Stellar Ecosystem
News

SDF launched a $30 million Matching Fund to co-invest in early-stage companies building on Stellar, with first investments supporting payroll, remittances, NFTs, and cross-border payments across Latin America and Africa.

SDF, MoneyGram, and Techstars launched a three-year startup accelerator program focused on blockchain-based cross-border payments solutions for Latin America. The program will select up to 12 FinTech startups for a 13-week mentorship initiative, with applications opening July 25.

Stellar Development Foundation announces Project Jump Cannon, a research initiative to bring native smart contracts to Stellar. SDF explains why the network initially avoided smart contracts and why ecosystem growth now demands this capability while maintaining Stellar's core values of safety, scalability, and equitable access.

The Stellar Development Foundation spotlights three women on its Developer Relations and Engineering teams, sharing their career paths, daily work, and advice for others entering blockchain and tech roles during Women's History Month.

DFS Lab and the Stellar Development Foundation launched a second Blockchain Bootcamp for African startups to build on Stellar, offering $5,000-$20,000 XLM prizes and follow-on funding opportunities. The virtual three-day sprint runs April 26-28, 2022, with applications due March 27.

The Stellar Development Foundation published its 2022 strategic roadmap with three core pillars: increasing scalability and network innovation, activating more network participation, and promoting financial inclusion. The roadmap outlines SDF's commitment to supporting ecosystem growth while maintaining transparency through quarterly reports and regular updates.

SDF published a guidebook for regulators on designing CBDCs, explaining how central bank digital currencies can improve financial inclusion through open blockchains like Stellar, with features like programmability, compliance controls, and privacy protections.

Tribal, a B2B fintech platform for emerging markets, raised $40 million in debt funding from the Stellar Development Foundation and Partners for Growth, including $20 million in Stellar USDC to provide cheaper capital access to SMBs across Latin America.

DFS Labs and SDF hosted a blockchain bootcamp in Africa with nine companies building on Stellar. Three companies earned $15,000 for ready-to-deploy solutions (HoneyCoin, Stax, Bonafide), while six earned $5,000 for demonstrating rapid technology adoption in their workflows.

Meridian 2021, Stellar's annual conference, concluded with keynotes on climate and economy, a MoneyGram partnership announcement enabling cash on/off ramps via 400k+ agent locations, ecosystem builder sessions, regulatory debates, and SDF's 2022 strategic priorities focused on utility, participation, ecosystem growth, inclusion, and policy impact.

Flutterwave launched two new remittance corridors between Europe and Africa on Stellar, partnering with TEMPO to offer cost-effective money transfers using Stellar USDC, expanding Pan-African digital payments infrastructure.

Flutterwave and TEMPO launched two new remittance corridors between Europe and Africa on Stellar, using Stellar USDC to reduce costs and improve efficiency for cross-border payments to underserved regions.

The Stellar Development Foundation announced a $40M investment in Tala, a fintech company serving unbanked populations in Kenya, Mexico, India, and the Philippines. Tala will expand its digital banking platform to offer borrowing, saving, and payments using Stellar assets and USDC stablecoins.

The Stellar Development Foundation launched Stellar Next-Gen, an educational initiative partnering with universities and organizations worldwide to develop blockchain talent and foster financial inclusion through courses, hackathons, and mentorship programs.

The Stellar Development Foundation announced a new Matching Fund track within its Enterprise Fund to co-invest up to $500K alongside lead investors in early-stage companies building on Stellar. The fund targets pre-Series B startups globally, particularly in emerging markets, with expedited processing and a one-year integration timeline.

Stellar's built-in asset issuance capabilities, compliance features, and consensus protocol make it well-suited for central bank digital currencies. The network offers security and control comparable to centralized systems while enabling interoperability on a public blockchain.

Justin Rice from Stellar Development Foundation discusses how open-source blockchain networks can transform cross-border payments by eliminating intermediaries, reducing costs, and improving financial inclusion in emerging markets.

DFS Lab is hosting a three-day Blockchain Bootcamp in collaboration with the Stellar Development Foundation for nine African startups building financial solutions on Stellar. Winners will receive prizes and pitch to investors at a demo day.

Stellar Development Foundation moved $150 million of USDC on-chain to provide debt financing and working capital loans to ecosystem projects, expanding financial support beyond grants to accelerate growth in cross-border payments and remittances.

Jason Chlipala, COO of Stellar Development Foundation, discusses how blockchain enables safer, more efficient payment systems on shared infrastructure. He highlights Stellar's advantages for asset issuance, cross-border transactions, and financial inclusion, particularly in remittances where fees could drop from 7-15% to fractions of pennies.

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.

Seth Hertlein from the Stellar Development Foundation spoke at a Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum in Panama about blockchain, illicit finance, and financial inclusion. He presented data showing cryptocurrency crime is minimal (0.34% of transactions) and argued policymakers should focus on blockchain's benefits for the unbanked rather than overreacting to crime risks.

Leaf Global Fintech, a Stellar-backed digital wallet for migrants and refugees in East Africa, shares insights on winning the Stellar Community Fund. The company emphasizes clear communication, user experience prioritization, and empathetic growth strategies.

Stellar Development Foundation announced it has been certified as a Great Place to Work for the first time, with a 96% positive employee response rate and 100% of employees saying it is a great place to work, validating the organization's commitment to diversity, inclusion, and workplace culture.

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.