XDC Network just made one of its biggest institutional moves yet, and it could redefine how traditional banks interact with blockchain.
The project’s investment arm, XDC Ventures, has officially acquired Contour Network, a former Hyperledger Fabric-based trade finance platform once backed by major banks like HSBC, Citi, DBS, and Standard Chartered.
Contour was originally launched as a global trade finance network but shut down due to lack of funding. Now, XDC is bringing it back to life, and this time, with a purpose that fits perfectly into the blockchain era.
According to both the official XDC announcement and analyst Tokenicer, Contour will be transformed into a Stablecoin Lab, built to power real-world banking use cases.
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The new lab will focus on regulated pilots with banks and corporations, tackling areas like letter-of-credit settlement, treasury management, and cross-border payments. It will integrate directly with Circle’s USDC, enabling programmable, near real-time transactions on-chain, a massive leap forward for trade finance.
Contour – Built on Corda 👍👍 pic.twitter.com/ZwZRtxmEvP
— Control_Alt_BTC (@Control_Alt_BTC) October 22, 2025
Why This Matters for XDC
This move puts XDC in a completely different league. The network has already earned a reputation as a leader in tokenized trade finance and real-world asset settlement, but acquiring Contour takes things a step further.
It bridges the gap between blockchain and the global banking system, something few Layer-1s have achieved.
If these pilots succeed, banks could begin settling multi-billion-dollar trade flows directly on XDC’s rails, using USDC as the settlement medium. That would not only boost on-chain liquidity but also solidify XDC’s role as the de facto blockchain for institutional finance.
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What It Could Mean for XDC Network Price
At writing, XDC trades around $0.06161, still far below its 2021 highs. But if this Contour transformation evolves into a genuine banking gateway, the upside potential grows exponentially.
A successful rollout with early pilots from names like HSBC or Citi could drive XDC price toward its previous range above $0.15, and, in a broader bull market, possibly revisit the $0.25–$0.30 zone seen during peak institutional narratives.
For now, the market seems to be just waking up to what this means. The acquisition marks more than just a partnership; it’s an integration of legacy finance and blockchain, powered by one of the few networks already operating in regulated trade environments.
If Contour truly becomes the bridge between banks and blockchain, XDC might not just be another Layer-1 project; it could become the foundation of the next global financial infrastructure.
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