Stellar is a Layer 1 blockchain using the Stellar Consensus Protocol, a Federated Byzantine Agreement consensus mechanism, designed for cross-border payments and financial inclusion. Stellar enables cross-asset value transfers with 3-5 second transaction confirmation times and supports thousands of transactions per second. The network features Soroban smart contracts built in Rust and compiled to WebAssembly, enabling DeFi applications, asset tokenization, and interoperability with existing financial systems through global on and off-ramps.

By using Proof-of-Agreement rather than energy-intensive mining, Stellar provides an efficient, sustainable alternative to traditional blockchains. Stellar benefits financial institutions seeking to connect payment systems, developers building cross-border remittance solutions, and organizations working toward global financial inclusion with low-cost, rapid settlement capabilities.