DeFi, payments, tokenization, Soroban, governance, and project launches — curated daily from publications, project blogs, and community channels across the Stellar blockchain ecosystem.
The Stellar Community Fund (SCF) #36 round received 53 submissions and awarded $2,088,654 worth of XLM to 23 innovative projects. Funded initiatives span stablecoin payments, DeFi infrastructure, cross-border remittances, compliance tools, and Soroban smart contract enhancements. Highlights include Stables, Splyce Finance, and Uniblock, showcasing the ecosystem's growing sophistication.
Balanced protocol is transitioning post-merger with ICON into SODAX on Sonic, with PARROT9 taking over the app. They've added Stellar support for intent-based trades, fixed bugs, and supported Stellar campaigns. Q3 plans include money market demos, full intent trades, and shipping Balanced v2.
Stellar Development Foundation announces major executive hires: José Fernández da Ponte (former PayPal blockchain head) as President and Chief Growth Officer, and Jason Karsh (ex-Block) as Chief Marketing Officer. The announcements coincide with XLM rallying over 80% and Franklin Templeton's $446M tokenized U.S. Treasuries integration on Stellar.
Keyrails, a stablecoin-based operating system for cross-border payments in emerging markets, has selected Dfns to power its wallet infrastructure. The platform supports stablecoins across multiple blockchains including Stellar, enabling programmable treasuries, fast settlements, and compliance. This partnership enhances security and scalability for high-value transactions in regions like Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
This article highlights Stellar blockchain's role in revolutionizing remittances, cooperative fund management, and financial inclusion in Latin America. It showcases apps like Tempo, Vibrant, and LOBSTR enabling instant transfers, transparent records, and bankless access. Stellar is positioned as a leader in practical blockchain adoption.
Dobprotocol is a Web3 platform combining AI, tokenization, and blockchain to enable the 'Economy of Machines,' where physical devices like EV chargers and autonomous scooters become tokenized, income-generating assets. Selected for the Stellar Community Fund's SCF Kickstart program, it offers transparent, fractional ownership and real-time monitoring of machine performance. Founders highlight the program's role in strategic alignment and rapid development.
Normal announces the hiring of skilled developer Niko Gorjan to strengthen its team and leadership structure. Niko's expertise is key to the upcoming launch of the Normal Protocol on the Stellar blockchain mainnet in August 2025. The protocol offers custom crypto indexes, trading of top 200 cryptocurrencies, and lending/borrowing without centralized exchanges.
Valour launched four new SEK-denominated ETPs on Sweden's Spotlight Stock Market for Mantra (OM), Tron (TRX), Stellar (XLM), and Tether Gold (XAUt), expanding its Nordic presence and moving toward its goal of 100 ETPs by end of 2025.
Raja Chakravorti, Chief Business Officer at the Stellar Development Foundation, discusses how Stellar's fast, low-cost blockchain is enabling financial inclusion globally, with use cases ranging from institutional adoption by Franklin Templeton to UN-backed humanitarian aid delivery in crisis zones.
Normal secures its second Stellar Community Fund grant of $80,000 (SCF #35) to launch its Crypto Index Protocol on the Stellar network. The protocol enables seamless global onboarding, local fiat support, and cost-effective diversified crypto index investing. Building on Stellar's ecosystem with partnerships like LOBSTR, Aquarius, and Beans, Normal aims to make crypto accessible worldwide.
The Stellar Community Fund Kickstart #11, held in March 2025, was a five-day virtual program that accelerated 13 blockchain startups from 9 countries through design sprints focused on MVP development, UX, architecture, GTM, and SCF submissions. All participants received Kickstart Awards, with standout projects like XHIBIT, Vaquita, WYT Network, Peridot Finance, and Dobprotocol recognized for their innovation on the Stellar ecosystem. Participants praised the program's organization and mentorship.
Stellar is advancing its blockchain with a public roadmap emphasizing scalability, usability, and developer tools like Soroban optimizations, Freighter wallet, AI assistants Stella and Contract Copilot, and integrations with OpenZeppelin. It powers real-world assets with $522 million on-chain and $17 billion in volume across 70 countries. The ecosystem offers robust support via the Stellar Community Fund and production-ready infrastructure.
The Stellar Community Fund (SCF) #35 round received 77 submissions and awarded $1,840,348 worth of XLM to 21 innovative projects. Funded initiatives span payments, DeFi, cross-chain infrastructure, wallets, and developer tools on the Stellar network. Highlights include AirGap's secure cold wallet, Wirex Pay's Visa-supported payment solution, and Cobo's institutional custody integration.
