Stellar has announced a strategic partnership with TopNod, aiming to enhance digital wallet accessibility in emerging markets, specifically in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This collaboration, unveiled during the Consensus conference in Hong Kong, is set to integrate TopNod”s non-custodial wallet solution with the Stellar network, focusing on tokenized real-world assets and stablecoins.
The innovative wallet technology developed by TopNod eliminates the reliance on traditional seed phrases through a method known as key sharding and utilizes Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) technology. This approach is particularly beneficial for regions with low financial inclusion, as it facilitates secure onboarding for new users.
Raja Chakravorti, Chief Business Officer at the Stellar Development Foundation, emphasized that the foundation”s objectives for 2026 extend beyond merely creating tokenized products; they are focused on ensuring these products have tangible, real-world applications. To support this initiative, Stellar plans to expand its anchor networks across key Southeast Asian markets, including Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, enhancing both asset accessibility and liquidity.
In Singapore, Stellar is exploring partnerships like the one with MarketNode to investigate the potential for tokenized money market funds, thereby diversifying its offerings in the region.
Despite a challenging year for the XLM token, which has seen its price decline by 50%, on-chain metrics reveal that payment use cases have remained stable. Notably, the network”s value in real-world assets exceeded $1 billion last year, and the total value locked (TVL) in decentralized finance (DeFi) on the Stellar blockchain has tripled, indicating sustained infrastructure utilization amid market fluctuations.
Chakravorti also indicated that further partnerships with financial institutions in the Asia-Pacific region are anticipated over the next two quarters. This aligns with Stellar”s broader strategy to enhance the utility of tokenized assets beyond initial pilot programs.
Additionally, the foundation is in the process of implementing Protocol 25, known as the “X-Ray upgrade,” which introduces advanced zero-knowledge cryptographic privacy options tailored for institutional use. Chakravorti clarified that while privacy configurations will vary by market, they must remain transparent for regulatory compliance.
As part of its 2026 roadmap, the Stellar Development Foundation aims to onboard at least 15 enterprise partners, with the expectation that five of these will launch live financial products. At the time of reporting, the price of Stellar (XLM) had increased by 4.4%, trading at $0.16, while its market capitalization stood at $5.24 billion, despite a 9.72% decrease in trading volume to $111.21 million.
