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José Fernandez Da Ponte, a key Stellar figure, discusses why payments is becoming a compelling use case in LATAM fintech. The ecosystem is moving beyond hype cycles to infrastructure-first thinking: companies like Etherfuse, Félix, and Meru are building on Stellar not to sell crypto, but to solve real financial problems at scale. Distribution wins when 80% of users don't know they're using blockchain.

Bermuda's government announced it will move its national economy on-chain using the Stellar network, becoming the world's first fully on-chain national economy. The government approved digital asset acceptance and investment policies, and will modify its FinTech Development Fund to support the ecosystem.

Two Stellar ecosystem projects, ArcusX and SoZu Pay, were awarded the InstaWords Award for a four-week sprint. ArcusX is building a freelance marketplace on Stellar to reduce fees and payment delays in Latin America, while SoZu Pay is developing NGO disbursement infrastructure using stablecoins and the Stellar Disbursement Platform.

A documentary-style introduction to Medellín's emerging web3 and blockchain innovation ecosystem, exploring how the city is becoming a hub for builders experimenting with decentralized finance and digital asset ownership.

Educational overview of Stellar's mission to create accessible global finance, explaining the Stellar Consensus Protocol, anchors as fiat bridges, and introducing Soroban smart contracts with a practical crowdfunding example.

Blessed UX and Telus Cooperative are launching a five-workshop Web3 builder program in Chile, teaching participants to create wallets, smart contracts, and deploy apps on Stellar.

Podcast on interoperability in blockchain featuring Meru and Etherfuse discussing stablecoin and stablebond adoption across Latin America, regulatory progress, and building financial infrastructure for emerging markets.

Justin Rice, VP of Ecosystem at Stellar Development Foundation, discusses the future of Stellar's ecosystem, emphasizing interoperability, DeFi protocol growth, zero-knowledge proofs via XRP-25, and the importance of developer community events in fostering innovation across Latin America and globally.

Justin Rice, VP of Ecosystem at Stellar Development Foundation, discusses interoperability, DeFi growth, and the emerging builder community across Latin America. Key focus: more assets and on/off-ramps connecting to DeFi protocols, zero-knowledge primitives enabling new use cases, and unexpected innovations from decentralized builders.

A documentary explores Argentina's economic crisis, hyperinflation, and heavy reliance on informal dollar markets and stablecoins like USDT and USDC. Despite economic improvements under President Milei, distrust in the formal banking system and high taxes drive continued adoption of stablecoins as a dollar proxy. The content reveals stablecoins bridging fiat and crypto in emerging markets facing currency instability.

Rick from Decaf and Ali from UNDP's Alternative Finance Lab discuss real-world applications of blockchain for humanitarian aid, including scholarship disbursement in Rwanda and cash transfer programs in Colombia, emphasizing transparency and efficiency in global payments.

Civitas ID, a human-centered digital identity system for displaced persons and refugees, is being built on Stellar to solve the invisibility crisis affecting 123 million displaced people globally. The platform aims to bridge humanitarian aid dependency into formal economic participation through portable, verifiable credentials.

Panel discussion on stablecoin adoption in emerging markets featuring Vesio, Digibank, Plexus Institute, and filmmaker Justin Norman. Speakers shared ground-level insights on how stablecoins are solving real problems in Argentina, Brazil, Syria, and other regions through localized solutions and last-mile infrastructure.

Stellar Development Foundation announced major expansions to the Stellar Disbursement Platform, adding one-off payments, USDC purchasing, and smart wallet support. A case study showed GIZ using SDP to pay healthcare workers in Syria, reducing payment times from months to days and saving 400,000 euros annually.

At the Meridian event, lightning talks feature Stellar ecosystem innovators. Ondo Finance announces USDY, their yield-bearing tokenized treasury, now live on Stellar. Etherfuse introduces Tesoro, a Brazilian stable bond offering high yield in local currency, and Credit discusses remittances and financial innovation in Africa.

Brazilian Central Bank, fintech leaders, and development bank officials discuss CBDC, tokenization, and blockchain adoption in Brazil. Focus on cooperation between public and private sectors, financial inclusion through PIX, and lessons learned from blockchain pilots.

Akuna wallet, built on Stellar, enables African creators to monetize globally by providing virtual US dollar accounts and stablecoin holdings. The platform addresses barriers preventing Africa's 1.4 billion people from accessing the creator economy, with actor Idris Elba discussing how technology can leapfrog infrastructure gaps.

BP Ventures proposes integrating Mesh Network with anchor infrastructure to enable seamless funding from 300+ crypto exchanges to any Stellar wallet, requesting $60,000 from the Stellar Community Fund to remove barriers for 100 million users.

Tori Samples, director of product at SDF, explores why trustlessness is a false narrative and how cultivating explicit trust models is essential for building Web3 ecosystems. She examines trust through personal, institutional, and technological lenses, then demonstrates how Stellar's proof-of-agreement consensus and real-world partnerships create trustworthy financial infrastructure for billions globally.

Donnell Dixon, CEO of the Stellar Development Foundation, discusses Stellar's ambitious $3 billion RWA goal for the year and the network's early leadership in tokenization since 2019 with Franklin Templeton. He covers the evolution from tokenized fiat and gold to native on-chain securities, stablecoins like PYUSD launching on Stellar, and benefits like reduced OPEX, 24/7 yields, and collateral mobility. Regulatory clarity is accelerating adoption, validating Stellar's long-term vision.

Stellar ecosystem leaders discuss real-world adoption, security challenges, and privacy roadmap. Blockade integration protects users from fraud across four wallets; Stellar prioritizes privacy-preserving protocols for institutional compliance.

Candace Kelly, Chief Legal and Policy Officer at Stellar Development Foundation, discusses how blockchain technology enables faster, cheaper cross-border payments for humanitarian aid and frontline workers. The Stellar Disbursement Platform has helped UNHCR distribute $5 million to 2,500 Ukrainian families and supports GIZ in paying conflict zone workers, while addressing regulatory challenges and scalability barriers.

Dove Protocol, a Stellar-based platform, tokenizes real-world infrastructure revenue using AI agents and blockchain. The team announced their Early Investor program offering free access to tokenized electric vehicle chargers with revenue sharing, plus a Draper University fellowship.

Danelle Dixon, CEO of Stellar Development Foundation, discusses how blockchain technology enables financial inclusion and cross-border payments. She highlights real-world use cases including aid distribution in Ukraine, remittances for migrant workers, and economic empowerment in rural communities.