Soroban smart contracts on Stellar enable a unique cash-to-DeFi pathway through the network's anchor infrastructure and MoneyGram Ramps, allowing underserved populations to access financial services directly from cash deposits to income-generating protocols.
The Stellar Development Foundation announced Soroban, a smart contracts platform designed to operate on top of Stellar and advance financial inclusion. Since its January 2022 announcement, seven preview releases have been shared on testnet with community feedback shaping its design. Soroban enables developers to build decentralized financial protocols like lending tools and AMMs without protocol-level changes. Combined with Stellar's 60+ anchor services and MoneyGram Ramps connecting 1.4 billion people in cash economies, Soroban creates an unprecedented path from physical cash to DeFi. Users can deposit cash at MoneyGram locations for USDC on Stellar, then access income-generating DeFi protocols built with Soroban, providing financial opportunities to the unbanked.
