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Stellar is a decentralized blockchain network launched in 2014 by Jed McCaleb and Joyce Kim, designed to facilitate global payments and currency exchanges. The network utilizes its native digital currency, Lumens (XLM), to pay transaction fees and serve as an intermediate asset for cross-border transfers. Unlike Proof-of-Work or Proof-of-Stake systems, Stellar employs the Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP), a Federated Byzantine Agreement mechanism that relies on trusted nodes rather than computational power or financial stakes to secure the network.
Stellar introduced Protocol 20 in 2024, which enabled the Soroban smart contract platform for financial applications.
The network is designed to connect traditional financial systems with blockchain technology, supporting real-world asset tokenization and remittances.
Stellar operates using the Stellar Consensus Protocol, which requires validators to have verifiable identities to build trust.
As of June 2026, Stellar holds a market capitalization of approximately $6.53 billion and ranks 17th in market standing.
XLM is distinct from XRP, as the two assets operate on separate networks with different governance and founding principles.
Stellar aims to connect global financial systems by providing a fast, scalable, and sustainable protocol for near-instant payments and currency exchanges.
The network uses the Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP), which relies on a Federated Byzantine Agreement where known, trusted nodes collaborate to reach an agreement on transaction validity.
Soroban is Stellar's smart contract platform, built with Rust and WebAssembly, designed specifically to support sophisticated financial applications like lending protocols and decentralized exchanges.
No, XLM and XRP are separate cryptocurrencies built on different networks with distinct technologies and governance structures.
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