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Zodiac Custody, Stellar, International Rescue Committee, and MoneyGram announced a partnership to enable charities to distribute aid globally using blockchain technology and stablecoins, solving critical gaps in humanitarian payment infrastructure.

Stellar Development Foundation's fifth annual Meridian conference celebrates builders creating real-world blockchain solutions for financial inclusion. Speakers highlight ecosystem projects like Decaf, Flutterwave, MoneyGram, and 40 Soroban developers proving that blockchain can unlock human potential and democratize access to global finance.

Panel discussion featuring founders of three Soroban lending protocols: Slender (compounded lending), Trilobyte (cash flow financing for Cuba), and XLR Labs (tokenized T-bills and repo lending). Speakers discuss how lending primitives drive DeFi ecosystem growth and financial inclusion.

SDF and MoneyGram launch the MoneyGram Award program, offering up to $50,000 in marketing support to wallets and fintechs integrating with MoneyGram's 300,000 agent locations for cash-to-crypto on/off ramps. No consumer fees through June 2024, with five winners selected quarterly.

Stellar Development Foundation unveiled Stellar Aid Assist, a blockchain-based platform enabling organizations to distribute cash assistance to displaced people and vulnerable populations at scale. The system processes bulk payments via USDC and MoneyGram's global network, already deployed by UNHCR and International Rescue Committee in Ukraine.

SDF Q4 2022 quarterly review covering network growth to 7.4M accounts, Soroban smart contracts launching on FutureNet with mainnet planned for H1 2023, Stellar Aid Assist deployment in Ukraine, and the 2023 roadmap focused on utility as the growth exponent.

UNHCR treasurer Carmen Hurt discusses the organization's blockchain initiative on Stellar to deliver cash assistance to 100 million displaced people globally. The project uses USDC, Circle, MoneyGram, and the Stellar Disbursement Platform to provide refugees with financial autonomy and transparency.

Anthony Scaramucci discusses the FTX collapse and Sam Bankman-Fried's arrest, reflecting on his investment in FTX and lessons learned. He emphasizes blockchain's real-world use cases like remittances and payments while advocating for regulatory clarity and decentralized systems.

Stellar Development Foundation and UNHCR launched a blockchain-based aid disbursement system live in Ukraine, delivering digital cash assistance to internally displaced persons using USDC stablecoins, Vibrant wallets, and MoneyGram's cash-out network.

Danelle Dixon, CEO of the Stellar Development Foundation, interviews Ginger Baker, SDF's newest board member and head of financial access at Plaid. They discuss Baker's career spanning financial inclusion work at Facebook, Visa, Ripple, and Square, her focus on empowering women in emerging markets through financial services, and insights on solving real-world problems with blockchain technology.

Danelle Dixon (Stellar Development Foundation CEO) interviews Marique Flament (NEAR Foundation CEO) about leading nonprofit foundations supporting open source blockchains, navigating market volatility, grant-making challenges, and the FTX crisis impact on industry trust and regulation.

Zach Freund and Justin Rice from Stellar Development Foundation discuss the FTX collapse's impact on crypto industry trust, regulatory challenges, and SDF's continued focus on use cases and ecosystem building through grants and Soroban smart contracts development.

Panel discussion on blockchain solutions for financial inclusion in emerging markets, focusing on serving the 4 billion people at the base of the economic pyramid. Speakers discuss challenges like lack of formal banking access, trust issues, and regulatory barriers, while exploring how distributed ledger technology and local stablecoins can enable cross-border transfers and peer-to-peer payments.

Panel discussion on blockchain's role in financial inclusion, featuring experts from Nigeria, UN, AFI, and academia debating whether blockchain represents hope or hype for expanding economic opportunities in developing nations.

Beans is a non-custodial wallet on Stellar that abstracts away crypto complexity, offering free remittances and yield-bearing savings accounts. Users can send money across currencies with zero fees and earn returns on stablecoins, Bitcoin, Ethereum, or XLM.

Donnell Dixon, CEO of the Stellar Development Foundation, testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee on the Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act, highlighting Stellar's real-world payment solutions like the MoneyGram-Circle-USDC service enabling cash-to-digital conversions for unbanked populations globally.

Donnell Dixon, CEO of Stellar Development Foundation, interviews Seagal Mandelker, former US Treasury Undersecretary and current Ribbit Capital partner, discussing her career in public service, approach to crypto regulation, and transition to venture capital focused on fintech innovation.

CoinMe VP Sung Choi discusses how the company leverages Coinstar kiosks and physical locations to provide cash on and off ramps for crypto, with upcoming integrations for USDC on Stellar and expansion to 20,000+ ATM locations across the US.

Stellar Development Foundation and MoneyGram launched MoneyGram Access, a global cash-to-crypto on-ramp enabling users to deposit physical cash at 350,000 MoneyGram locations worldwide and receive USDC on Stellar, with no transaction fees for the first year.

Tori Samples from Leaf Global discusses building blockchain-based financial services for unbanked populations in East Africa, including feature phone support, NFT-based income for refugees, and upcoming smart contract integration for lending products.

Panel discussion on blockchain and stablecoins for cross-border payments in Colombia, featuring Stellar Development Foundation, UNCLAP, Finclusive, and CAF. Speakers explore how Stellar infrastructure can reduce remittance costs, enable financial inclusion, and support small business payments while emphasizing regulatory collaboration and financial education.

Panel discussion on blockchain-driven businesses in Latin America featuring leaders from RTM, Settle, Vibrant, and Cronos Pay. Speakers discuss financial inclusion, low-cost payments, stablecoins, and the Stellar ecosystem's role in democratizing access to financial services across the region.

SDF and DFS Lab hosted a panel discussion featuring five African fintech startups from their blockchain bootcamp, discussing their growth, challenges, and advice for future participants. Companies like Stacks, Phone Bank, Bonafide, Quidro, and Honey Coin shared how the bootcamp accelerated their development and helped them raise significant funding.

Stellar Development Foundation's enterprise marketing lead Ben Grossman discusses SDF's first sponsorship of South by Southwest, a 6 billion Lumen marketing grant program for ecosystem companies, and how the foundation supports builders globally across remittances, payments, and other use cases.