Latest NEM (XEM) News Update

By CMC AI
19 February 2026 05:17AM (UTC+0)

What is the latest news on XEM?

TLDR

NEM's recent news reflects a mix of institutional progress and persistent market challenges. Here are the latest developments:

  1. Coincheck Acquires 3iQ (8 January 2026) – The exchange that suffered the 2018 NEM hack expands, indirectly spotlighting XEM's troubled history.

  2. Bitget Delists XEM Trading Pairs (12 December 2025) – Removal from a major exchange signals weak liquidity and reduced trading access.

  3. XEM Shows Volatile Price Moves (December 2025) – Social data highlights sharp daily swings, underscoring the token's speculative nature.

Deep Dive

1. Coincheck Acquires 3iQ (8 January 2026)

Overview: Nasdaq-listed Japanese exchange Coincheck Group agreed to acquire a 97% stake in Canadian digital asset manager 3iQ for $112 million. This strategic move aims to bridge the Japanese and North American regulated crypto markets. Notably, Coincheck is the same platform that survived a historic $530 million theft of NEM (XEM) tokens in January 2018.

What this means: This is neutral for NEM because it highlights the resilience and growth of an exchange once crippled by its hack, but it does not directly involve or benefit the XEM token or its ecosystem. The news serves as a reminder of the asset's past security vulnerabilities rather than signaling new utility or demand. (CoinMarketCap)

2. Bitget Delists XEM Trading Pairs (12 December 2025)

Overview: Bitget announced the delisting of 15 spot trading pairs, including XEM/USDT, effective 12 December 2025. The decision followed a periodic review citing factors like low trading volume, liquidity, and project development activity. Withdrawals for XEM remain open until 12 March 2026.

What this means: This is bearish for NEM as exchange delistings directly reduce liquidity and accessibility for traders, often reflecting a project's declining market relevance. It compounds existing concerns, such as those highlighted when Binance delisted XEM in June 2024, and may pressure the token's price further. (Bitget)

3. XEM Shows Volatile Price Moves (December 2025)

Overview: Social media data from December 2025 shows XEM experiencing significant daily price swings. On 16 December, it was among the top gainers in the smart contract category, rising 5.03%. Just days later on 21 December, it was among the biggest losers, falling 5.84%.

What this means: This is neutral to slightly bearish for NEM as it underscores the token's high volatility and speculative trading patterns, typical of assets with thin liquidity. While short-term pumps can occur, the lack of fundamental catalysts makes such moves unsustainable, increasing risk for holders. (WHISPR)

Conclusion

NEM's narrative is split between its legacy as the victim of a major exchange hack and its current struggle with dwindling exchange support and erratic price action. The key question now is whether any new development can reverse the trend of declining liquidity and reignite sustained interest in the XEM ecosystem.

What are people saying about XEM?

TLDR

Traders are noting XEM's sharp price swings while watching exchange exits chip away at its footing. Here’s what’s trending:

  1. Recent performance shows XEM as both a top gainer and loser in smart contract categories, highlighting its volatility.

  2. A major exchange is delisting the XEM/USDT pair, signaling eroding liquidity and institutional confidence.

  3. The project is cited as a textbook example of a "ghost chain," raising serious concerns about its long-term viability.

Deep Dive

1. @WhisprNews: Recent Volatility in Smart Contract Rankings mixed

"📈 Ganadores de hoy... NEM $XEM +5.03%... 📉 Perdedores de hoy... NEM $XEM -5.84%" – @WhisprNews (3.7K followers · 2025-12-16 & 2025-12-21) View original post What this means: This is neutral for XEM because it shows the token remains on traders' radar for short-term moves within its niche, but the extreme back-and-forth underscores its speculative nature and lack of stable momentum.

2. Bitget: Exchange Delists XEM/USDT Pair bearish

"Bitget will delist 15 spot trading pairs... XEM/USDT... on 12 December 2025." – Bitget Support (2025-12-05) View original post What this means: This is bearish for XEM because exchange delistings directly reduce liquidity and accessibility, often triggering sell-offs and reflecting a failure to meet the platform's standards for trading volume or project health.

3. Cointelegraph: Cited as a "Ghost Chain" Example bearish

"Binance delisted... NEM (XEM) in June 2024 due to low trading volume, weak liquidity, and limited development activity—symptoms of ghost chains." – Cointelegraph (2025-08-11) View original post What this means: This is bearish for XEM because the "ghost chain" label from a major publication severely damages investor perception, framing the project as abandoned and high-risk, which can accelerate capital outflow.

Conclusion

The consensus on XEM is bearish, framed by concerns over its fading exchange presence and its portrayal as an inactive project, despite acknowledging its potential for volatile pumps. Watch for further erosion in its 24-hour trading volume, currently at ~$1.2 million, as a critical indicator of remaining market interest.

