Stellar news

The Stellar Development Foundation has added MoneyGram, Figure Markets, and Range as Tier 1 validators, upgrading its network backbone on July 16, 2026, with integration expected by mid-August. Tier 1 validators operate critical infrastructure under Stellar's consensus protocol, requiring high uptime and distributed nodes. These firms have strategic interests in Stellar's reliability: MoneyGram, partnered since 2021, serves over 60 million customers; Figure Markets focuses on regulated yield-bearing assets; Range secures assets across 200+ networks. Their inclusion diversifies the validator set, reducing single points of failure and signaling deeper institutional adoption in regulated blockchain payments.

Stellar's Q2 2026 network report shows tokenized real-world assets reached $3.05 billion, doubling from the prior quarter, while stablecoin transfers hit an all-time high of $11.4 billion and daily transactions averaged 4.9 million. The growth was driven by Protocol 26, launched on May 6, which introduced a governed freeze mechanism for regulatory compliance and improved 256-bit arithmetic for institutional-grade settlements. Issuers like Centrifuge, Matrixdock, and various EU, UK, and US firms are tokenizing private credit, gold, and US Treasuries on the network. Interest from the DTCC signals institutional adoption. Stellar's RWA growth outpaced the broader market fourfold, positioning it as a strong competitor in the tokenization landscape against Ethereum, Polygon, Avalanche, and Solana.

Tokenization platform Tradable plans to bring up to $1 billion in private credit assets onto the Stellar blockchain, expanding institutional access to tokenized real-world assets (RWAs). The company said $500 million in notional value is expected to be available at launch, increasing to $1 billion over time. Tradable has already tokenized $1.7 billion in private credit assets across nearly 30 positions. The move reflects growing institutional interest in Stellar for RWAs, with partners including DTCC. The tokenized RWA market has surpassed $34 billion, driven by institutional adoption, with private credit accounting for about 44% of the sector's value.

Tokenization startup Tradable plans to bring $1 billion worth of private credit assets to the Stellar blockchain, the company announced. Tradable, backed by ParaFi Capital, already tokenized $1.7 billion in assets on Ethereum Layer 2 ZKsync last year. The move aims to connect traditional asset managers with blockchain infrastructure for tokenized private credit. Stellar has attracted major institutions like Franklin Templeton, WisdomTree, and Ondo Finance for real-world asset tokenization.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has signed a new agreement with the Stellar Development Foundation to expand the use of blockchain payments after successful pilots in five countries, including Syria and Haiti. In Syria, a Cash for Work program reduced distribution costs from 10% to 2% by recording payments onchain, while a Haiti pilot continued processing payments during a cellular network outage. The initiative reflects a broader trend of stablecoin adoption for cross-border payments in emerging markets, where traditional banking access is limited. Ripple recently acquired a stake in African fintech Flutterwave to expand RLUSD stablecoin use, and former UN under-secretary-general Vera Songwe noted that stablecoins are becoming more important than aid in some economies due to their ability to provide inflation-resistant savings via smartphones.

Stellar Development Foundation CEO Denelle Dixon told CoinDesk that the DTCC's selection of Stellar as the first public blockchain for its tokenized securities settlement platform validates years of institutional infrastructure work. Stellar's tokenized real-world assets grew from $1 billion in December to roughly $3 billion in five months. Dixon noted that regulatory progress, such as the GENIUS Act, boosts institutional confidence, but tokenization adoption is unlikely to stall even if the Clarity Act is not passed. She highlighted that firms like Franklin Templeton were already building tokenized products before recent legislation. Stellar focuses on compliance, privacy, and scalability for large institutions, with 99.99.99% uptime and billions of transactions per quarter. Privacy features use a composable model for tailored controls, while compliance tools are built into the network's architecture, reducing the need for custom smart contracts. Dixon acknowledged that tokenized settlement volumes will ramp up gradually, as DTCC's $4.7 quadrillion in annual securities transactions underscores the scale of traditional infrastructure. She emphasized reliability and avoiding outages as critical for institutional adoption. She predicted tokenized assets will be distributed across multiple public blockchains based on technical strengths, rather than a single dominant network. Open public blockchains will outperform closed alternatives due to rapid evolution through global developer participation.

MoneyGram has launched MGUSD, a native U.S. dollar stablecoin on the Stellar blockchain, to power its global payments network serving over 60 million active customers. The stablecoin is issued by Bridge (a Stripe company) under the GENIUS Act framework, with M0 handling minting and burning, and Fireblocks providing custody. MGUSD will initially roll out in the U.S., with plans for global expansion. The launch deepens MoneyGram's five-year partnership with Stellar, following its earlier use of Circle's USDC. The move aligns with a trend of legacy payment firms like Western Union, PayPal, and Visa developing their own stablecoin infrastructure.

MoneyGram has launched MGUSD, a dollar-pegged stablecoin on the Stellar blockchain, targeting global remittances and underbanked customers. Built with Bridge (a Stripe company) as issuer and M0 for smart contract infrastructure, MGUSD is held in Fireblocks wallets and integrated into the MoneyGram app for self-custody. CEO Anthony Soohoo emphasized MGUSD as a foundation for applications, not just an asset. Serving over 60 million active customers across 500,000 locations, the stablecoin aims to provide dollar-denominated balances, 24/7 access, and seamless cross-border payments, particularly benefiting families and those in inflation-hit regions.

MoneyGram has launched a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, MGUSD, on the Stellar blockchain, enabling customers to hold dollar balances in a self-custodial wallet and transfer funds through its global payments network. The product debuted in the U.S. on Tuesday, with plans for an international rollout. The stablecoin joins a growing trend of payments companies and banks adopting digital dollars for faster, cheaper cross-border payments. MoneyGram partnered with Bridge as the regulated issuer, M0 for smart contracts, and Fireblocks for wallet infrastructure. MGUSD is intended to serve as core infrastructure across MoneyGram's network, which reaches over 60 million customers and nearly 500,000 retail locations. The launch builds on a five-year partnership with the Stellar Development Foundation.

DTCC, the Wall Street utility overseeing over $114 trillion in assets, plans to connect its tokenized securities platform to Stellar (XLM) starting in the first half of 2027, marking a culmination of a nearly decade-long relationship. The integration will support the issuance, settlement and lifecycle management of tokenized securities, with potential expansion to assets like major indexes and U.S. Treasuries. The partnership traces back to Securrency, acquired by DTCC in 2023, which worked closely with Stellar developers on compliance features such as clawback and transfer restrictions. Franklin Templeton's earlier choice of Stellar for its onchain money market fund BENJI highlighted the network's suitability for regulated finance, as tokenization gains traction among global banks and asset managers.