Stellar Ecosystem
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The EU remittance market is consolidating around regulated stablecoin infrastructure. Companies using stablecoins settle at 1-2% vs 6%+ with traditional rails. Market consolidation has narrowed vendor options, and overlapping EU regulations make vendor selection now a strategic cost decision, not just a risk one.

MoneyGram launches MGUSD on Stellar: a stablecoin that gives its 60 million customers self-custodial digital dollar balances connected to MoneyGram's global cash-access network. The product prioritizes real-world utility for underbanked populations over trading liquidity, paired with treasury modernization across stablecoin prefunding and settlement.

MoneyGram and Stellar extend their partnership to expand stablecoin-backed remittance services from Colombia to El Salvador, enabling families to receive and hold USDC instantly at MoneyGram locations across Latin America.

Tether launches self-custodial wallet supporting USDT, USAT, and XAUT across multiple blockchains. MoneyGram expands stablecoin balance service to El Salvador via Stellar partnership. Rain and Lydian debut Lydian Card enabling 300+ digital assets at 150M merchants.

Stellar has selected Zebec to deploy real-time streaming payroll natively on its network, marking Zebec's first deployment outside Solana. The integration enables businesses to pay employees and contractors in USDC by the second, with access to 450,000+ MoneyGram locations for cash pickup globally.

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.

At Stellar House Miami, the Stellar Development Foundation hosted a panel discussion featuring Crossmint, Airtm, and MoneyGram on revolutionizing cross-border payments. The panelists highlighted how blockchain infrastructure enables instant settlement, faster than traditional finance, and discussed the key ingredients for building trust in financial systems: speed, predictability, and security.

AirTM, a cross-border payments network built on Stellar, reduces international payroll processing from days to minutes while saving companies 20-25% on fees. The company processes over $1 billion in stablecoin payments and serves 650,000 people across 192 countries by converting USDC to local currency in six minutes across 488 payment methods.

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.

Stablecoins like USDC, integrated with Stellar and MoneyGram via Hana, are revolutionizing remittances in emerging markets by enabling near-instant, low-cost transfers convertible to cash. This addresses high fees and delays in traditional systems, particularly in Southeast Asia where remittances are projected to exceed $100 billion in 2025. The partnership provides financial stability and inclusion for unbanked populations.

MoneyGram leads the stablecoin on-ramp market via its Stellar partnership, processing USDC across 375,000 locations, while Western Union launches its own Solana-based USDPT stablecoin to capture economics. Ria trails with a Fireblocks partnership. This divergence highlights strategic splits in the remittance industry's blockchain adaptation.

MoneyGram is launching a stablecoin-based cross-border payment solution in Colombia powered by Stellar, Crossmint, and Circle's USDC. The mobile app lets users receive funds instantly, store USD stablecoins, and cash out globally with lower fees and faster settlement than traditional methods.

CHATS is a blockchain-powered platform revolutionizing humanitarian aid distribution with transparency, smart contracts, and direct cash/voucher assistance to vulnerable communities. It runs on multiple chains including Stellar and Polygon, using non-custodial, gasless smart contracts and stablecoins for secure, efficient fund disbursement. Key features include offline NFC transactions, real-time dashboards, and fraud prevention, benefiting NGOs, donors, vendors, and beneficiaries.

TD Markets Exchange has launched ZARC Coin, a South African Rand-pegged stablecoin on the Stellar network, in partnership with Shift Markets. The asset offers up to 7.5% APY and enables cross-border payments, remittances, and wealth preservation with 24/7 liquidity and local on/off ramps.

Trustless Work participated in Casa Builders CDMX, a Stellar-hosted hackathon in Mexico focusing on financial inclusion, digital identity, and public good transparency. Their team built Pacto, a decentralized P2P stablecoin ramp using Trustless Work's programmable escrow, and won the event. The hackathon united Latin American builders, with strong Costa Rican representation.

This article highlights Stellar blockchain's role in revolutionizing remittances, cooperative fund management, and financial inclusion in Latin America. It showcases apps like Tempo, Vibrant, and LOBSTR enabling instant transfers, transparent records, and bankless access. Stellar is positioned as a leader in practical blockchain adoption.

PayPal is launching PYUSD stablecoin on Stellar to enable cross-border payments and PayFi working capital solutions for small and medium-sized businesses, complementing its existing presence on Ethereum and Solana.

MoneyGram has reached $30 million in transaction volume through its crypto-to-cash service on Stellar, operating in over 170 countries. The partnership demonstrates real-world blockchain adoption for financial inclusion, enabling users to convert stablecoins to local currency and facilitating humanitarian aid distribution.

The Stellar Dev Diaries series follows the Freelii team's journey building a remittance chatbot on Stellar, from hackathon wins through securing Stellar Community Fund grants to mainnet launch. Episode 2 covers their pivot strategy, Telegram mini app development, and use of Stellar Anchors for on-ramping.

RemittEase is an omni-chain remittance service using Stellar alongside Base, Optimism, Lisk, and XRP to deliver sub 1% fees and faster transfers compared to traditional 6-20% services. It emphasizes transparency, security, and user-friendly onboarding for global families. The platform aims to make cross-border payments more accessible and fair, especially for underserved regions.

The UN Development Programme and Stellar Development Foundation announced a strategic partnership to deploy blockchain solutions for financial inclusion and sustainable development, focusing on cross-border payments, remittances, and digital financial access in emerging economies.

Stellar Development Foundation integrates Mastercard's Crypto Credential solution as the exclusive credentialing system for its ecosystem, enabling secure and compliant crypto remittances and peer-to-peer transfers through wallet providers like Coins.ph, Mercado Bitcoin, and Wirex.