What is the latest update in XEM’s codebase?

TLDR

The most recent NEM codebase update focuses on core network improvements and asset management.

  1. Testnet & Fee Tracking Additions (2 April 2025) – Introduced a new testnet and endpoints for clearer block reward and historical asset data.

  2. Expired Mosaic Tracking System (2 April 2025) – Added a node feature to monitor and report on expired digital assets within the network.

Deep Dive

1. Testnet & Fee Tracking Additions (2 April 2025)

Overview: This update provides developers with a new environment for testing and gives users clearer insight into transaction fees and historical asset supplies. It makes network data more transparent.

The release, tagged nis v0.6.102, added several new features to the node software. A new NEM testnet was introduced for safer development and experimentation. For everyday users and developers, new local endpoints were added to directly query the "beneficiary" (the account that earns fees) for any block and to check historical supplies of mosaics (digital assets). This improves transparency around how network rewards are distributed and how asset supplies have changed over time.

What this means: This is neutral for XEM because it represents essential maintenance and incremental improvement rather than a major new feature. The updates enhance network operability for developers and provide better tools for data analysis, which supports a more robust infrastructure. (NemProject)

2. Expired Mosaic Tracking System (2 April 2025)

Overview: This change improves how the network handles expired digital assets (mosaics), fixing a previous issue where balances could be incorrectly reset and providing better reporting.

The update implemented a new TRACK_EXPIRED_MOSAICS node feature. It fixes a bug where mosaic description changes could unintentionally zero out user balances before a specific network upgrade. Now, the system correctly differentiates between expired and restored mosaics and provides a dedicated endpoint (/local/mosaics/expired) for nodes to report on them. This ensures more accurate accounting of digital assets on the blockchain.

What this means: This is bullish for XEM because it strengthens the core protocol's reliability and security. By fixing a critical bug in asset management, it protects user balances and increases trust in the network's foundational code, which is crucial for any future ecosystem growth. (NemProject)

Conclusion

The latest codebase updates show focused work on network integrity and data transparency, though the most recent commit was nearly a year ago. How will developer activity evolve to support NEM's long-term ecosystem needs?

What is next on XEM’s roadmap?

TLDR

NEM's development trajectory lacks publicly available, specific upcoming milestones.

  1. Symbol Core Engine Integration (No Date) – The rebranded Catapult upgrade aims to improve speed, scalability, and smart contract functionality.

  2. Business Development & Ecosystem Growth (No Date) – Foundational plans focus on enterprise adoption and revenue-driven strategies.

  3. Value Proposition Clarification (No Date) – A dedicated team was to develop a clearer market strategy for the XEM token.

Deep Dive

1. Symbol Core Engine Integration (No Date)

Overview: The next major technical milestone is the full integration of Symbol, the rebranded version of the Catapult core engine. This upgrade is designed to be a plug-and-play blockchain for businesses, promising significant improvements in speed, scalability, and security. It introduces features like aggregated transactions and enhanced multisignature accounts. The NEM documentation presents this as the strategic future, but no specific release timeline is provided for developments beyond February 2026.

What this means: This is neutral for XEM because, while the technology promises substantial utility, the absence of a public timeline and recent development updates creates uncertainty. Successful delivery could renew developer interest, but delays or inactivity risk further marginalization in a competitive smart contract landscape.

2. Business Development & Ecosystem Growth (No Date)

Overview: Historical forum discussions from 2019 (NEM Forum) outline a shift to a product-focused, revenue-driven model. The NEM Foundation had designed verticals for business development, including target market strategies and partnership frameworks, with the intent to move from planning to execution.

What this means: This is bearish for XEM because these plans are several years old with no visible recent progress or results. The crypto ecosystem has evolved rapidly, and NEM's apparent lack of recent, high-profile partnerships or enterprise adoption suggests these initiatives may have stalled, contributing to its declining market position.

3. Value Proposition Clarification (No Date)

Overview: In response to community feedback, the former NEM Foundation President acknowledged the need for a clearer value proposition for the XEM token. Plans included forming a dedicated team to develop a marketplace strategy and go-to-market execution, intending to ramp up major communications around the time of Catapult's release.

What this means: This is bearish for XEM because the critical issue of token utility remains unresolved. Without a compelling use case or demand driver for XEM within its ecosystem, the token faces continuous sell pressure. The promised strategy has not materialized in a public, impactful way, leaving investors without a fundamental reason to hold.

Conclusion

NEM's publicly visible roadmap lacks concrete, dated milestones, with its most significant planned upgrade (Symbol) and ecosystem strategies appearing dormant. The project's future hinges on demonstrating renewed development activity and delivering a viable utility model for XEM. What recent developer commits or partnership announcements can be found to indicate current momentum?

CMC AI can make mistakes. Not financial advice.