Tomer from the Stellar Development Foundation discusses how Stellar's new smart contracts VM enables a DeFi ecosystem that bridges traditional finance and crypto, emphasizing financial inclusion, developer security support, and bottom-up innovation over waiting for institutional adoption.
Tomer, product lead at the Stellar Development Foundation, outlines Stellar's vision for OpenFi and real-world utility. He highlights how Stellar has evolved from cross-border payments to enabling real-world assets and yield access globally. The launch of Stellar's smart contracts virtual machine earlier this year is creating a new DeFi ecosystem that connects traditional financial on/off ramps directly to DeFi protocols. Key priorities include making DeFi accessible beyond developed markets, providing developers with robust security tools and audit partnerships, and fostering interoperability between traditional finance and crypto-native solutions. Tomer emphasizes that meaningful innovation is coming from bottom-up, crypto-native companies rather than waiting for institutions, and that interoperability is essential for blockchain's growth. He also addresses the challenge of managing hype cycles and channeling speculative energy into productive use.