DeFi, payments, tokenization, Soroban, governance, and project launches — curated daily from publications, project blogs, and community channels across the Stellar blockchain ecosystem.
MoneyGram International has launched MoneyGram Ramps, a cash-to-crypto on and off-ramp service powered by the Stellar blockchain and USDC stablecoin. The service enables unbanked and underbanked populations to convert physical cash to digital assets at MoneyGram's 480,000+ locations worldwide, addressing the critical last-mile problem in blockchain adoption.
This article explains the role of lumens (XLM), Stellar's native token, in the network's design. Lumens serve as a modest barrier to prevent spam and abuse while keeping the network accessible, with a minimum balance requirement of 1 lumen and transaction fees of 0.00001 XLM.
Vesseo is a wallet app built on Stellar by Sunship, Inc. (an SDF subsidiary) that enables Argentines to quickly and cheaply purchase and hold USDC to protect against peso devaluation. The app leverages Stellar's fast settlement, low fees, and asset issuance capabilities to provide a simple alternative to traditional dollar-holding methods.
This article explains what anchors are on the Stellar network—organizations that bridge traditional banking systems to Stellar, enabling users to exchange fiat currency for digital assets. It covers anchor types, benefits, and how to become one through the Anchor Platform.
The Stellar Newsletter highlights upcoming events like Meridian 2023 in Madrid with Idris Elba, MoneyGram's USDC case study on Stellar, and Coinbase's integration with USDC on the network. It covers improvements to the Anchor Directory, wallet on/off-ramp integrations, Soroban infrastructure projects, and a new Soroban security bug bounty. Developer updates include proposed transaction changes and SCF submission best practices.
Beans is running a video contest offering $50 rewards for the 3 best videos showcasing how users are utilizing the Beans app and MoneyGram cash on/off-ramp functionality for real-world use cases like remittances and bill payments.
Argentina's economic instability and poor official exchange rates drive citizens to seek better alternatives for currency exchange. Beans, a non-custodial wallet on the Stellar blockchain, uses stablecoins like USDC to enable tax-free, market-rate conversions between USD and ARS, often surpassing the blue dollar rate. This allows faster, cheaper cross-border transfers with added features like free transactions and interest-bearing savings.
Source of Tales releases early access for Windows, Linux, and Android, featuring Stellar wallet login via Albedo. Funded by Stellar Community Fund #10 grant from Stellar Development Foundation, it implements blockchain-based authentication using a custom Mana Stellar Bridge. Further Stellar integrations for character data storage are planned.
The Stellar Newsletter highlights Q1 achievements including Franklin Templeton's OnChain Fund surpassing $270M AUM on Stellar blockchain, SDF's strategic progress, and new board member Asiff Hirji. It covers partnerships like Arf, Cebuana Lhuillier, and blockchain remittances, plus Soroban smart contracts developments and community spotlights. Upcoming Meridian 2023 in Madrid is announced.
FxDAO shares its April 2023 monthly update on building the first legally incorporated DAO on the Stellar Soroban network. They've developed a protocol compatible with Soroban preview 8, deployed webapps on Futurenet for vault management, and are progressing toward legal incorporation within 30-60 days. Future updates will cover ongoing protocol development and DAO setup.
AMA recap with MYKOBO CEO Seyi Akin-Olugbemi, issuer of the EURC Euro stablecoin on Stellar. He discusses his background in fintech, the motivation behind MYKOBO for financial inclusion in Africa, and why Stellar is ideal for value transfer. MYKOBO app supports EURC, USDC, XLM, and AQUA, all on Stellar, with upcoming liquidity pools.
Blend is a new liquidity protocol primitive for Stellar, enabling anyone to create insured lending pools with Soroban smart contracts. It provides lending and borrowing capabilities, adapting to market conditions while protecting suppliers via a backstop module. The protocol enhances Stellar's ecosystem for fintech, trading, DAOs, and DeFi applications.
