Utility coins
Stellar (XLM) explained
Stellar launched in 2014, founded by Ripple co-founder Jed McCaleb with a different angle: end users rather than banks. It focuses on cheap remittances, issuing tokenised currencies and payment access in countries with weak banking. XLM (lumens) is the asset that keeps the network running.
How the network works
Stellar uses the Stellar Consensus Protocol: validators pick who they trust, and agreement emerges from overlapping trust circles. No mining, no staking rewards, settlement in about five seconds.
Fees are a fraction of a cent, and every account holds a small minimum XLM reserve to prevent ledger spam.
The network has a built-in exchange, and since the Soroban upgrade it also runs smart contracts written in Rust.
What XLM is actually needed for
XLM pays fees, funds the account reserve and can act as a bridge between two tokens without a direct market. Beyond that it is optional.
Most Stellar volume is stablecoin movement such as USDC, so network growth does not automatically create demand for XLM.
The Stellar Development Foundation is a non-profit; after the 2019 burn the maximum supply is 50 billion and nothing new is minted.
Buying, holding and sending
XLM is listed on most European platforms and is a crypto-asset under MiCA. Use a self-custody wallet with hardware support where possible.
Two pitfalls: exchanges usually require a memo alongside the address, and receiving a token requires opening a trustline that locks a small reserve.
If you use Stellar purely as payment rails, hold XLM only for fees and reserves and keep value in a euro or dollar token.
Najczęstsze pytania
How does Stellar differ from XRP?
Technically similar, but Stellar is run by a non-profit and aims at consumers and remittances, while XRP is promoted by Ripple towards banks and payment institutions.
Can XLM be mined?
No. All lumens existed at launch; since the 2019 burn the cap is 50 billion.
Do I need XLM to send euros on Stellar?
Only a small amount for the reserve and fees; the value itself moves as a tokenised euro or dollar.
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