Stellar addresses financial exclusion by enabling unbanked and underbanked populations to access digital financial services through on and off-ramps, asset tokenization, and partnerships with services like MoneyGram and Stellar Aid Assist, though 1.4 billion unbanked people globally means much work remains.
The article explains why Stellar serves the unbanked by first defining the unbanked (1.4 billion people globally lacking bank access) and underbanked populations, then detailing the root causes: lack of trust in institutions, high fees, minimum balance requirements, discrimination, and infrastructure gaps. It highlights how Stellar's on and off-ramps, mobile wallets like Vesseo, and partnerships with MoneyGram and humanitarian organizations like UNHCR enable cash-to-crypto conversion and remittance services without traditional banking. While Stellar has 300,000 off-ramp locations for stablecoins, the article acknowledges this reaches only a fraction of the global unbanked population, emphasizing that context-informed solutions tailored to regional and demographic differences are essential.
