Stellar Ecosystem
News

GYEN and ZUSD stablecoins are now available for trading on Bitstamp, a major regulated exchange founded in 2011. The listing enables users to easily convert between USD and these Stellar-based stablecoins with enhanced security and compliance features.

The Stellar Development Foundation joined industry peers in signing a letter supporting the bipartisan Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21), which represents the first major crypto markets legislation heading to a House floor vote.

Draper University and the Stellar Development Foundation announced two new programs—the Astro Hacker House and Embark Accelerator—to support up to 80 startups building on Stellar and Soroban over the next two years, with a focus on AI integration and smart contract development.

The Stellar Development Foundation participated in the World Economic Forum 2024 in Davos, hosting and participating in multiple panels and workshops focused on blockchain's role in financial inclusion, tokenization, and global financial access. SDF leadership, including CEO Denelle Dixon and Chief Legal Officer Candace Kelly, engaged with governmental, financial, and tech organizations to advance discussions on sustainable and inclusive financial systems.

Stellar Aid Assist, a blockchain solution for crisis aid disbursement, has been nominated for Best Use of Web3 at the 28th Annual Webby Awards. The platform has already delivered over $2 million in aid to Ukraine-displaced individuals through UNHCR. Voting is open through April 18th.

The Stellar Development Foundation collaborated with Friends With Benefits to host an Art Basel event that raised funds for Casa Tochan, a migrant shelter in Mexico City. The event featured artist Daniel Fila (Krave) creating a live graffiti mural symbolizing financial freedom and creative liberation, aligning with Stellar's mission of financial inclusion.

The Stellar Development Foundation commissioned PwC to develop a global financial inclusion framework to help assess how blockchain-based solutions can advance digital financial inclusion and enhance the social impact of financial service providers.

Velo Labs announced partnerships between its Orbit crypto merchant network and major POS providers, targeting 500,000 users by year-end. Orbit enables QR code-based cryptocurrency payments at retail points of sale with instant fiat conversion for merchants.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) partnered with the Stellar Development Foundation to pilot a blockchain-powered cash assistance program in Ukraine using Stellar Aid Assist and the Stellar Disbursement Platform, reaching 167 households with digital aid delivery that achieved 100% recipient satisfaction.

Velo Labs announced strategic partnerships with TransactCloud, FT Worldwide, and an unnamed fintech innovator to advance its Web3 Finance offerings. The collaborations aim to enhance liquidity, trading, and Web2-Web3 connectivity through Velo's Universe platform and Lightyear trading bot.

Moody's rated the first tokenized fund on public blockchains, giving Singapore's FundBridge Capital's SGD Delta fund an AA rating. The fund will issue tokenized units on Ethereum and Stellar, investing in Singapore government securities for accredited investors.

Stellar Aid Assist, launched one year ago in Ukraine with UNHCR, has successfully disbursed $1.1 million in aid to over 1,500 internally displaced people. The initiative's success led to the development and open-sourcing of the Stellar Disbursement Platform, enabling bulk payments across borders for governments, organizations, and companies.

Range announces a long-term security partnership with Margined Protocol to enhance security for its on-chain perpetuals and vaults on Cosmos. Range will provide customized monitoring, analytics, risk dashboards, and incident response tools. Margined is innovating DeFi perpetual products on CosmWasm networks.

The Stellar Development Foundation submitted comments to the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) on blockchain sustainability standards under the MiCA regulation, highlighting the Stellar network's environmental efficiencies and promoting the use of existing assessment methodologies like the Blockchain Sustainability Framework developed with PwC.

Range partners with Oak Security to deliver end-to-end security for Cosmos projects, extending audits into continuous monitoring. This addresses limitations like dynamic codebases and third-party risks. Range, trusted by Stellar among others, provides customized real-time security tools.

ClickPesa and Pendulum announced a partnership to expand DeFi-based financing for SMEs in Tanzania. Pendulum's blockchain bridges Polkadot and Stellar, enabling the ClickPesa Debt Fund to provide capital to microfinance institutions serving underserved businesses and women entrepreneurs.

Tajinder Singh, Deputy Secretary General of IOSCO, discusses global regulation and standards for digital assets in a podcast interview at SDF's Meridian conference. He emphasizes investor protection, market integrity, and coordinated regulatory approaches across jurisdictions.

Australian crypto companies Upside and Stables announce a partnership to deliver Web3 education, events, and content, while providing Stables a Melbourne base at Upside HQ. Stables offers a digital wallet for spending, sending, and earning stablecoins, aiding businesses with treasury and payroll. The collaboration aims to boost crypto adoption in Australia.

The Stellar Development Foundation released its Q3 2023 report highlighting major progress on its roadmap, including Soroban's advancement toward Mainnet launch, security partnerships with Certora, enhancements to the Anchor Platform and Wallet SDK, and significant ecosystem milestones like Circle's EURC stablecoin launch and MoneyGram's planned wallet integration.

The Stellar Development Foundation joined the CALP Network as its first Layer 1 blockchain member, advancing humanitarian cash and voucher assistance programs. SDF's Stellar Aid Assist platform, powered by the Stellar Disbursement Platform, enables rapid, low-cost digital payments to crisis-affected populations worldwide.

Meridian 2023, the annual Stellar conference held in Madrid, showcased major ecosystem developments including MoneyGram's non-custodial wallet launch, Circle's EURC stablecoin deployment, and significant upgrades to developer tools like the Anchor Platform and Stellar Disbursement Platform.

Circle launched EURC, its euro-backed stablecoin, on Stellar as the third blockchain after Ethereum and Avalanche. The stablecoin enables 24/7 global transactions with low costs and near-instant settlement, with integration into aid disbursement systems and expansion by Ripio to Spain.

The Stellar Development Foundation has released an open-source Stellar Disbursement Platform for bulk payments, with Zodia Custody becoming the first organization to provide technical hosting. The platform enables organizations to send bulk payments for humanitarian aid, cash assistance, cross-border payroll, and other use cases.

The Stellar Development Foundation announced its support for the World Economic Forum's Humanitarian and Resilience Investing Initiative, positioning itself as the sole blockchain organization in the initiative. SDF aims to leverage blockchain technology to address poverty and insecurity affecting 2 billion people globally while advancing its mission of inclusive financial infrastructure.

The Stellar Development Foundation unveiled a new brand identity centered on the tagline 'Where Blockchain Meets the Real World,' reflecting its focus on real-world utility and financial inclusion. The rebrand includes updated visual design, website, and a partnership with actor Idris Elba as an ambassador, whose mission aligns with SDF's commitment to creating equitable access to opportunity.

The Stellar Newsletter highlights key developments including the launch of the open-source Stellar Disbursement Platform, Allbridge's cross-chain bridge connecting Stellar to Ethereum, Solana, Celo, and Polygon, and SDF's investment in MoneyGram International. It also promotes Meridian 2023 conference, developer tools for Soroban, and various ecosystem updates like Airtm's USDC integration and Q2 review. The content emphasizes Stellar's growth in interoperability, financial inclusion, and smart contract scalability.