Stellar Ecosystem
News

Crypto.com added XLM to its Crypto Earn product, offering users up to 8% annual returns on Stellar deposits with weekly payouts and flexible terms.

Stellar has been running its own Lightning Torch since June 2019, a community experiment that passes XLM around the world to demonstrate the blockchain's base-layer transaction efficiency. The torch, initiated by Wouter Arkink, has covered nearly 500,000 kilometers with zero transaction fees and introduced challenges like claiming countries and recruiting famous participants.

Interstellar v4.0 (Voyager Update) released with major wallet improvements. New All-Spark feature enables asset transfers without trustlines or funded accounts. Comprehensive SEP6/24/10 anchor integration lets users deposit and withdraw directly in-app. Adds 11 new languages and enhanced security.

Coinbase has enabled Stellar Lumens (XLM) and Chainlink (LINK) trading for New York residents, months after launching these assets in other jurisdictions. XLM launched on Coinbase in March, LINK in June; New York's regulatory requirements delayed availability in the state.

Mike Kennedy, creator of Zelle, became CEO of Interstellar, a Stellar-based blockchain payment platform competing with Ripple and Swift. Interstellar is crypto-agnostic and aims to enable faster, cheaper cross-border payments for banks without correspondent banking networks.

Stellar Development Foundation and Keybase announced a 2 billion XLM airdrop worth roughly $120 million, distributing 100 million XLM monthly to Keybase's 300,000 active users over 20 months. The partnership aims to introduce cryptocurrency to non-crypto-native users through an existing messaging platform.

The Stellar Development Foundation met with U.S. policymakers and regulators in Washington, DC to discuss blockchain regulation and the Stellar Network. SDF emphasized distinguishing between base protocols (which should remain unregulated) and applications built on top (which should follow existing compliance standards) to enable innovation while protecting consumers.

Binance will airdrop 9.5 million XLM to users and introduce staking rewards after discovering it had been staking customer Lumens since August 2018 without sharing the rewards.

Stellar Development Foundation's new leadership outlines five strategic priorities: achieving financial inclusion through technology focus, building products that prove Stellar's value, engaging on policy matters, and increasing communication. SDF is launching a dollar savings app for Latin America and hosting its first Meridian conference in Mexico City.

Stellar is hosting its first-ever conference, Stellar Meridian, in Mexico City on November 4-5. The event will focus on financial inclusion, payments innovation, and the protocol's role in shaping the future of global finance.

Crypto.com listed Stellar Lumens (XLM) on its Wallet & Card App, enabling users to purchase XLM fee-free via credit card or bank transfer and spend it globally through the MCO Visa Card at 40+ million merchants.

IBM's global blockchain head Jesse Lund has departed the company. Lund led IBM's Stellar-based World Wire payment network, which connected six banks across 72 countries. Stellar co-founder Jed McCaleb said the departure won't impact the platform.

Gab CEO Andrew Torba announced plans to fork Keybase and replace its Stellar wallet integration with Bitcoin Lightning Network, positioning the move as part of Gab's broader strategy to fork open-source projects and remove what he calls 'shitcoins' in favor of Bitcoin.

Paysend, a London-based fintech serving over 1 million users, is launching a stablecoin on Stellar to enable instant global payments without cross-border fees for expats and multi-currency account holders.

Wirex launched 26 fiat-backed stablecoins on Stellar and added Lumens support to its crypto debit card, enabling users to spend USD, EUR equivalents via VISA. The circular process of converting fiat to stablecoin and back raises questions about practical utility.

Currency Matters joined IBM Blockchain World Wire, a real-time payments network built on Stellar protocol, enabling cross-border transactions across 50+ countries with access to stablecoins and XLM.

IBM launched World Wire, a real-time global payments system built on Stellar that connects regulated financial institutions and replaces legacy correspondent banking. Supporting 47 currencies across 72 countries, it represents a major enterprise adoption milestone for the Stellar network.

IBM Blockchain World Wire, built on Stellar, now operates in 72 countries with 47 currencies and 44 banking endpoints. IBM signed letters of intent with six global banks to issue stablecoins on the network and partnered with Stronghold to enable USD stablecoin settlement.

Coinbase Pro announced it is listing Stellar Lumens (XLM), accepting deposits immediately with trading to follow once liquidity is established. XLM is not yet available on Coinbase's retail platforms. The listing comes after Coinbase identified XLM as a candidate asset last December.

SatoshiPay received a $1 million grant from the Stellar Development Foundation to expand micropayments adoption beyond publishing into gaming, tipping, and other industries through a marketing program offering up to $100,000 grants to companies implementing paywalls.

SatoshiPay, a Stellar-based micropayments startup, partnered with Axel Springer SE to enable blockchain payments for content from major publishers like Business Insider and Rolling Stone, with wallet integration launching January 31.

SatoshiPay partnered with Axel Springer, Europe's largest digital publisher, to enable micropayments for news content using Stellar Lumens. The integration is expected to launch in spring 2019 across Axel Springer's brands including Business Insider and Bild.