The Stellar blockchain, originally designed for payments, is undergoing a major transformation to integrate smart contracts. This upgrade aims to attract new applications and a wider user base, while also driving demand for the XLM token. Stellar is competing with Ethereum in the smart contract space, with the support of the Soroban project for integration. However, Stellar faces challenges due to differences in scale and competition from existing solutions. The platform also needs to address the issue of state bloat, where blockchains accumulate unnecessary data. Despite these challenges, Stellar plans to launch the Soroban project on its main network by the end of the year, marking a significant milestone in its development.