Stellar Ecosystem
News

Balanced, a cross-chain DeFi platform built on ICON, has launched on Optimism, its 5th Ethereum ecosystem chain. Users can now swap ETH and USDC for assets on other blockchains, transfer cross-chain, and borrow bnUSD using ETH as collateral. The platform leverages ICON's GMP for secure connections, including to Stellar.

A blog post exploring how programmable payments and blockchain technology could improve charitable aid distribution by reducing inefficiencies and human fallibility in philanthropy. The author argues that using Stellar's infrastructure for conditional, automated payments could enable more direct and traceable delivery of disaster relief and social programs.

Balanced, a cross-chain DeFi app on ICON, has integrated Solana as its 11th blockchain connection, enabling users to swap SOL, transfer assets cross-chain, use SOL and JitoSOL as collateral to borrow bnUSD, and supply liquidity on ICON. This expands Balanced's reach to Solana's 5 million daily active users with audited smart contracts and low fees. The integration leverages ICON's GMP protocol, which also connects to Stellar and other chains.

Balanced, a cross-chain DeFi app, has launched on the Stellar blockchain, enabling users to swap XLM for assets on other chains, use it as collateral to borrow bnUSD stablecoin, and transfer to ICON for liquidity provision. The integration includes a Stellar Community Fund grant, audited smart contracts, and fast, low-cost transactions. It leverages ICON's GMP for seamless interoperability.

Stellar's DeFi ecosystem reached a record $61 million TVL on November 24, more than 150% above its mid-November peak, driven by surging XLM prices and growth across DEXs like Aquarius, LumenSwap, and Soroswap, plus the lending protocol Blend.

A detailed recap of Meridian 2024's Dev Underground stage in London, where 80+ Stellar Community Fund winners pitched their projects over two days in a casual, collaborative environment. The article highlights standout projects, community collaborations, and the vibrant energy of builders across the Stellar ecosystem.

USDx stablecoin from FxDAO protocol is now live on Soroswap Finance, the first DEX on Soroban Blockchain, with a $190,000 TVL liquidity pool for the XLM/USDx pair. Users can issue USDx by locking Lumens as collateral in FxDAO vaults for liquidity without selling assets. The article guides on acquiring, swapping, and providing liquidity for USDx on Soroswap.

This guide explains how Ghanaian users can withdraw stablecoins like USDC and USDT from Binance to Ghanaian Cedi via mobile money or bank accounts using Bingtellar. Bingtellar is a web3 payments platform that supports Stellar, Solana, and BEP20 networks for seamless conversions. It offers speed, convenience, security, and fair rates as key benefits.

This article explains USDT and USDC stablecoins, their features, blockchains, use in payments, comparisons, stability issues, and alternatives. USDC is highlighted on Stellar among other chains, while USDT supports a broader range. Both are key for stable crypto transactions despite past depegging events.

Hana Wallet now integrates Soroswap, allowing users to easily swap Stellar tokens like XLM and USDC directly from their mobile devices. The article provides a step-by-step guide to installing Hana Wallet, setting it up for the Stellar network, and accessing Soroswap via the app's DApps directory. This enhances decentralized finance accessibility on the Soroban ecosystem without KYC requirements.

COCA Wallet's Q3 2024 recap highlights explosive growth with over 138,000 users, 600,000 wallets, and €750,000 in transaction volume. Key launches include physical debit cards, Revolut Pay and Stellar blockchain integrations for USDC/USDT top-ups, BASE chain support, and the world's first Solana-enabled MPC wallet. Community initiatives like the COCA Points program and meme competition drove strong engagement.

Blockaid has integrated its Onchain Detection and Response (ODR) security technology into Stellar's Lobstr and Freighter wallets, providing real-time threat monitoring and malicious transaction detection. This partnership marks the first deployment of Blockaid's Web3 security features on the Stellar blockchain.

