Stellar Ecosystem
News

Stellar's Meridian 2021 conference (Nov 17-18) will showcase local builders creating financial inclusion solutions on the network. The event features ecosystem updates, debates on regulation and digital currencies, and community product demos under the theme Build Locally, Impact Globally.

Bitso, a leading Latin American exchange, is integrating Stellar USDC to offer cheaper and faster cross-border payments between the US and Mexico, benefiting its 2+ million users through reduced transaction costs and improved interoperability across the region.

DFS Lab and the Stellar Development Foundation launched a three-day Blockchain Bootcamp for African startups to build on Stellar, with prizes up to 20,000 USDC and potential follow-on funding opportunities.

Denelle Dixon, CEO of the Stellar Development Foundation, discusses how Stellar addresses financial inclusion in emerging markets by reducing remittance costs, enabling women's financial access, and providing SMBs with tools to compete globally through low-cost, fast transactions.

The Stellar Development Foundation joined the Association of Ukrainian Banks as a member, formalizing its advisory role in helping Ukraine develop blockchain and virtual asset capabilities alongside the country's banking system.

SDF convened Ukrainian financial leaders with blockchain experts to discuss virtual asset strategy ahead of new legislation. The event featured industry practitioners sharing real-world use cases on compliance, tokenization, CBDCs, and stablecoins to help shape Ukraine's emerging virtual asset ecosystem.

Wyre launched a Savings API enabling fintechs to offer yield-earning savings accounts in Stellar USDC, with returns many times higher than traditional U.S. savings accounts. The service follows a $5 million SDF Enterprise Fund investment in Wyre and is already being used by fintech Airtm to serve Latin American users.

Stellar Development Foundation invested $15 million in Airtm, a Latin American digital wallet and P2P exchange platform, to expand financial access in underserved regions. The partnership will integrate Airtm with Stellar's network and USDC stablecoin to enable broader payment services.

Stellar Development Foundation invests $15 million in Airtm, a Mexican digital wallet and P2P exchange platform serving Latin America. The funds will support Airtm's integration with Stellar to enable faster, cheaper, and safer payment services across emerging markets.

The Stellar Development Foundation's Enterprise Fund invested $15 million in Airtm, a Mexico-based digital wallet and crypto exchange. This is SDF's largest investment on record and part of a broader strategy to expand cross-border payments and financial inclusion in Latin America.

Visa partnered with fintech startup Tala to expand crypto adoption in emerging markets, providing USDC stablecoin access through Tala's digital wallet and enabling Visa-issued payment cards linked to the wallet.

Two Stellar Community Fund finalists, COINQVEST and Anclap, are partnering to deliver inflation-free payment processing in Argentina. COINQVEST provides merchant payment solutions on Stellar, while Anclap offers anchor services and digital currency payments, demonstrating ecosystem network effects.

The Stellar Development Foundation invested $3 million in Tribal Credit, a fintech platform serving SMEs in emerging markets. Tribal will build blockchain products on Stellar to provide faster, cheaper cross-border payments and banking services across Latin America.

Stellar Development Foundation invested $750,000 in Cowrie, a Nigeria-based fintech platform using Stellar for crypto remittances. The funding supports expansion of payment corridors between Africa and the world, though Cowrie recently suspended naira transactions due to Nigeria's crypto banking restrictions.

Stellar Development Foundation invested $750K in Cowrie Integrated Systems, a London-based fintech enabling cross-border payments and remittances across Africa, particularly Nigeria, while engaging with regulators on cryptocurrency policy.

The Stellar Development Foundation participated in the National Briefing of Women of Color in Blockchain, highlighting the need for greater diversity in blockchain leadership and discussing how blockchain technology can drive financial inclusion for underserved communities and small businesses.

Bidali launched a pilot in Bermuda enabling residents to purchase rum with digital Bermuda dollars on the Stellar network, marking progress toward the island's comprehensive crypto payments system.

Stellar Development Foundation will partner with Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation to develop the country's CBDC and virtual asset infrastructure, including stablecoin regulation. The collaboration marks SDF's continued expansion into government digital currency projects across multiple countries.

The Stellar Development Foundation invested $3 million in Settle Network, a Latin American cross-border payment platform, to support its stablecoin exchange StableX. This marks SDF's fourth Enterprise Fund investment this fiscal year.

Settle Network and Stellar launched ARST and BRLT stablecoins pegged to Argentine peso and Brazilian real respectively, enabling fast cross-border remittances between Latin America's two largest economies and addressing financial inclusion for millions of unbanked citizens.

Stellar CEO Denelle Dixon will speak on a panel at the IMF's annual meeting about the private sector's role in cross-border payments, alongside leaders from eCurrency, Mastercard, and Celo. The panel will be webcast on October 19.

SDF board members discuss strategies for achieving network effects in blockchain, emphasizing the importance of critical mass, user trust, and open networks like Stellar to serve underbanked populations in developing markets.

The Stellar Development Foundation announced Meridian 2020, its second annual virtual conference (November 16-20), designed as a global forum to address systemic challenges through diverse perspectives and collaborative action on financial inclusion, cross-border payments, and equitable access to financial systems.