Wirex and Ultra Stellar have launched a native payment infrastructure built directly on Soroban, Stellar's smart contract platform.
The initiative aims to bring real-world financial functionality, including card issuance, cross-border payouts, and stablecoin yield, directly on-chain, without reliance on external systems.
The partnership brings together Wirex's global payments network, which spans over 130 countries, with Ultra Stellar's blockchain infrastructure expertise. Ultra Stellar operates LOBSTR and StellarX, platforms that collectively serve millions of users within the Stellar ecosystem.
A full payment stack on Stellar
The infrastructure introduces a suite of production-ready financial capabilities built natively on Soroban. These include stablecoin-powered virtual bank accounts for storing and receiving funds, instant one-to-one fiat-to-stablecoin conversion with no spread applied, and co-branded card issuance accepted at over 80 million merchants globally.
The stack also supports global payouts and settlement across major payment rails, including ACH, SEPA, PIX, FPS, SWIFT, and Push-to-Card, enabling on-chain assets to move through traditional financial systems. Additionally, users can earn up to 6% APY on stablecoin balances through on-chain yield infrastructure, with no lock-up periods.
Through the process of building directly on Soroban, the infrastructure is designed for full interoperability with Stellar wallets, tokens, and decentralised applications. Developers can embed these financial services into their products without integrating fragmented third-party solutions.
Bridging on-chain assets and traditional finance
A key element of the initiative is its connectivity to conventional financial infrastructure. Wirex's existing integrations with Visa, Mastercard, and global banking rails provide a pathway for moving value between on-chain and off-chain systems, covering spending, transfers, settlements, and broader financial management, all facilitated securely through stablecoins.
The infrastructure is also described as compatible with autonomous AI agents, enabling programmatic, cross-border transactions using stablecoins. This positions the platform for use cases beyond individual or business payments, extending to developer-built and AI-driven financial applications.
A company official from Wirex noted that the goal is to make Stellar a functioning ecosystem for stablecoin-powered payments, where cards, bank accounts, payouts, and yield are connected through a single on-chain layer.
The launch comes as stablecoins assume a more prominent role in global payments and cross-border settlement, with blockchain ecosystems increasingly seeking to offer integrated, native financial infrastructure rather than relying on layered, off-chain services.
