructure can modernize funding structures, settlement processes, and operational efficiency within financial markets.
At Bitcoin Investor Week 2026 in New York, the XDC team connected with investors, builders, and market participants shaping the next wave of digital asset adoption and capital markets innovation.
The network also maintained a strong presence at GTR MENA 2026 in the UAE, where the team engaged with banks, financial institutions, corporates, and trade leaders to discuss digital trade transformation and blockchain-powered infrastructure. Conversations emphasized the growing need for transparent, efficient, and scalable settlement solutions across global trade corridors.
In Australia, XDC Network participated in Emergence 2026, engaging with the local investment ecosystem alongside ecosystem partner AUDD, the Australian Digital Dollar. Discussions highlighted strong momentum toward the commercialization of tokenization and a growing appetite for blockchain-based settlement infrastructure across the region.
XDC also hosted a private luncheon during Consensus 2026 Hong Kong, bringing together institutional investors and capital partners. During the gathering, Atul Khekade shared insights into XDC’s evolving Layer-1 strategy, with a focus on strengthening the institutional masternode ecosystem and expanding enterprise-grade participation.
The month concluded with XDC Network returning to the RWA & Stablecoin London Summit 2026, reinforcing its commitment to advancing real-world asset adoption and institutional blockchain use cases. Alongside the summit, the XDC RWA Executive Luncheon at the House of Lords continued high-level dialogue around compliant real-world asset frameworks and the future of institutional blockchain adoption. These engagements further emphasized XDC’s role in building the settlement layer for the next generation of tokenized finance.
Looking ahead to March, the XDC team will continue its global engagement across key industry events, including the Web3 Banking Symposium in Zurich, the 24th NextGen Payments and RegTech Forum in Switzerland, Smart Summit 2026 in Brazil, and the Digital Asset Summit in New York.
That concludes the February 2026 edition of XDC Pulse, where we highlight key ecosystem updates each month. If you are building on XDC and would like to be featured, please reach out to the XDC team. As episodes are recorded in advance, some updates may appear in the following edition. Stay connected, and stay on-chain.
Watch the XDC Pulse February 2026 on youtube:
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Disclaimer: The XDC Pulse is designed to highlight key ecosystem updates each month. If you’re building on XDC and would like to be featured please reach out to the XDC team. As episodes are recorded in advance, some updates may appear in the following edition.
Note: Nothing in this video is investment advice. It is intended for educational and informational purposes only.
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