DeFi, payments, tokenization, Soroban, governance, and project launches — curated daily from publications, project blogs, and community channels across the Stellar blockchain ecosystem.
Normal Finance is building a platform to provide one-click diversified crypto exposure across chains without bridges or CEXs, solving fragmentation for everyday investors. They chose Stellar for its low costs, speed, scalability, global accessibility, and focus on real financial solutions over speculation. Currently, Normal has a live testnet and is preparing for mainnet launch on Stellar.
Stripe and Paradigm's Tempo is a new blockchain optimized for stablecoin payments, featuring stablecoin fees, 100k+ TPS, and EVM compatibility, directly challenging Stellar's established position in cross-border payments. Stellar, with a decade of proven reliability, anchors, SCP consensus, and Soroban smart contracts, offers production-ready compliance and fiat connectivity. The article compares their strengths, suggesting both could complementarily serve fintech needs.
MoneyGram integrated Crossmint's wallet and stablecoin infrastructure to enable users to receive, store, and earn on USDC deposits using Stellar Network, launching in just over two months.
VersaBank is testing USDVB, a tokenized deposit token representing U.S. dollars held at the bank, on Ethereum, Algorand, and Stellar blockchains. Unlike stablecoins, the tokens are federally insured, earn interest, and function as bank liabilities subject to banking regulations.
Stellar has emerged as the leading blockchain for enterprise stablecoin payments, with major institutional adoption including PayPal's PYUSD launch and Visa's integration. The network offers compliance-first architecture, predictable costs, and global ramp infrastructure that make it ideal for regulated financial institutions.
The Stellar Development Foundation has formed a strategic partnership with Archax, a UK-regulated digital asset exchange, involving a direct SDF investment to accelerate tokenization and real-world asset adoption on the Stellar network. The collaboration leverages Archax's regulatory credentials and institutional relationships to bring institutional-grade tokenized assets on-chain.
Stellar's resources hub showcasing whitepapers, reports, and guidebooks on blockchain, crypto, fintech, and CBDCs. The page also promotes Stellar's newsletters for ecosystem updates and developer resources.
HoneyCoin announces a $4.9 million funding round led by Flourish Ventures, with participation from Visa Ventures, Stellar Development Foundation, and others. The company, a full-stack payment orchestration platform using stablecoins and traditional rails, processes over $150M monthly across 45+ countries. Founded during COVID, it has achieved product-market fit serving millions of users in emerging markets, especially Africa.
COCA hosted its first 2025 community AMA with 2,000+ questions about cashback rewards, stablecoin options, and upcoming features. The team clarified eligibility rules, announced plans for tiered loyalty rewards, COCA Travel discounts, and improved merchant transparency in-app.
COCA delivered major Q2 growth with 74% increase in monthly active users, 101% growth in card holders, and 199% increase in card transaction volume. The platform launched ETH staking, COCA cashback rewards, and new integrations including Ramp and Uniswap listings.
José Fernández da Ponte joins the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) as President and Chief Growth Officer, bringing expertise from PayPal's PYUSD stablecoin launch and fintech scaling. In an interview with Denelle Dixon, he emphasizes utility, trust, regulatory alignment, and community-driven growth to expand Stellar's adoption. His focus includes partnerships, distribution, and building non-excludable financial infrastructure for global inclusion.
Trustless Work participated in Casa Builders CDMX, a Stellar-hosted hackathon in Mexico focusing on financial inclusion, digital identity, and public good transparency. Their team built Pacto, a decentralized P2P stablecoin ramp using Trustless Work's programmable escrow, and won the event. The hackathon united Latin American builders, with strong Costa Rican representation.
Arf uses USDC on Stellar to provide short-term working capital loans to licensed money service providers, enabling real-time settlement without requiring prefunding.
Tellus Cooperative announces a July lineup of free virtual events focused on fintech, blockchain, and AI for Latin America, featuring Stellar Quest workshops and spotlights on projects like TuCambio, A0X, and Skipo. Participants can learn Stellar basics, join discussions with innovators, and win official Stellar Chile merchandise through live raffles. The events aim to build a collaborative Web3 ecosystem in the region.
Valour launched four new SEK-denominated ETPs on Sweden's Spotlight Stock Market for Mantra (OM), Tron (TRX), Stellar (XLM), and Tether Gold (XAUt), expanding its Nordic presence and moving toward its goal of 100 ETPs by end of 2025.
The article highlights the inefficiencies of traditional income verification processes, including delays, privacy invasions, and vulnerability to AI-generated fraud. It discusses how these issues lead to applicant drop-offs and business losses. Reclaim (or BlueCheck) offers an instant, document-free solution using trusted sources like IRS and payroll systems for secure verification.
Denelle Dixon, CEO of the Stellar Development Foundation, celebrates her sixth anniversary with a creative country-rap song reflecting on SDF's journey over the past decade and six years of evolution, highlighting achievements in financial inclusion, partnerships, and blockchain innovation.
An article advocating for Stellar's adoption by the U.S. government for efficient aid disbursement and public sector payments, highlighting the Stellar Disbursement Platform's proven track record with UNHCR and other organizations.
COCA, a stablecoin payment platform, has secured strategic investment from the Stellar Development Foundation and FunFair Ventures. The funding will accelerate COCA's expansion on the Stellar network, enabling seamless stablecoin payments through non-custodial debit cards and IBANs to over 80 million merchants worldwide.
Hana Wallet introduces the Hana Card, a multi-chain virtual debit card for spending crypto from non-custodial wallets anywhere Mastercard is accepted. It supports top-ups with ETH, AVAX, XLM and more, integrating seamlessly with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Launching first in Australia via partnership with Immersve, with global pre-registration open.
The Stellar Development Foundation announced that Ondo Finance's yield-bearing stablecoin USDY, backed by U.S. Treasuries and bank deposits, will launch on Stellar in the coming months. This expands Stellar's real-world asset ecosystem alongside issuers like Circle, Paxos, and Franklin Templeton.
Taurus SA wins two major industry awards for digital asset infrastructure, recognizing its leadership in bridging digital assets and traditional finance. The company expanded to Stellar in 2024 and secured partnerships with State Street, Zand Bank, and Misyon Bank.
Ghanaian fintech Seevcash integrated DeFindex's white-label DeFi yield infrastructure on Stellar in just one week, slashing development time from 12+ months and reducing code by 50%. Post-marketing, TVL spiked 433% to $13K with 24 active users earning yields on stablecoins. The SDK enabled gasless transactions via Stellar sponsorship, building trust in unbanked markets.
Shaheen, a UAE-based fintech app built on blockchain, launches to serve unbanked populations across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia with cross-border payments, multi-currency wallets, and financial inclusion tools. Parent organization Empowch expands globally with API solutions for NGOs and financial institutions.
COCA Wallet's Q3 2024 recap highlights explosive growth with over 138,000 users, 600,000 wallets, and €750,000 in transaction volume. Key launches include physical debit cards, Revolut Pay and Stellar blockchain integrations for USDC/USDT top-ups, BASE chain support, and the world's first Solana-enabled MPC wallet. Community initiatives like the COCA Points program and meme competition drove strong engagement.
AUDC, a Novatti Group fintech company, has issued AUDD, an Australian dollar-backed stablecoin on the Stellar network, to solve cross-border payment liquidity challenges for financial institutions. By leveraging Stellar's DEX and a companion asset (AUDR) for on-demand minting, AUDD enables faster, cheaper, and more efficient global transactions.