DeFi, payments, tokenization, Soroban, governance, and project launches — curated daily from publications, project blogs, and community channels across the Stellar blockchain ecosystem.
Advanced Payment Solutions joins Armenotech and Tempo France in a Stellar-based fintech ecosystem to bridge traditional and digital finance, with plans for CBDC projects and a Euro-nominated stablecoin.
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.
The Stellar Development Foundation met with UK government officials to discuss digital assets regulation, submitting a response to HM Treasury's consultation on cryptoasset frameworks and stablecoin requirements.
Tomer Weller from Stellar Development Foundation interviews Sergey Gorbunov, co-founder of Axelar, to discuss cross-chain communication protocols and how both teams approach interoperability challenges for developers.
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.
Stellar launched the Spacewalk bridge to Polkadot and Kusama via Pendulum, connecting DeFi applications to forex markets and Stellar's fiat on-ramps across 300,000+ MoneyGram locations worldwide. The bridge enables stablecoin transfers including USDC and regional currencies like Argentine pesos and Brazilian reals.
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.
The Stellar Development Foundation submitted a letter to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy recommending two priorities for digital asset research: software interoperability standards and programmable digital assets for social benefits like cash assistance.
Stellar was designed for interoperability, enabling low-cost transfers of all asset types across traditional finance, different blockchains, and web applications. Unlike Bitcoin or Ethereum, Stellar facilitates value movement between all systems rather than replacing them.
Mercado Bitcoin and Stellar successfully tested a Brazilian CBDC on public blockchain, demonstrating delivery versus payment transactions with digital real. The pilot was part of Brazil's Central Bank LIFT Challenge to explore digital real use cases.
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.
The Stellar Newsletter highlights the 2023 roadmap emphasizing utility through tools like Stellar Aid Assist and Soroban smart contracts. It introduces the Stellar Asset Sandbox for easy testnet asset issuance, reviews Q4 2022 achievements, and announces Sorobanathon: Equinox. Additional updates cover TASCOMBANK's blockchain pilot in Ukraine, SDF's CFTC involvement, network growth milestones, and developer resources.
The Stellar Development Foundation is heading to the World Economic Forum in Davos to showcase Stellar Aid Assist, a blockchain-based aid disbursement system now being piloted by UNHCR and IRC to deliver cash assistance to displaced persons in Ukraine without requiring bank accounts.
UNHCR launches a blockchain-based cash assistance pilot in Ukraine using Stellar, Vibrant wallet, and USDC stablecoins to distribute humanitarian aid to war-displaced Ukrainians. Recipients can convert funds to local currency and withdraw via MoneyGram.
Ginger Baker, Head of Financial Access at Plaid, has joined the Stellar Development Foundation board of directors. Baker brings over a decade of experience in financial services and payment technologies to support SDF's mission of creating equitable access to the global financial system.
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.
The Stellar Development Foundation announced a $5 million investment in Wave, an African mobile money app serving over 10 million users across five countries. The investment supports Wave's integration with Stellar to expand affordable financial services across Africa.
The Stellar Development Foundation and ecosystem members gathered in Rome for Meridian 2022, their fourth annual conference. Themed around Leonardo da Vinci's 'Urgency of Doing,' the in-person event brought together the community to discuss solutions to pressing problems and left attendees motivated to take action.
Wirex announced USDC support on Stellar at Meridian conference, enabling 5 million users across 39 countries to buy, hold, and spend the stablecoin via their crypto-enabled debit card with up to 8% WXT rewards.
The Stellar Development Foundation announced five winners of its $5 million Bridge Bounty Program, awarding up to $1 million in XLM each to teams building cross-chain interoperability solutions connecting Stellar with other DeFi ecosystems. Winners include Allbridge, Axelar, Cubist, Kaladin, and Multichain.
Meridian 2022, Stellar's annual in-person conference, takes place Oct. 11-13 in Rome with 40+ sessions, 65+ speakers, and networking opportunities. Registration is free and mandatory online; the venue is Palazzo Brancaccio in central Rome.
SDF CEO Denelle Dixon testified before the U.S. Senate on the Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act, emphasizing Stellar's role in financial inclusion for the 2 billion unbanked people globally and calling for regulatory clarity to unlock blockchain's potential.
The Stellar Development Foundation announced Meridian 2022, its annual in-person conference returning to Rome October 11-13. The event will feature keynotes from Alexis Ohanian, CFTC Commissioner Caroline Pham, and industry leaders, with sessions on stablecoins, humanitarian aid, regulation, and blockchain's role in financial inclusion.
Stellar's Meridian 2022 conference returns to Rome for the first time since 2019, bringing together the community to tackle urgent global challenges through collective problem-solving and diverse perspectives on blockchain solutions.
Robinhood added Stellar Lumens (XLM) and Avalanche (AVAX) to its platform, bringing total supported cryptocurrencies to 15. XLM gained 6% in 24 hours following the announcement.