Stellar is broadening its cross-chain and payments footprint through two integration announcements unveiled at the Meridian conference in Lisbon.
On October 28, VIA Labs launched bidirectional cross-chain messaging between Stellar’s Soroban smart contract platform and Ethereum mainnet. The infrastructure lets Soroban contracts communicate with Ethereum Virtual Machine contracts, enabling stablecoin transfers, tokenized assets and cross-chain smart contract execution. VIA’s burn-and-mint reference implementation completes transfers in approximately one to three minutes, with normal network fees applying on Stellar and gas fees on Ethereum. VIA is waiving its protocol fee during the launch period.
The deployment uses audited VG1 smart contracts and operates with VIA-run validators, gateways and relayers. Messages must originate from contracts rather than ordinary wallet accounts. The company published mainnet contract addresses and a testnet faucet distributing 100 VIAT per request. The launch arrived alongside Securitize’s announcement that it plans to add Stellar as its 17th blockchain for tokenized assets, and DTCC’s planned Stellar integration for tokenized securities targeted for 2027.
On October 29, Airtm said it is partnering with Mastercard-owned stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK to introduce wallet-based payments for users in emerging markets. The service will run through Airtm Connect, a newly launched platform linking digital asset companies with Airtm’s user network, and will use Stellar as the underlying blockchain payment network. The companies plan to begin rolling out the integration in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Airtm will gain access to Mastercard’s Global Money Platform, which supports traditional currency accounts, stablecoin payments and international transfers through a single API. Mastercard completed its acquisition of BVNK in August in a deal valued at up to $1.8 billion. BVNK added Stellar to its stablecoin payments platform in September, supporting payments, remittances and treasury transfers across more than 130 markets.
Airtm CEO Rubén Galindo Steckel said the company believes payments should move natively on-chain, calling it “simply a better way to move money.” BVNK’s Kimberly Mescal Julien said the agreement shows how fintech companies can connect digital wallets with everyday commerce.