The Stellar Newsletter highlights the Soroban Adoption Fund with $100M in opportunities, including a $10M Stellar Community Fund program for Soroban projects and developer initiatives like Sorobanathon. It covers UNHCR's nomination for blockchain impact award using Stellar for aid in Ukraine, partnerships like Beans App with MoneyGram, and technical updates on Pull Mode and Ubuntu upgrades. Community events, policy priorities, and developer resources are also featured.
EURC is a Euro-pegged stablecoin launched on the Stellar blockchain by UAB MYKOBO, offering secure, fast, and sustainable transactions. It has seen significant adoption with over 150k in circulating supply and substantial trading volume on Stellar's DEX. To celebrate its launch and MYKOBO's anniversary, zero transaction fees are offered throughout March 2023.
BP Ventures has launched three new open-source crypto wallets to facilitate company integration with the Stellar Blockchain. These include a white-label retail wallet supporting key SEPs, a compact command-line wallet, and documentation for Stellar Anchor integration. The initiative underscores BP Ventures' commitment to open blockchain networks.
BP Ventures announces sponsorship of Public Node's Stellar validator node, funding its uptime and monitoring. This supports the growth of the Stellar network and Public Node's mission for open blockchain infrastructure. The partnership highlights commitment to inclusive blockchain technology.
Wirex has integrated XLM and USDC on Stellar into its non-custodial wallet, marking the first such wallet without seed phrase vulnerability to support Stellar. The integration expands Wirex Wallet's blockchain support to nine networks.
BPV announces its Spring 2023 events schedule, highlighting attendance at major fintech and blockchain conferences in Stockholm and beyond. They promote their enterprise non-custodial Stellar wallet, Anchor in a Box, and invite meetings or demos. Events include STHLM Fintech Week, MONEY Live, Pay 360, and Paris Blockchain Week.
MYKOBO recaps its 2022 journey, from inception inspired by remittance challenges to launching Version 2 on the Stellar blockchain with EURC stablecoin. Key achievements include over 400 users, 155K EUR traded volume, and integration with Stellar protocols like SEP-6, SEP-24, and SEP-31. The company anticipates 2023 expansions like EURC swaps, new payment corridors, IBAN services, and debit cards.
The Stellar Development Foundation published a step-by-step guide for aid recipients to register with Vesseo wallet, receive USDC through Stellar Aid Assist, and cash out funds via MoneyGram globally or to bank accounts.
Coinbase Wallet will delist XLM and three other major cryptocurrencies effective Dec. 5, citing low usage. Users can withdraw balances after the deadline using recovery phrases.
The Stellar Newsletter highlights recent ecosystem developments including Soroban smart contracts live on Futurenet with a $100M developer fund and Sorobanathon. It covers Meridian 2022 on-demand sessions, Stellar Quest Live Series 5, bridge bounty grants, and the new Anchor Platform. Additional updates include stablecoin launches, SDF investments in NetXD and Wave, and community fund discussions.
Stellar Quest Learn launches Level Three with XLM rewards (up to 100 XLM total), introduces a Pioneer Quest for wallet onboarding, and removes wallet connection requirements to reduce friction for new users.
Stax, an African fintech app, received $500,000 from the Stellar Development Foundation's Matching Fund to build a non-custodial USDC wallet on Stellar, enabling offline payments via USSD for users with limited mobile data.
Beans, a non-custodial wallet enabling zero-fee international payments on Stellar, shares insights on winning the Stellar Community Fund Round 10. The app leverages Stellar's fee sponsorship and on/off ramps to simplify cross-border transactions for mainstream users.
This article explains how to integrate the Stellar Network into SME businesses, focusing on public-key cryptography, federation for human-readable addresses, and QR code support in Stellar wallets. It highlights Stellar's advantages over Ethereum ENS and compares it to Bitcoin's bip 0021 payment URIs. Examples include smart anchors like Flutterwave for simplified bank integrations.