Cryptocurrency is a digital currency, which operates independently of a central bank. At the moment, the market is incredibly competitive, with close to 1,800 different types of digital coin, all competing for a share of the market. Among these are the notable Bitcoin , which most people are familiar with; Ethereum, which showcases smart-contract features to help it stand out and Ripple, which was created with the intention of facilitating global payments. Within such a host of prestigious names, any cryptocurrency with aspirations of becoming successful needs something to make it a standout. Stellar Lumens (XLM), established in 2014, is an open-source protocol. It was designed by Jed McCaleb and Joyce Kim, with the purpose of offering an efficient protocol for money exchanges. This has become the unique feature of this cryptocurrency, helping it to experience an upsurge in price by the end of 2017. This is significant, especially considering how many other cryptocurrencies fell prey to dramatic drops in price, scams, and hacking cases. Coimarketcap places Stellar Lumens as one of its top 10 digital coins, coming in in eighth place, and with a huge potential to grow even more. What does open-source protocol mean? This particular aspect of Stellar Lumens means that the entire coin’s design actively takes part in the transaction process. The internal architecture comprises servers which can run software implementation of the protocol while simultaneously connecting with other XLM purchasers via the internet. This creates a value exchange network which can be accessed by all traders on a global scale. All these transactions are held on what’s known as a ‘ledger’. They take place through this network when all the servers come to an agreement to move a certain amount to a definite address from the ledger, known as a ‘consensus’, and happens regularly. This feature is one of many which helps this cryptocurrency stand out from the crowd. Furthermore, Stellar Lumens enjoys lucrative partnerships with mainstream companies; it allows traders to exchange money across borders for very low prices and incredibly quickly; and is listed on eToro Trading Platform, a community of over six million traders.