Stellar has entered a major national payments partnership with the Government of Bermuda as the island moves forward with its plan to become the world’s first fully onchain economy. The Stellar Development Foundation and Bermuda announced that key payment and financial services activity will begin moving onto the Stellar network. The plan includes digital wallets, stablecoin-based payments, merchant settlement, public-sector payment systems, and possible government disbursements. The announcement follows Bermuda’s January 2026 statement at the World Economic Forum, where officials said the island intended to build a fully on-chain national economy. The latest step marks the first operational phase of that plan. Bermuda has already built a digital asset regulatory base through the Digital Asset Business Act of 2018. Officials said that the framework gives the country a foundation for regulated blockchain-based financial services. Local merchants in Bermuda currently pay about 3% to 5% in card transaction fees, while some categories face effective payment-processing costs as high as 10%. The government said digital payments could help reduce costs and keep more transaction value inside the local economy. Bermuda Plans Digital Wallets and Stablecoin Payments Under the partnership, Bermudian residents may be able to receive wages, pay local merchants, settle government fees, and send or receive digital assets through Stellar-based wallets. Government agencies are expected to pilot stablecoin-based payments. Financial institutions may also use tokenization tools, while residents will be offered digital literacy programs. The payment infrastructure could also support social service disbursements. That would place blockchain-based transfers inside public-sector operations, rather than limiting them to private crypto users. Bermuda Premier E. David Burt said legacy payment systems and limited mobile money options have increased costs for residents and businesses. He said digital dollars could change that if deployed responsibly and at a national scale. Stellar’s cash on and off-ramp network is also expected to support the rollout. On-ramp and off-ramp access is important because users need practical ways to move between traditional money and digital assets. Stellar Expands National and Institutional Use Stellar said its network was built for regulated financial services, with fast settlement, low transaction costs, and asset controls for institutions. Moreover, as we reported, DTCC named XRP and Stellar (XLM) as digital liquidity tokens, which can enable cross-ledger settlement and global asset tokenization. The network has already supported other sovereign and institutional programs. In December 2025, the Republic of the Marshall Islands used Stellar-linked infrastructure for an onchain universal basic income disbursement through the ENRA program and USDM1. Stellar has also reported growth in real-world assets. The network surpassed $2 billion in tokenized RWAs, supported by platforms such as Franklin Templeton and Figure. Kraken recently added native support for Stellar-network USDC deposits and withdrawals. The exchange also integrated Franklin Templeton’s Stellar-based BENJI tokenized money market fund for qualified client collateral. Technical upgrades have also supported Stellar’s institutional push. Protocol 26, known as “Yardstick,” is focused on smart contract speed and flexibility through Soroban. Protocol 25 added zero-knowledge tools for privacy-focused enterprise applications. Developers also launched the x402 specification and SDK, a standard designed to allow AI agents to execute and settle payments directly across the blockchain ledger. XLM Price Holds Range as Traders Watch $0.1730 XLM is trading in a tight range on the four-hour chart after failing to hold above the $0.1730 resistance zone. The rejection from that level pushed the price back toward the $0.1666 area, where buyers are trying to form short-term support. Holding this level may keep the current structure stable and allow another move toward resistance. Source: X A clear four-hour close above $0.1730 would strengthen the bullish case for XLM and could open a move toward the next liquidity area above the current range. If XLM loses $0.1666 and falls below the wider $0.1640 to $0.1650 support zone, selling pressure could increase. That would weaken the current setup and raise the chance of a deeper pullback.
