Stellar Ecosystem
News

Normal Finance adds support for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XLM to its non-custodial wallet, launching July 7. The multi-asset expansion uses Turnkey-powered biometric passkeys to replace traditional seed phrases, making self-custody accessible without sacrificing security. A savings product earning ~8% APY on USDC remains foundational.

KindFi launches Venezuela Earthquake Emergency Relief campaign on Stellar, using on-chain escrow infrastructure from Trustless Work to ensure transparent, milestone-based fund releases to verified relief organizations.

Stellar Passport created nearly 200 new wallets at Istanbul's post-hackathon event, demonstrating how experiential marketing drives real ecosystem onboarding. A single QR scan gives users a passkey-secured wallet with instant access.

Rivool integrated Blend's DeFi lending protocol to bring onchain yield into managed, risk-profiled strategies for financial advisors and their clients. Instead of requiring investors to understand wallets and protocols, advisors can now offer yield-bearing strategies that match their clients' risk profiles. The integration solves a key gap: distribution. Onchain yield exists, but reaching end investors requires abstraction and trust.

Founder Bruno Miranda shares his journey building ArcusX, a Stellar-based job marketplace using USDC escrow. The platform addresses a core freelancer problem: payment held in trust until both parties agree work is complete. Miranda grounds the product in his childhood experience of economic hardship and lessons learned from his parents' entrepreneurial resilience.

SozuPay completes Stellar Instawards grant with end-to-end distribution infrastructure. Integrated NGO dashboard with Stellar Disbursement Platform enables organizations to distribute USDC to beneficiaries via self-custodial wallets using passkeys.

The United Nations Development Programme launched a 26-member Blockchain Advisory Group, including Stellar Development Foundation, to explore how blockchain can address development challenges. Convening twice annually, the inaugural meeting focused on financial inclusion and how blockchain technologies can complement existing infrastructure to expand access, improve efficiency, and strengthen transparency.

Mercy Corps Ventures, Fonkoze Foundation, and Bousol launch a blockchain-based cash pilot in rural Haiti, disbursing $80,000 in USDC stablecoins to 200 extremely vulnerable women via Stellar-powered Bousol wallets. The pilot tests whether digital cash is safer, more efficient, and more transparent than physical cash or mobile money.

Bermuda announced it will move key payment and financial-services activity onchain using the Stellar network, becoming the world's first fully onchain national economy. The initiative aims to reduce payment processing fees and increase financial inclusion through digital wallets and stablecoin-based payments.

Normal Finance launched a non-custodial savings app on Stellar that lets users earn variable APY on USDC through DeFindex vaults and Blend Capital lending, with no lockups or custody risk.

MoneyGram and the Stellar Development Foundation extended their partnership, expanding stablecoin-backed services across Latin America. The MoneyGram app now supports USDC balances in El Salvador and Colombia, enabling faster remittances and financial access for millions of cash-dependent families.

Decaf launches WhatsApp-based money transfers in Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina. Users send USDC to a WhatsApp number; recipients receive funds instantly without app downloads or crypto knowledge and can immediately withdraw to bank accounts, access cash via MoneyGram, or use virtual cards.

Glo Dollar's foundation is winding down, with Brale—the regulated infrastructure provider behind the stablecoin—taking over program operations. The transition simplifies Glo's operating structure while maintaining the brand, holder experience, reserves, and mission-driven approach to supporting public goods through everyday financial activity.

Guide comparing payment platforms for Latin American freelancers receiving international payments in 2026, highlighting Meru as a Stellar-based solution designed for the region with low fees, real US bank accounts, and DeFi savings features.

A 12-week ambassador program at iDEAUFRO in southern Chile introduces students from diverse backgrounds to Stellar blockchain and Web3 development. The program uses Stellar Passport for identity management and project tracking, emphasizing that blockchain extends far beyond cryptocurrency to enable open, accessible global finance.

A Stanford study of 41 million USDC transactions on Airtm, a Stellar-based digital wallet, demonstrates that stablecoins are already outperforming the G20's 2030 cross-border payment targets, with 96% of transactions settling in under an hour and proving digital payments work at scale for everyday users.

Xcapit's Shelter is a multi-chain value distribution platform proven through UNICEF humanitarian pilots in Peru and Kenya. Built on EVM, Stellar, and Cardano, it enables transparent, auditable cash transfers and disbursements at near-zero cost across any context from aid to corporate benefits.

UNICEF's AidLink combines Rumsan, Xcapit's Shelter, and Kotani Pay into a modular blockchain pipeline for humanitarian cash transfers. A Cusco pilot with 270 beneficiaries reduced transfer costs by over 80% and achieved sub-30-second settlement with 100% fund delivery and full on-chain auditability.

IRL, a cultural loyalty platform, successfully onboarded 73,000+ people into the Stellar ecosystem through real-world activations at Meridian 2025 in Rio de Janeiro and Art Basel's Stellar House in Miami, using Privy wallets and IRL Touchpoints to create seamless onchain experiences without requiring crypto knowledge.

The Marshall Islands launched USDM1, a Stellar-based sovereign bond token, through the Lomalo digital wallet to disburse universal basic income to citizens. The token generates yield for holders and addresses the nation's reliance on physical cash after banking sector collapse.

VIA and the Stellar Development Foundation announced a collaboration to distribute over $200,000 in USDC stablecoins to 325 mothers in Haiti through Hope for Haiti's poverty alleviation programs. The six-month initiative leverages Stellar's blockchain network and VIA's secure mobile technology to enable direct, transparent aid disbursement while reducing cash-related safety risks.

The Marshall Islands has launched the world's first blockchain-based universal basic income (UBI) program using the Stellar blockchain. The initiative, called ENRA, disburses USDM1—a U.S. dollar-denominated sovereign bond fully backed by U.S. Treasuries—via digital wallets to citizens across dispersed islands. This replaces physical cash deliveries with instant on-chain transfers.

The Stellar Development Foundation announced an updated mandate framework for 2025 and beyond, reorganizing its XLM holdings into four strategic focus areas: SDF Development, Stellar Growth, Product and Innovation, and Assets and Liquidity. The update reflects the network's evolution toward production financial infrastructure and real-world asset adoption.

Stellar Meridian 2025 in Rio showcased the evolution of Stellar's blockchain into production-grade infrastructure for payments, identity, RWAs, and stablecoins. Key sessions highlighted open systems, regulatory progress, privacy innovations, and real-world applications from partners like MoneyGram, Nubank, and Ondo Finance. LATAM and Africa emerged as blueprints for financial inclusion and efficient money movement.

Raja Chakravorti, Chief Business Officer at the Stellar Development Foundation, describes Stellar as invisible blockchain infrastructure that seamlessly integrates with existing financial systems to drive real-world financial inclusion. He highlights key partnerships with MoneyGram and Franklin Templeton, enabling crypto-to-cash services across 430K locations in 175+ countries. Stellar's focus is on scalability, institutional adoption, and making money accessible without users noticing the blockchain.

Hana Wallet partners with MoneyGram, powered by Stellar and USDC, to enable instant cash withdrawals of stablecoins in Southeast Asia. Users can convert USDC to local cash at over 350,000 MoneyGram locations without banks or exchanges. This bridges digital finance with cash-based economies for freelancers, families, and businesses.

Stellar has partnered with Chainlink to integrate CCIP, Data Feeds, and Data Streams into the Stellar ecosystem, enabling secure cross-chain asset transfers and institutional-grade tokenization while advancing financial inclusion for underbanked populations.