Stellar Development Foundation

What Stellar Development Foundation does

The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is a non-stock, non-tax-exempt Delaware non-profit corporation founded in 2014 that supports the development and growth of the Stellar blockchain network. Headquartered in San Francisco with regional offices in New York and Singapore and senior market-development leadership across LATAM, Brazil, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and APAC, SDF holds approximately 30 billion XLM in treasury and funds network development, ecosystem grants, and enterprise investments rather than pursuing profit. Its mission is to create equitable access to the global financial system.

The Stellar network is an open-source, decentralized public blockchain featuring the Stellar Consensus Protocol (federated Byzantine Agreement), Soroban smart contracts (Rust/WASM), and native asset controls including freeze, clawback, and authorization. The network settles in under 6 seconds at roughly 150 TPS with average transaction costs around $0.0007667, and as of mid-2026 supports $3.35B in tokenized real-world assets, $5.5B in quarterly stablecoin payment volume, 10.1M all-time addresses, 475K+ cash-to-crypto ramps across 90+ countries, and 180+ country cross-border reach. Core products include the Stellar Network, Soroban, the Stellar Disbursement Platform, the Anchor Platform, Wallet SDK, and Circle CCTP integration; recent additions include Confidential Tokens, Quorum Freeze (CAP-77), and the Quantum Preparedness Plan targeting 2027 migration.

SDF operates through a multi-channel go-to-market combining enterprise field sales, community-led developer programs (Community Fund, Enterprise Fund, Matching Fund, Soroban Adoption Fund), and channel partners including MoneyGram ramps, DTCC institutional network, Visa, Circle, Fireblocks, Chainlink, and PayPal. Marquee institutional integrations include Franklin Templeton's BENJI tokenized money market fund ($654M+), Societe Generale-FORGE's EURCV, MoneyGram's MGUSD, Circle's USDC, and a DTCC partnership covering 50+ institutions including JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and BlackRock — with production tokenization of Russell 1000 stocks, ETFs, and U.S. Treasuries targeted for H1 2027. Operating funding is generated through XLM treasury sales, not direct fees from network participants.

Name

Stellar Development Foundation

Legal name

Stellar Development Foundation

Website

https://stellar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Stellar Development Foundation is a 2014 Delaware non-profit that supports the Stellar public blockchain for cross-border payments, real-world asset tokenization, and DeFi. It serves financial institutions, fintechs, governments, and humanitarian organizations, funding ecosystem development through a multi-billion XLM treasury and partnerships with DTCC, Circle, MoneyGram, and Franklin Templeton.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Blockchain Payment Infrastructure

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Non-Operating Establishments (9995), Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Blockchain infrastructure
• Cross-border payments
• Asset tokenization
• Decentralized finance
• Stablecoin payments

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Non-profit Foundation Model: SDF is a non-stock, nonprofit corporation organized under Delaware law, not tax-exempt. As a non-profit, SDF does not have shareholders and is driven by its mission of creating equitable access to the global financial system. Revenue generation is not the primary objective; resources are dedicated to supporting the Stellar network, building the ecosystem, and furthering the mission.
2. XLM Token Treasury Management: SDF holds approximately 30 billion XLM in treasury (from original 100B supply). Treasury used for ecosystem grants, investments, and network development rather than revenue generation. Foundation sells XLM as needed for operational funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Stellar Development Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports the development and growth of the Stellar blockchain network — an open-source, decentralized public blockchain for cross-border payments, asset tokenization, and decentralized finance. The foundation operates as a non-stock, nonprofit corporation under Delaware law and funds its mission through treasury management of its native XLM token reserves, ecosystem grants, and developer programs.