Stellar Development Foundation integrated Mastercard's Crypto Credential solution into its blockchain network to enable secure, compliant crypto wallet use cases. The move reflects growing momentum in stablecoin payments, with Stripe, Ripple, and other platforms expanding digital asset adoption across merchants and institutions globally.

Etherfuse, a real-world asset tokenization platform, announced it will join the Stellar network in 2025, bringing its Stablebonds product to the ecosystem. Stablebonds function as on-chain savings accounts backed by government bonds, offering inflation-resistant returns.

Stellar DEX offers zero-fee trading, providing a significant edge for strategies like scalping and arbitrage by eliminating percentage-based costs that erode profits on other exchanges. Minimal network fees of 0.0001 XLM ensure negligible impact, while AMMs enhance liquidity on key pairs like XLM/USDC. The article highlights pros, cons, and tools like Chartui to maximize trading potential.

AUDC, a Novatti Group fintech company, has issued AUDD, an Australian dollar-backed stablecoin on the Stellar network, to solve cross-border payment liquidity challenges for financial institutions. By leveraging Stellar's DEX and a companion asset (AUDR) for on-demand minting, AUDD enables faster, cheaper, and more efficient global transactions.

Velo Labs integrates OpenEden's tokenized U.S. Treasury bills as reserve collateral for USDV stablecoin, expanding its Real World Assets aggregation mission and enabling yield generation for token holders through institutional-grade assets.

ClickPesa has launched the ClickPesa Debt Fund, a DeFi lending facility built on Stellar and powered by Soroban smart contracts, designed to provide financing to SMEs and women-owned businesses across Africa. The fund's SME I Pool uses Script3's Blend protocol and offers up to 12% annual interest with quarterly repayments, backed by ClickPesa Collateral Tokens (CPCT) pegged to real microfinance loan books.

CEX.io has integrated MoneyGram and Stellar to enable users to convert USDC to physical cash and vice versa at participating MoneyGram locations across the EEA, Africa, LATAM, and select European countries.

The article explores the rising potential of non-USD stablecoins in DeFi, highlighting their role in global financial inclusion and cross-border payments. It discusses EVM-compatible chains and projects like Spacewalk, which bridges Polkadot and Stellar ecosystems, alongside Vortex for fiat conversions. These innovations promise efficient on-chain FX markets and reduced reliance on traditional systems.

This article showcases real-world impact stories from the Stellar ecosystem, highlighting how stablecoins and blockchain technology are enabling financial inclusion in emerging markets. It features projects like Decaf, MoneyGram Access, Félix, Bitso, Vibrant Wallet, and ClickPesa that are bringing payments, remittances, and microfinancing to unbanked and underbanked populations globally.

The article explores bridging traditional banking and crypto payments through seamless crypto-fiat integration, highlighting platforms like Polkadot and Stellar. It discusses stablecoins, cross-border transactions, and benefits for individuals, merchants, and businesses. The piece promotes Pendulum, a Polkadot-based solution for fiat-DeFi connectivity.

The Stellar Development Foundation participated in the Point Zero Forum, where Chief Legal and Policy Officer Candace Kelly moderated a compliance panel and spoke about the Stellar network's role in humanitarian aid. The discussion highlighted regulatory challenges, the EU's MiCA regulation, and real-world applications including UNHCR's use of Stellar for aid disbursement in Ukraine and Latin America.

Soroswap.Finance, the first DEX on the Soroban Blockchain in the Stellar ecosystem, announces the listing of $NGNC, a Naira-pegged stablecoin natively supported on Stellar. This enhances liquidity, FX utility, and cross-border payments for Nigerian users. Users can trade, add liquidity, and swap NGNC with assets like XLM, BTC, ETH, and USDC.

Soroswap.Finance, a DeFi protocol on the Soroban blockchain, has received a $50,000 USD liquidity award in XLM from the Stellar Development Foundation. The funds were added to the XLM-USDC pool via a Liquidity Timelock Contract locking tokens until August 5, 2025. This milestone enhances liquidity, security, and user trust in the Stellar ecosystem.