Blend is a DeFi protocol primitive on Stellar that enables permissionless creation of isolated lending pools with customizable parameters, backstop modules for risk mitigation, and BLND token governance. The article explains Blend's core components and highlights its integration with Meru wallet to provide financial inclusion for Latin American freelancers and SMEs.
Hana Wallet now supports Sonic's native token S on both mobile and desktop versions. Users can send, receive, and view S token balances alongside other chains like Stellar. Token swaps for Sonic via Sodax integration are coming soon.
The Stellar Development Foundation shared Q1 2025 ecosystem performance metrics and progress toward three ambitious 2025 goals: top 10 DeFi TVL ranking, top 10 monthly active wallets, and $3B in onchain RWAs. The network demonstrated real-world impact through institutional adoption, new wallet launches, and significant RWA issuance growth.
The Stellar Community Fund Kickstart #10, held in March 2025, accelerated 32 blockchain startups from 16 countries through a five-day design sprint. 28 teams received $290,000 in XLM awards, with standout projects like Abokyh, Dayfi, and DeFarm recognized for their Stellar integrations. Participants praised the mentorship on Stellar tools, smart contracts, and GTM strategies.
The Stellar blockchain aims to hold $3 billion in real-world assets (RWAs) on-chain by the end of 2025, a 10x increase from $290 million at the end of 2024. The Stellar Development Foundation is partnering with Paxos, Ondo, Etherfuse, SG Forge, alongside existing ties to Franklin Templeton and WisdomTree. This growth targets powering $110 billion in RWA volume on the superfast, low-fee network.
Nonco, an institutional crypto trading firm, completed an industry-first derivatives transaction using Franklin Templeton's BENJI token on the Stellar network as collateral. The transaction demonstrated how tokenized assets on Stellar enable faster, more efficient collateral management for OTC derivatives with real-time settlement and transparency.
Untangled introduces an Embedded Yield Layer to simplify access to fragmented DeFi and RWA yields across multiple blockchains. It features modular components like Untangled Vault, Credio, and Untangled Pool for automated capital allocation, risk management, and private credit tokenization. Products like USDyc are live on Stellar, Celo, and Polygon, enabling seamless yield for users and institutions.
The Stellar Community Fund (SCF) #34 round awarded $1,717,287 worth of XLM to 17 innovative projects building on the Stellar blockchain. Projects span DeFi, payments, developer tools, gaming, and infrastructure, showcasing Stellar's growing ecosystem for serious builders. Highlights include Greep Pay for stablecoin POS, NebulaVRF for on-chain randomness, and DappRadar for Soroban tracking.
This article explains composability in DeFi and blockchain development using a hot rod analogy, detailing how different protocols and smart contracts can integrate seamlessly on Stellar to create more powerful financial systems. It covers DeFi building blocks, composability benefits, TVL growth, and practical considerations for building composable projects on Stellar.
This article explains how to monitor Soroswap, the first DEX on the Soroban Blockchain within the Stellar ecosystem, using Alterscope's risk infrastructure. Alterscope provides real-time metrics on security, liquidity, development activity, audits, TVL, volume, and social engagement for informed DeFi risk management. Soroswap, developed by Palta Labs, offers fast, low-cost token swaps with strong security features including audits by OtterSec and Runtime Verification.
Hoops Finance releases Version 0.4.0, introducing performance boosts via Incremental Static Regeneration, UI enhancements, and optimized builds for better DeFi experiences on the Stellar ecosystem. The team presented at ETH Denver, hosted by Caladan, outlining their vision for risk-assessed liquidity pools and smart savings. They invite users to test the platform on Testnet and join the community.
ficc.ai has received a grant from the Stellar Development Foundation to develop a blockchain-based pricing oracle for municipal bonds and U.S. Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities on the Stellar network. The initiative aims to enhance transparency and accessibility in fixed-income markets by distributing AI-driven pricing data onchain.
Franklin Templeton launched the Franklin OnChain US Government Money Fund, a fully tokenized investment fund on Stellar blockchain available to institutional investors across eight European countries. The fund represents a major step forward in applying blockchain technology to traditional asset management.
The Stellar Development Foundation highlights how tokenization and blockchain technology are already improving financial access for vulnerable populations, from UN refugee aid payments to protection against hyperinflation in countries like Argentina.
Franklin Templeton launched its first tokenized U.S. Treasury fund on Stellar in Luxembourg, enabling institutional investors across eight European countries to access U.S. government securities through blockchain technology.