DeFi, payments, tokenization, Soroban, governance, and project launches — curated daily from publications, project blogs, and community channels across the Stellar blockchain ecosystem.
GMO-Z.com Trust Company listed GYEN and ZUSD stablecoins on Bitstamp, enabling seamless fiat-to-crypto trading on the Stellar network. Both are NYDFS-regulated, fully reserve-backed stablecoins offering secure on/off ramps for digital assets.
This article introduces Stellar and its Soroban smart contract platform to Polkadot users, highlighting integration via the Spacewalk bridge by Pendulum. It covers asset transfers for Stellar's stablecoins, use cases in DeFi and payments, and provides a getting started guide. The synergy aims to enhance cross-chain financial inclusion and innovation.
Bingtellar has been awarded an Activation Grant from the Stellar Community Fund to enhance its global payments infrastructure on the Stellar network, targeting cross-border payments in Africa. The grant supports expanding features, stablecoin utility, and connecting underserved Africans to the global economy. Bingtellar leverages Stellar's blockchain for fast, low-cost remittances, akin to 'TransferWise on Web3'.
Stellar Surge is a developer community program designed to engage African engineers and startups building on Stellar and Soroban, offering learning resources, innovation support, and funding opportunities including access to the Stellar Community Fund.
Draper University and the Stellar Development Foundation announced two new programs—the Astro Hacker House and Embark Accelerator—to support up to 80 startups building on Stellar and Soroban over the next two years, with a focus on AI integration and smart contract development.
Stellar Aid Assist is a blockchain-powered aid disbursement system launched on the Stellar network that enables transparent and efficient delivery of cash assistance to vulnerable populations. The initiative, deployed with UNHCR in Ukraine, marks a year of impact in demonstrating Stellar's real-world humanitarian applications.
Zebec Network recaps a transformative month featuring a full rebrand, migration to the new $ZBCN token now live on major exchanges, release of their V2 whitepaper, and product upgrades. They highlight a Stellar Foundation grant for WageLink's cross-border remittance integration, enhancements to Zebec Instant Card with new tokens and currencies, and community rewards via airdrops. The update also covers their 'Future of Money' interview series and upcoming events.
Zebec, through its investment arm Payroll Growth Partners, has acquired PayBridge and School Payroll Services to expand its payroll offerings and integrate bl…
The Stellar Development Foundation participated in the World Economic Forum 2024 in Davos, hosting and participating in multiple panels and workshops focused …
Cables Finance launched on Stellar as a hybrid FX exchange combining centralized liquidity with on-chain settlement. Features include central limit order book (CLOB), slippage-free trading, and OTC capabilities, backed by Stellar Development Foundation.
Cables Finance has launched on the Stellar network as a semi-decentralized FX trading platform featuring a central limit order book, slippage-free trading, and OTC capabilities. The launch represents a collaboration between Cables Finance and the Stellar Development Foundation to democratize access to cross-border payments and FX trading globally.
Stellar Aid Assist, a blockchain solution for crisis aid disbursement, has been nominated for Best Use of Web3 at the 28th Annual Webby Awards. The platform has already delivered over $2 million in aid to Ukraine-displaced individuals through UNHCR. Voting is open through April 18th.
STOCKen CAPITAL has been awarded in Stellar Community Fund #24, marking a key milestone in integrating Soroban services. The funding enables enhancements in cryptocurrency payments via Stellar, smart contracts with Soroban, and oracle connections for secure legal processes. This advances their platform for capital acquisition and digital governance using blockchain.
Pendulum's Q1 2024 roundup highlights the launch of the Spacewalk bridge connecting Stellar and Polkadot ecosystems for seamless XLM and stablecoin transfers. Key developments include reward structures for bridge vaults, new liquidity pools on Zenlink and StellaSwap, and progress on Forex AMM powered by Nabla. Community engagement and governance updates further strengthen the ecosystem's growth.