Product overview

Stellar Development Foundation offers a comprehensive blockchain platform ecosystem centered on the Stellar Network, an open-source decentralized blockchain for cross-border payments, asset tokenization, and DeFi. The platform architecture consists of the core Stellar Network with its sub-6-second consensus mechanism, augmented by Soroban (Rust-based smart contracts platform), and a suite of complementary products including the Stellar Disbursement Platform (bulk payment solution), Anchor Platform (fiat on/off-ramp infrastructure), Wallet SDK, and native stablecoin integrations (USDC, EURC, MoneyGram MGUSD). Key product launches include Circle CCTP (cross-chain interoperability), Confidential Tokens (ZK-based privacy), and the Quantum Preparedness Plan for post-quantum security. The ecosystem also includes developer funding programs (Stellar Community Fund up to $150K, Enterprise Fund, Matching Fund) supporting builders globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stellar Aid Assist: Humanitarian aid disbursement platform powered by the Stellar Disbursement Platform for bulk digital payments to recipients
• Soroban
• Stellar Community Fund (SCF)
• Stellar Disbursement Platform
• Stellar Enterprise Fund

Products and services

• Stellar Network Core open-source decentralized blockchain network enabling cross-border payments, asset tokenization, and DeFi. Provides sub-6-second consensus finality, approximately 150 TPS, and transaction costs under $0.0007667 per operation.
• Soroban Smart Contracts Rust-based smart contracts platform with WASM execution, multi-core scaling, optimized fee model, state archival capabilities, and support for passkeys, BLS signatures, and zero-knowledge proofs. Targets developers building DeFi, tokenization, and onchain financial applications.
• Stellar Disbursement Platform Open-source bulk payment solution that allows organizations to disburse funds to thousands of recipients in a single batch. Powers Stellar Aid Assist for humanitarian aid delivery by NGOs and government agencies.
• Anchor Platform Platform enabling businesses to become anchors that provide fiat-to-digital asset on and off ramps, with built-in compliance services and full interoperability using open SEP standards.
• Stellar Asset Sandbox No-code tool that enables issuers to explore the tokenization process on the Stellar testnet, allowing easy asset creation and experimentation without writing code.
• Stellar Labs Developer tool that allows invocation of smart contracts, viewing of contract storage, specifications, and source code for verified contracts, with debugging and resource profiling capabilities.
• Stellar Aid Assist Humanitarian aid disbursement platform powered by the Stellar Disbursement Platform, enabling NGOs and humanitarian organizations to deliver bulk digital aid payments to recipients.
• Stellar Community Fund (SCF) Community-driven awards program that funds developers and startups building on the Stellar network, awarding up to $150,000 in XLM per project.
• Stellar Enterprise Fund Venture-style fund providing strategic investments in companies building on Stellar across five continents, including a Matching Fund track that matches up to $500K in capital raised from lead investors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cross-border payment settlement reduced from 3-5 days to under 6 seconds
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability7 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major and minor.

• MatrixdockcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Matrixdock expanded XAUm tokenized gold to Stellar blockchain, backed by Bureau Veritas-audited physical gold held by Brink's and Malca-Amit. SDF made direct investment in XAUm as part of on-chain treasury diversification. XAUm ranks among top 4 tokenized gold products globally.
• DTCC (Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026DTCC partnered with Stellar to enable tokenization of DTC-custodied assets on the Stellar network, covering Russell 1000 stocks, ETFs, and U.S. Treasuries. Under SEC No-Action Letter (December 2025), assets targeted for H1 2027. Over 50 institutions including JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock participating. First public blockchain to be linked with DTCC-custodied securities settlement.
• MoneyGramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Multi-year partnership extension marking 5+ years of collaboration on stablecoin utility and financial inclusion. Expanding stablecoin-backed features across Latin America with MoneyGram app stablecoin balance live in Colombia and El Salvador. MGUSD stablecoin launched June 2026 on Stellar. Global network spanning 200+ countries and territories.
• CirclecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeep alliance for USDC stablecoin integration and Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) connectivity enabling native USDC interoperability across 23+ blockchains. Circle's USDC deeply integrated on Stellar with $5.5B+ quarterly payment volume.
• Franklin TempletoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFranklin Templeton's BENJI tokenized money market fund on Stellar, the first U.S.-registered blockchain-based mutual fund. Fund surpassed $654M+ in assets. European asset manager Amundi also launched $100M tokenized fund on Stellar (March 2026).
• Anchorage DigitalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAnchorage Digital provides institutional custody for tokenized assets on Stellar, including CETES tokenized Mexican government debt (Etherfuse), enabling institutional-grade digital asset custody services.
• MeshmajorTechnology or IntegrationMesh integrated Stellar as core settlement layer for stablecoin-based global payments infrastructure, enabling low-fee and near-instant finality settlement across its ecosystem. Mesh reached $1B valuation with $75M Series C.
• U.S. BankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerU.S. Bank testing custom stablecoin issuance on Stellar in pilot project with PwC and SDF. Project explores blockchain as alternative payment rail with protections suitable for regulated institutions, demonstrating asset freezing and transaction capabilities.
• CV Labs AcceleratormajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLaunched Stellar x CV Labs Accelerator, 12-week program supporting 10 early-stage blockchain startups in EMEA region building in payments, RWA tokenization, and DeFi. Each startup eligible for up to $150K in XLM development funding, concluding at Meridian 2026.
• PayPalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPayPal expanding PYUSD stablecoin to Stellar pending NYDFS approval. Will give PYUSD access to network's low-cost infrastructure and 170+ country reach, adding third blockchain option alongside Ethereum and Solana.
• ChainlinkmajorTechnology or IntegrationChainlink integration providing Data Feeds, Data Streams, and Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) to boost DeFi capabilities and RWA tokenization on Stellar. Project Pangea connected 47 European and South Korean banks for T+0 FX settlement.
• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, University of Bern, Aptos LabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research on Simple-IT, a signature-free Byzantine fault-tolerant consensus protocol designed for quantum computing protection, achieving 170,000 TPS in geo-distributed testing.
• American Arbitration Association, Integra LedgerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched Legal Context Protocol (LCP) providing legal infrastructure for agentic AI transactions. SDF listed as founding contributor alongside Google, IBM, Circle, Wayfair, Ava Labs, Cardano, Hedera. Addresses discoverable and verifiable legal terms in AI agent commerce.
• Kenanga Investment BankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched Myrra tokenization platform on Stellar for Malaysia's first tokenized money market funds. Partnership positions Malaysia to become regional blockchain-enabled finance center with estimated $43B tokenized asset opportunity by 2030.
• Bridge (Stripe)coreTechnology or IntegrationBridge, Stripe's stablecoin platform, issued MGUSD for MoneyGram on Stellar. Bridge received conditional OCC approval as federally chartered national trust bank (February 2026). Infrastructure supported by M0 for smart contracts and Fireblocks for wallet services.
• Kraken, Anchorage DigitalcoreTechnology or IntegrationCrypto-native firms participating in DTCC tokenization service alongside traditional institutions. Anchorage provides custody; Kraken participates in institutional infrastructure for tokenized securities settlement.
• Cashlink Technologies, FINEXITY, TanganyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched regulated tokenized capital market infrastructure on Stellar with live issuance for Ratekau Solar Park project (€3M total volume). Supported by SDF grant for sustainable infrastructure financing.
