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Stellar

Open blockchain network for payments, asset tokenization, and DeFi.

$143MAssets on platform / AUM
01 — Overview

What Stellar does

Stellar is an open-source, decentralized blockchain network operated by the non-profit Stellar Development Foundation, built specifically for payments, asset issuance, and financial infrastructure. It is not a family office software vendor in the traditional sense. Rather, it provides the underlying protocol layer that financial institutions, fintechs, and developers use to move value across borders, settle transactions, and tokenize real-world assets. Family offices or investment teams evaluating Stellar are most likely doing so in the context of digital asset exposure, tokenized real-world assets, or cross-border payment infrastructure.

The network processes transactions in approximately 9.5 seconds at an average cost of $0.0007667 per transaction, with a stated total value locked of $143 million. Its asset tokenization use case has attracted notable institutional participants, including RedSwan Digital Real Estate ($100 million of tokenized real estate), Mercado Bitcoin ($200 million RWA issuance), Centrifuge, and Ondo Finance. Supported assets and integrations on the network include:

  • USDC and EURC stablecoins via Circle, with 4.5 million accounts and over $3 billion transacted
  • PayPal USD (PYUSD), live on the network as of September 2025
  • Tokenized real estate, renewable energy projects, and treasury instruments
  • MoneyGram cash-to-crypto ramps across 90+ countries

For a family office considering direct engagement, Stellar is infrastructure, not a managed service. There is no custody, portfolio reporting, or client portal layer provided by the Stellar Development Foundation itself. Accessing its capabilities requires either building on the protocol directly or working through an ecosystem participant. Teams without in-house blockchain development capacity or a specific use case in tokenized assets or cross-border settlement will find limited immediate utility in engaging with Stellar as a standalone vendor.

Stellar powers borderless payments, asset tokenization, and DeFi solutions for builders, institutions, and innovators worldwide.

On Stellar, from a family-office user
02 — Product & capabilities

What it covers

Core tasks
  • Cross-border and cross-currency payment settlement
  • Real-world asset tokenization and issuance
  • Stablecoin transactions and custody-free transfers
  • Decentralized finance application development
  • Fiat on/off-ramp connectivity via anchor network
Notable features
  • 9.5-second transaction finality
  • Average transaction cost of $0.0007667
  • USDC and EURC stablecoin support via Circle
  • PayPal USD (PYUSD) integration
  • MoneyGram cash-to-crypto ramps in 90+ countries
  • Soroban smart contract platform
  • State Archival protocol for blockchain scalability
  • Anchor directory for fiat on/off-ramp providers
  • Developer grants and enterprise fund programs
  • Open-source History Archives for decentralized data access
Assets supported
CryptocurrencyStablecoinsTokenized Real-World AssetsReal EstateTreasury InstrumentsRenewable Energy Assets
Platform & technology
Multi-Currency SupportData Ingestion
03 — Company

The firm behind it

Ownership
Non-profit (Stellar Development Foundation)
Headquarters / markets
Global
Offices
San Francisco
Key people
DDenelle DixonCEO and Executive Director, Stellar Development Foundation
04 — Clients & fit

Who it’s for

Built for Investment Teams, Fund Managers.