MYKOBO announces SEPA rails support for Circle’s EURC stablecoin on the Stellar blockchain, enabling European users to deposit and withdraw Euros via the LOBSTR wallet. EURC is fully reserved and redeemable 1:1 for Euro, issued on multiple chains including Stellar. This enhances Euro stablecoin interoperability and accessibility on Stellar.
WisdomTree, a $100B+ asset manager, launched WisdomTree Prime, a unified financial platform built on Stellar that enables customers to seamlessly manage digital assets, traditional investments, and fiat currencies in one application. The platform leverages Stellar's native asset controls and tokenization capabilities to offer 13 digital funds and a gold token.
The Stellar Development Foundation commissioned PwC to develop a global financial inclusion framework to help assess how blockchain-based solutions can advance digital financial inclusion and enhance the social impact of financial service providers.
A roundup of global crypto regulations, adoption trends, and developments, including UK stablecoin laws, Hong Kong licensing, and South Africa's embrace of stablecoins. Highlights mainstream adoption like Swiss Postfinance's crypto services and Web3 hurdles. Notably features the launch of smart contracts on the Stellar network, marking a new era for the blockchain.
Velo Labs announced partnerships between its Orbit crypto merchant network and major POS providers, targeting 500,000 users by year-end. Orbit enables QR code-based cryptocurrency payments at retail points of sale with instant fiat conversion for merchants.
BiGGER, an Australian software development company, deployed the Stellar Disbursement Platform to streamline payroll for its 100+ contractors across South America, reducing monthly processing time from 8 hours to minutes. The company now hosts SDP instances for humanitarian organizations like Casa Tochan, enabling efficient digital aid distribution.
Beans, a non-custodial wallet on the Stellar blockchain, announces a partnership with Kado to enable new deposit options including debit/credit cards, ACH in the USA, and PIX in Brazil. This integration offers users faster, cheaper ways to on-ramp fiat into Stellar for international transfers. The collaboration enhances accessibility and competitive rates for global remittances.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) partnered with the Stellar Development Foundation to pilot a blockchain-powered cash assistance program in Ukraine using Stellar Aid Assist and the Stellar Disbursement Platform, reaching 167 households with digital aid delivery that achieved 100% recipient satisfaction.
Aquarius announces updates and 2024 plans for building AMMs on Stellar using Soroban smart contracts. They've developed CPMM and StableSwap models inspired by Uniswap and Curve, with AQUA rewards for liquidity providers. A new UI and integrations are planned post-Soroban mainnet launch on January 30, 2024.
Velo Labs announced strategic partnerships with TransactCloud, FT Worldwide, and an unnamed fintech innovator to advance its Web3 Finance offerings. The collaborations aim to enhance liquidity, trading, and Web2-Web3 connectivity through Velo's Universe platform and Lightyear trading bot.
Moody's rated the first tokenized fund on public blockchains, giving Singapore's FundBridge Capital's SGD Delta fund an AA rating. The fund will issue tokenized units on Ethereum and Stellar, investing in Singapore government securities for accredited investors.
Stellar Aid Assist, launched one year ago in Ukraine with UNHCR, has successfully disbursed $1.1 million in aid to over 1,500 internally displaced people. The initiative's success led to the development and open-sourcing of the Stellar Disbursement Platform, enabling bulk payments across borders for governments, organizations, and companies.
Range announces a long-term security partnership with Margined Protocol to enhance security for its on-chain perpetuals and vaults on Cosmos. Range will provide customized monitoring, analytics, risk dashboards, and incident response tools. Margined is innovating DeFi perpetual products on CosmWasm networks.
The Stellar Development Foundation submitted comments to the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) on blockchain sustainability standards under the MiCA regulation, highlighting the Stellar network's environmental efficiencies and promoting the use of existing assessment methodologies like the Blockchain Sustainability Framework developed with PwC.
Beans collaborates with the Stellar Foundation and Friends With Benefits to support Casa Tochan's migrant shelter using the Stellar Disbursement Platform. The initiative leverages the Beans wallet for fee-free, instant fund disbursements, highlighting blockchain's humanitarian potential. This partnership demonstrates accessible financial services for global good.