Stellar Ecosystem
News

Stellar launched Soroban, a smart contract platform integrated into Protocol 20, addressing key blockchain challenges like transaction speed, security vulnerabilities, state bloat, and high costs while leveraging Stellar's extensive payment rail network for real-world DeFi applications.

Reflector launches a dev challenge (June 5-19) for Soroban contracts utilizing its oracle. Prizes: $2,500 USDC plus Meridian conference tickets. Open to developers worldwide ages 18+; teams welcome.

FxDAO's peg system for synthetic currencies on Stellar uses XLM collateral and arbitrage incentives similar to the gold standard, not algorithmic stablecoins. It features controlled issuance, redemption, and liquidations to maintain stability and health. The protocol ensures debt cannot exceed collateral value, enforced by smart contracts.

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.

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.

The Spacewalk bridge connects Stellar and Polkadot ecosystems, enabling Stellar users to access Polkadot's DeFi capabilities and Pendulum's fiat-DeFi infrastructure. This integration allows seamless asset transfers, forex DEX, yield farming with stablecoins, and cross-border payments. It expands opportunities for Stellar community in advanced blockchain applications.

FxDAO shares its Q1 2024 update, highlighting the completion of a smart contract audit by Runtime Verification and adaptations to Soroban platform changes on Stellar. Despite challenges like limit downgrades requiring refactors, the team resolved issues to fit current network limits. They are preparing for mainnet launch with vaults for synthetic USD, EUR, and GBP, alongside plans for a custom oracle.

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 Protocol 21 activated on Mainnet on June 18, 2024, introducing five Core Advancement Proposals (CAPs) that add passkey signing support, improve state archival, and reduce smart contract transaction costs. Developers and operators must upgrade their Stellar-related software and re-upload existing Wasms to benefit from the new cost model.

The Defiant published an explainer video on Stellar's Soroban smart contracts platform, which expands the network beyond its original focus on low-cost payments to enable decentralized applications while maintaining support for underbanked regions.

A Stellar Development Foundation leader reflects on their five-year tenure, highlighting SDF's strategic focus on building a viable ecosystem through payments infrastructure, on/off-ramps, and real-world assets. The post celebrates Stellar's growth metrics and the recent launch of Soroban smart contracts as the next phase of ecosystem expansion.

The Stellar Development Foundation released its Q1 2024 quarterly report highlighting major ecosystem achievements including the launch of smart contracts on Stellar, $3.2M in Stellar Community Fund awards, the introduction of the Soroban Audit Bank for security, and significant growth metrics including 8M+ network accounts and $1.6B in real world asset payment volume.

The development team shares updates from April 26, 2024, including bug fixes, new UI testing for the Custom Risk Framework, and live Governance and Tokenomics V2 dashboards. Key advancements feature Stellar Soroban nodes deployment, internal client readiness, and API support for circuit generators. Additional improvements cover data pipelines, price oracles for Optimism tokens, and Ethereum/NEAR analytics.

This guide details how XLM holders can provide liquidity to the KSM/XLM pool on Zenlink DEX via the Amplitude network on Kusama. It covers setting up a Polkadot wallet, acquiring KSM and AMPE, bridging XLM using Spacewalk from Lobstr, and adding liquidity. The process enables earning rewards while enhancing liquidity in the Amplitude ecosystem.

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.

Script3 founder Markus Paulson-Luna discusses Blend Capital, a decentralized lending protocol on Stellar that lets users, DAOs, and institutions create customizable lending pools. The interview covers Blend's architecture, insurance mechanisms, and integration with Beans.

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.

A protocol on Stellar has deployed an airdrop of its governance token to early and super adopters, distributing 28.8 million out of 64 million total supply via claimable balances. Claim deadline is April 30, 2024, with unclaimed tokens returning to the DAO treasury. Future protocol fees will fund the DAO for community governance.

Runtime Verification completed an audit of Band Protocol's Rust implementation of the Band Standard Reference Soroban Smart Contract. This contract enables querying real-world asset prices from BandChain into the Stellar network's Soroban mainnet. The audit identified issues and informative findings, with a detailed report available.

The Stellar Development Foundation launched the Soroban Security Audit Bank, distributing up to $1M in audit credits from six top-tier firms to 20-30 high-priority projects building on Soroban to strengthen smart contract security across the ecosystem.

The Spacewalk Bridge is now live on the Pendulum network, enabling trust-minimized transfers of XLM and fiat-backed stablecoins like EURC, AUDD, NGNC, TZS, and BRL between Stellar and Polkadot ecosystems. Stellar users can trade XLM on Zenlink DEX and provide liquidity in pools such as XLM.s/PEN and XLM.s/DOT. Pendulum's Forex DEX powered by Nabla offers single-sided liquidity provision without impermanent loss, enhancing DeFi accessibility.

The Stellar Development Foundation ran a dogfooding experiment called the Okashi Cakewalk, a web-based smart contract game built on Soroban that enabled all SDF employees—regardless of technical background—to write, deploy, and invoke smart contracts. Over 170 NFTs were minted on Futurenet, demonstrating successful onboarding to Soroban development and providing valuable UX feedback to the Okashi team.

Creit protocol on Stellar celebrates over 200 domains registered with 130k+ XLM collateral after one month. They're launching DAO governance by distributing nearly half the governance token supply to early adopters as thanks. Upcoming features include domain buy/sell and full governance contract by end of April.

A comprehensive guide explaining authentication and authorization mechanisms in blockchain, with specific focus on how Stellar and Soroban implement these security features through digital signatures, multisig, thresholds, and smart contract-based account abstraction.