Stellar Ecosystem
News

The Stellar Development Foundation is heading to the World Economic Forum in Davos to showcase Stellar Aid Assist, a blockchain-based aid disbursement system now being piloted by UNHCR and IRC to deliver cash assistance to displaced persons in Ukraine without requiring bank accounts.

The Stellar Development Foundation's 2022 year-in-review highlights major milestones: 7M+ network accounts, Soroban smart contracts launching mid-2023, MoneyGram Ramps enabling cash-to-crypto conversion, and Stellar Aid Assist delivering humanitarian aid via blockchain.

UNHCR launches a blockchain-based cash assistance pilot in Ukraine using Stellar, Vibrant wallet, and USDC stablecoins to distribute humanitarian aid to war-displaced Ukrainians. Recipients can convert funds to local currency and withdraw via MoneyGram.

Ginger Baker, Head of Financial Access at Plaid, has joined the Stellar Development Foundation board of directors. Baker brings over a decade of experience in financial services and payment technologies to support SDF's mission of creating equitable access to the global financial system.

Airtm CEO Rubén Galindo Steckel discusses how blockchain and cross-border payments can enable Latin Americans to participate in the digital economy, reducing dependency on unstable local governments and creating income opportunities without migration.

The Stellar Development Foundation announced a $5 million investment in Wave, an African mobile money app serving over 10 million users across five countries. The investment supports Wave's integration with Stellar to expand affordable financial services across Africa.

Wirex launched USD Coin (USDC) on Stellar through its app, enabling 5 million users across 39 countries to buy, hold, and spend the stablecoin via crypto-enabled debit card with up to 8% WXT rewards, marking a major milestone in the ongoing Wirex-SDF collaboration for financial inclusion.

The Blue Marble, a Stellar-based NFT marketplace, enables carbon removal investments through blockchain technology. Founded by Task.io creators, it helps brands and investors fund environmental projects like biochar production while supporting smallholder farmers in developing countries with transparent, low-cost transactions.

Stax, an African fintech app, received $500,000 from the Stellar Development Foundation's Matching Fund to build a non-custodial USDC wallet on Stellar, enabling offline payments via USSD for users with limited mobile data.

SDF CEO Denelle Dixon testified before the U.S. Senate on the Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act, emphasizing Stellar's role in financial inclusion for the 2 billion unbanked people globally and calling for regulatory clarity to unlock blockchain's potential.

The Stellar Development Foundation announced Meridian 2022, its annual in-person conference returning to Rome October 11-13. The event will feature keynotes from Alexis Ohanian, CFTC Commissioner Caroline Pham, and industry leaders, with sessions on stablecoins, humanitarian aid, regulation, and blockchain's role in financial inclusion.

Stellar Development Foundation announces a design contest for Meridian 2022, the 4th annual conference in Rome. The winner receives a trip to the event; submissions run through September 3rd, 2022.

The Stellar Development Foundation submitted comments to the U.S. Treasury on digital asset regulation, advocating for interoperability between CBDCs, stablecoins, and blockchain-based systems to advance financial inclusion and reduce transaction costs.

SDF launches Stellar Ramps, a suite of open standards enabling applications to connect to a global network of on and off ramps provided by Stellar anchors, making it easier for users to convert fiat to digital assets and vice versa.

SDF's Marketing Grants Program has distributed over 1 million dollars to Stellar ecosystem projects since its January relaunch. The program supports user acquisition and growth through paid media, events, PR, and marketing resources for qualified projects aligned with financial inclusion.

SDF, eCurrency, and ANZ's CBDC prototype solution has been shortlisted for the G20 TechSprint 2022, competing to demonstrate how central bank digital currencies can be issued and distributed efficiently on blockchain infrastructure.

Stellar announces Meridian 2022, its 4th annual conference in Rome (October 11-13), themed 'The Urgency of Doing.' The event will bring together developers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to discuss blockchain solutions for real-world challenges like cross-border payments, financial inclusion, and regulatory frameworks.

Wyre integrated with MoneyGram's Stellar-powered on/off-ramp service, enabling users to convert between cash and cryptocurrency globally. The zero-fee service for 12 months lets users move fiat to blockchain in five minutes and cash out digital assets from nearly anywhere.

MoneyGram and the Stellar Development Foundation launched a global on/off-ramp service enabling users to convert between cash and cryptocurrencies at MoneyGram locations. The service, powered by Stellar and USDC, is now available in Canada, Kenya, Philippines, and the U.S., with global cash-out functionality expected by June 2022.

MoneyGram launched an on- and off-ramp service for digital wallets in partnership with Stellar Development Foundation, enabling users to convert between fiat and cryptocurrency without bank accounts. The service rolls out in Canada, Kenya, the Philippines, and the US using Circle's USDC stablecoin, with Vibrat and Lobstr wallet integration.

Stellar Development Foundation submitted comments to the Federal Reserve on how CBDCs could improve financial inclusion, reduce payment costs, and enable cross-border remittances. The SDF highlighted Stellar's role in CBDC infrastructure, citing examples like Brazil's central bank partnership and cost comparisons showing Stellar's efficiency for remittances.

Stellar Development Foundation CEO reflects on three years of leadership, highlighting past achievements like bringing USDC to Stellar and the MoneyGram partnership, present momentum with ecosystem products launching, and future priorities including smart contracts via Project Jump Cannon, bridging, and scalability.