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- LayerZero is partnering with Stellar to bridge its global payments ecosystem with LayerZero’s omnichain network.
- Instead of having isolated pools, having Stellar connect to over 150 networks means access to deep liquidity.
Stellar (XLM) is a decentralized, open-source blockchain designed to enable fast, affordable, and seamless cross-border payments while also facilitating the transfer of digital assets. XLM was launched in 2014 by Jed McCaleb, the co-founder of Ripple, and Joyce Kim.
Stellar’s mission has always been to connect financial institutions, payment providers, and individuals on a global scale; that changes.
Yesterday, Stellar announced a partnership with LayerZero, an omnichain interoperability protocol designed to enable secure, seamless communication across blockchains. LayerZero already supports infrastructure across 150+ blockchains and 500+ assets, making it a powerhouse in cross-chain technology.
As LayerZero put it on Twitter, this partnership means that “Stellar will be connected to all of crypto.”
Referring to XLM, they noted that Stellar’s consensus protocol finalizes transactions in seconds with near-zero fees and has already powered billions of payments through regulated issuers and financial institutions across more than 100 countries.
This integration with LayerZero combines Stellar’s real-world reach with LayerZero’s global money infrastructure, significantly expanding the possibilities for cross-border payments, on-chain finance, and stablecoin mobility.
Institutional Adoption: Stellar’s Strength
According to LayerZero, Stellar’s core strength lies in its widespread adoption by financial institutions. “Stellar’s strength lies in its distribution,” they noted, highlighting how the network has become a trusted backbone for regulated finance.
An example is MoneyGram, which partnered with the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) on October 6, 2021. The collaboration leverages the Stellar blockchain and the stablecoin USDC to facilitate global remittances and on‑/off‑ramp services.
Through this integration, consumers can seamlessly convert USDC to local fiat currency and vice versa using MoneyGram’s extensive global retail network, effectively bridging crypto and traditional payment infrastructure.
Franklin Templeton has also embraced Stellar for its on‑chain funds. It launched the OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund, which tokenizes U.S. government securities and records ownership on the blockchain. In February, Franklin Templeton expanded this offering internationally with gBENJI (global Benji).
The institution made the fund available to investors in Austria, France, and Germany. According to Crypto News Flash, BENJI is currently the largest real-world asset (RWA) on Stellar, with a market cap of $496.3 million across 906 holders. In comparison, gBENJI had a market cap of $59 million as of September.
Since its initial issuance on September 11, the stablecoin USDY has grown to a market cap of $619,000 on Stellar, with 182 holders. Building on Stellar’s expanding ecosystem, Centrifuge, a pioneer in tokenizing real-world loans on Ethereum and Polkadot, announced its expansion to the Stellar network.
Similarly, Archax revealed that its tokenization engine and platform are now available on Stellar, while Mercado Bitcoin shared plans for a $200 million tokenization initiative.
According to Stellar’s Q3 network report highlighted by CNF, the ledger now holds over $500 million in tokenized real-world assets, excluding stablecoins, roughly a 25% year-over-year increase. This growth underscores Stellar’s ability to scale and support institutional adoption.
The network has already facilitated billions of payments through regulated issuers across more than 100 countries.
Additionally, Templar, the first Cypher Lending Protocol, has launched on the network. As mentioned in our previous story, Templar operates via NEAR’s multi-party computation (MPC) network and Chain Signatures, enabling secure, decentralized lending.
With this launch, USDC borrowing is now available not only on Stellar but also across Ethereum, Solana, NEAR, and other integrated chains.
