Stellar Development Foundation (SDF), the non-profit organization behind the Stellar blockchain network, has partnered with CV Labs to launch the Stellar X CV Labs Accelerator. This is Stellar’s first accelerator program focused on the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, and it signals a deliberate bet on a part of the world where blockchain-powered financial services are not just theoretical but already in daily use.
The program will support ten early-stage startups building on or planning to build on the Stellar network. Each selected team is expected to receive up to $150,000 in XLM (Stellar's native cryptocurrency) as initial development funding. Applications are now open until early July 2026, with the program scheduled to start in August.
What does the accelerator actually offer
This is a 12-week program that runs mostly remotely with an in-person component in Cape Town, South Africa. Selected startups will receive practical technical assistance, guidance on tokenomics (the economics behind how crypto tokens work within a project), development of a go-to-market strategy, and structured pathways to raise further funding.
In addition to the initial $150,000, participants will also receive access to ecosystem allowances, cloud credits, and introductions to venture capitalists and institutional investors already active in the Stellar ecosystem. After the program ends, startups may also be eligible for additional grants from SDF.
The accelerator will conclude with an in-person demo day Stellar Meridian Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, scheduled for October 2026. Think of it as a high-profile pitch day in front of important investors and institutions in the sector.
Why EMEA, and why now?
Short answer: The demand is right here.
EMEA is home to more than 2 billion people and is one of the fastest growing digital regions globally. Cross-border payments via traditional rail remain expensive and slow. The adoption of mobile money, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, has created a population that is comfortable with digital financial tools but is still underserved by legacy banking infrastructure. This is the exact gap that blockchain-based payments and stablecoins are designed to fill.
Stellar already has a significant impact in this area. Its partnerships include MoneyGram, which recently extended its multi-year collaboration with SDF and launched a stablecoin-powered app (built on Stellar and using Circle's USDC) that is now live in Colombia and El Salvador with plans for a broader rollout. Yellowcard, one of Africa's largest crypto exchanges, and Flutterwave, one of the continent's largest payments companies, are also integrated with the network. SDF has also invested in African companies including Chippercash, OKHI and Crédete.
As Africa’s digital payments market is projected to nearly double to $19 billion by 2029, the accelerator positions Stellar to capture a meaningful share of that growth by supporting the builders building that infrastructure.
Institutional momentum behind Stellar
This accelerator does not exist in a vacuum. The Stellar Network is on a remarkable growth path, especially with institutional players.
Franklin Templeton expanded its tokenized US Treasury fund to European institutional investors via Stellar last year. The fund, which has over $625 million in assets, was the first of its kind from a traditional asset manager and represents one of the largest tokenized treasury products on the market.
PayPal announced that its PYUSD stablecoin will expand to the Stellar network in mid-2025. PYUSD went live on Stellar late last year, following regulatory approval from the New York State Department of Financial Services. Companies including Visa, MasterCard, Wirex, and US Bank have also integrated the Stellar Network into their payment and settlement systems.
On the network side, SDF says real-world assets on Stellar grew by 158% in 2025, total value locked increased by 127%, and the network has now surpassed 10 million active accounts and over $21.5 billion in total operations. There are over 800 active projects being built across payments, savings, lending and liquidity use cases.
Who is CV Labs?
CV Labs is the ecosystem arm of CV VC, a blockchain-focused venture capital firm headquartered in Zug, Switzerland (often referred to as “Crypto Valley”). The company operates innovation hubs in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Portugal, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. It has a track record of running accelerator programs for the blockchain ecosystem, including a similar program for Cardano.
“Our acceleration model as a service has already helped other leading blockchain ecosystems. With Stellar, we are now bringing that track record to one of the fastest-growing digital sectors in the world,” said Olaf Hanemann, co-founder of CV VC.
The Cape Town component is particularly notable. CV Labs already runs an innovation hub in the city, giving participating startups access to an established physical presence on the continent, rather than a fly-in, fly-out arrangement.
big picture
This accelerator reflects a broader change in the way major blockchain networks are thinking about development. Instead of focusing on developer programs in San Francisco or London, networks are investing directly in areas where real-world demand for their technology is strongest. Accelerator programs targeting Africa and EMEA have become a recurring theme in fintech, with Visa, Google, AWS and Safaricom all launching similar initiatives in recent years.
For Stellar, the stake is specific: payments infrastructure, tokenized real-world assets, and DeFi applications moving from pilot to production. Startups paving the way for this change in EMEA could define how billions of people will access financial services in the years to come.
Founders interested in applying can do so through Stellar Community Fund Portal. Applications close in early July 2026.
Connected