• WirexmajorTechnology or IntegrationWirex launched dual-stablecoin Visa settlement on Stellar using USDC and EURC for 7+ million users. Enables on-chain settlement of card payments with lower fees, faster processing, and 24/7 availability.
• VisacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisa integrated with Stellar for stablecoin payment settlement as part of growing stablecoin ecosystem. MoneyGram ramp enables cash-to-USDC conversion across Visa's global payment network reaching 170+ countries.
• FireblockscoreTechnology or IntegrationFireblocks provides enterprise custody, tokenization services, and payment infrastructure on Stellar. Secures over $5 trillion in digital asset transfers across 50+ blockchain protocols. Partner in Wirex and MoneyGram integrations.
• Cash AppmajorTechnology or IntegrationCash App announced USDC payments rollout for 60 million users leveraging Stellar network infrastructure, representing significant endorsement for real-world asset tokenization and stablecoin adoption.
• Blockchain Payments Consortium (BPC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStellar joined BPC alongside Solana Foundation, Polygon Labs, TON Foundation, Mysten Labs, and Fireblocks to establish standards for cross-chain stablecoin transfers and improve blockchain payment interoperability.
• GIZmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIZ co-hosted side event with SDF at Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, highlighting blockchain disbursements for underserved populations. Deployed Stellar Disbursement Platform for 900+ healthcare workers in conflict-affected region.
• Societe Generale-FORGEcoreTechnology or IntegrationDeployed EUR CoinVertible (EURCV) stablecoin on Stellar as part of multichain expansion. ~$452M market cap. Participated in SWIFT pilot for tokenized bond settlements. MiCA-compliant deployment in European Economic Area.
• Turbo Energy, TaurusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPilot project tokenizing debt financing for solar and battery installations in Spain. Partnership leverages blockchain for democratized clean energy investment targeting $74.43B Energy-as-a-Service market.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Ripple Labs (XRP Ledger): The most direct peer—both operate open-source blockchain networks purpose-built for cross-border payments and institutional issuance. Ripple's XRP Ledger competes head-to-head with Stellar in the bank and remittance corridor market (e.g., MoneyGram historically), with overlapping target customers and a similar enterprise-oriented value proposition.
• Algorand Foundation: Non-profit foundation supporting the Algorand blockchain, targeting similar use cases in payments, asset tokenization, and RWA—including CBDC pilots and regulated stablecoin issuance. Comparable mission-driven non-profit foundation structure and institutional-grade positioning.
• Hedera Hashgraph (Hedera Council): Council-governed enterprise blockchain offering high-throughput consensus and tokenization services. Competes directly with Stellar for enterprise financial institution partnerships, RWA issuance, and regulated asset use cases, including stablecoin infrastructure.
• Solana Foundation: Non-profit foundation supporting the Solana blockchain, which is rapidly winning payments and stablecoin workloads (e.g., PayPal PYUSD). Competes with Stellar across tokenization, smart contracts, and payment throughput as a high-performance L1.
• Polygon Labs / Polygon Foundation: Ethereum-scaling layer-2 and proof-of-stake chain targeting enterprise payments, tokenization, and stablecoin infrastructure. Targets overlapping financial institution partnerships and asset tokenization use cases similar to Stellar's institutional strategy.
• Cardano Foundation: Non-profit foundation supporting the Cardano blockchain with an academic, peer-reviewed development approach. Comparable non-profit foundation governance model and mission-driven ecosystem development, though with greater focus on developing-market identity rather than payments.
• Tron Foundation / TRON DAO: Major blockchain for stablecoin transfers, particularly USDT, with significant cross-border payment volume. Competes head-to-head with Stellar in the stablecoin payment rails market, especially in emerging market corridors.
• NEAR Foundation: Swiss-based non-profit foundation supporting the NEAR Protocol, a high-throughput L1 targeting payments, RWA tokenization, and AI agent commerce. Similar non-profit foundation structure with comparable institutional and emerging-market focus.

Broad incumbents

• Circle Internet Group: USDC issuer and major stablecoin infrastructure provider; deeply integrated on Stellar with CCTP, but Circle operates multi-chain and represents both a critical partner and a competing distribution/issuance layer for tokenized finance. Comparable in payments and asset tokenization but with a different revenue model.
• Hyperledger Foundation (Linux Foundation): Enterprise blockchain consortium supporting permissioned DLT frameworks (Fabric, Besu, Cacti). Adjacent to Stellar in enterprise blockchain adoption and institutional tokenization, but focused on consortium/private chains rather than public. Stellar integrates with Hyperledger Cacti for interoperability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stellarorg
• GitHubgithub.com/stellar
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@StellarDevelopmentFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3877937
• Facebookfacebook.com/stellarfoundation

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments71 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stellar Development Foundation