Ligero, with support from SDF, plans to bring private payments with built-in compliance controls to the Stellar network. The integration will give wallets, payment providers, and ecosystem builders a way to support private transactions in XLM and stablecoins such as USDC, while preserving compliance controls.
Stablecoins have proven the value of moving money onchain. Tokenized assets are the next chapter, bringing more institutional finance onto public networks. But those networks can expose balances, counterparties, and transaction patterns. Institutions may experiment without privacy, but they cannot scale without it.
That opportunity is taking shape on Stellar. MoneyGram already uses the network for stablecoin payments, while DTCC has announced plans to bring DTC-custodied tokenized assets to Stellar. Ligero is building the privacy infrastructure that can support this next phase of institutional adoption.
Ligero is solving this by bringing privacy directly to the infrastructure institutions already use. The planned Stellar integration will use Ligero’s zero-knowledge technology and Stellar smart contracts (Soroban) to protect individual payment amounts and recipient information within private payment pools.
Compliance will remain part of the transaction flow, with credential-based access, credential revocation, transaction screening, and sanctions controls. Authorized oversight will support accountability without making sensitive payment details public.
An open-source SDK and Stellar wallet integration will give builders a path to add private payments to their products. The aim is seamless adoption: privacy that works with existing wallets, custody systems, and assets, without requiring a new blockchain.
“Public blockchains are becoming real payment rails, but payments create relationships,” said Muthu Venkitasubramaniam, CEO and co-founder of Ligero. “We are deploying on Stellar so organizations can pay people without making sensitive financial activity public.”
The initial applications are payroll and grant distribution. Employers will be able to make private payments to verified employees and contractors. Foundations and other organizations will be able to distribute stablecoins and XLM to eligible grant recipients while retaining the records and controls needed for oversight.
Beyond these initial applications, Ligero’s infrastructure is designed to support cross-border payments and tokenized real-world asset (RWA) transfers. Payment providers and asset issuers will be able to integrate privacy into Stellar workflows rather than build a separate financial ecosystem.
Ligero welcomes Stellar ecosystem partners interested in building or piloting private payment workflows. The aim is to make compliance-grade privacy a practical part of how organizations move money on Stellar.
To learn more about Ligero, visit ligero-inc.com.
To build on Stellar, visit stellar.org.
