Stellar Ecosystem
News

Circle expanded its euro-pegged stablecoin EURC to Stellar, making it the third blockchain after Ethereum and Avalanche. Ripio became the first platform to offer EURC payments and withdrawals on Stellar, targeting Latin American users and European remittance corridors.

Tempo France and nTokens launched a remittance corridor from EU to Brazil using Stellar blockchain, enabling 170+ Brazilian banks to receive funds with lower costs, faster speeds, and enhanced security through the Tempo mobile app.

Beans, a non-custodial payments app on Stellar, announced major updates including a redesigned UI, support for Nigerian Naira and USD bank deposits/withdrawals via new partners Link and Kado, an in-app QR scanner, and a new support page. The app has doubled its user base over three consecutive months.

Decentralife is a new interview series from the Stellar Development Foundation profiling builders in the blockchain ecosystem. The first feature is Neema Adam, a front-end engineer in Tanzania working on ClickPesa (cross-border payments infrastructure) and Flexbeats (a platform for African music producers to sell beats globally).

Stablecoins are revolutionizing global payments and remittances by offering low fees, fast transactions, and stability pegged to fiat currencies like the USD. USDC and USDT, available on blockchains including Stellar, provide secure, 24/7 cross-border transfers. The article explores their advantages, top stablecoins, non-USD options like EUROC, and future potential with CBDCs.

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.

Stellar launched its open-source Disbursement Platform globally, enabling fast, low-cost bulk payments for gig workers, payroll, and aid distribution across 180+ countries with real-time tracking and instant cash conversion.

Stellar Development Foundation invested in MoneyGram International as a minority investor, with CEO Denelle Dixon joining MoneyGram's board. The investment aims to support MoneyGram's digital transformation and blockchain exploration to serve underbanked populations globally.

Stellar Development Foundation has published an e-book showcasing case studies of financial institutions and fintechs building on the Stellar network, highlighting applications in cross-border payments, remittances, and financial inclusion.

UNHCR and the UN's technology provider UNICC are piloting Stellar Aid Assist, a blockchain-based cash disbursement solution using the Stellar network and USDC stablecoin to deliver humanitarian aid directly to displaced persons in Ukraine. The program enables instant bulk transfers, eliminates banking requirements, and provides full transaction traceability.

A free eBook guidebook explaining how businesses can use the Stellar network to streamline cross-border payments, reduce costs, and leverage stablecoins for international transactions without currency volatility.

Owny is a white-label platform that leverages Stellar blockchain and AI to streamline private equity fund management, capital raising, and investor relations. The platform tokenizes assets on Stellar, enabling fast, low-cost cross-border payments and simplified compliance for alternative asset marketplaces.

GetPaid is a Stellar-powered marketplace connecting African digital professionals with global companies, enabling cross-border payments in multiple currencies with fast settlement and low fees. The platform leverages Stellar's Anchor platform and SEP standards to provide accessible financial services to freelancers, creators, and traders in Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania.

Félix, a WhatsApp-based remittance platform, partners with Bitso to enable faster and cheaper cross-border payments from the US to Latin America using USDC on the Stellar network. The solution reduces remittance times from hours or days to seconds while dramatically lowering transaction fees.

MoneyGram International has launched MoneyGram Ramps, a cash-to-crypto on and off-ramp service powered by the Stellar blockchain and USDC stablecoin. The service enables unbanked and underbanked populations to convert physical cash to digital assets at MoneyGram's 480,000+ locations worldwide, addressing the critical last-mile problem in blockchain adoption.

Arf, a regulated liquidity and settlement platform, leverages the Stellar network and USDC to provide cross-border payment solutions for financial institutions. By eliminating pre-funding requirements and enabling same-day settlements, Arf has extended over $830 million in loans with $1.6 billion in on-chain transaction volume since 2022.

This article explains the role of lumens (XLM), Stellar's native token, in the network's design. Lumens serve as a modest barrier to prevent spam and abuse while keeping the network accessible, with a minimum balance requirement of 1 lumen and transaction fees of 0.00001 XLM.

Vesseo is a wallet app built on Stellar by Sunship, Inc. (an SDF subsidiary) that enables Argentines to quickly and cheaply purchase and hold USDC to protect against peso devaluation. The app leverages Stellar's fast settlement, low fees, and asset issuance capabilities to provide a simple alternative to traditional dollar-holding methods.