MoneyGram deepens Stellar partnership from USDC ramps to its own stablecoin

The remittance giant's five-year bet on Stellar now spans a dollar stablecoin, a validator seat and an exclusive in-app digital balance Most blockchain pitches lead with speed and cheap fees. MoneyGram says neither one is why it chose Stellar. The company picked the network because it trusted it, ranking that above transaction speed or cost. From pilot program to its own dollar token The relationship is not new. MoneyGram started working with Stellar in 2021, back when most traditional finance firms treated blockchain like a science fair project. By 2022, the partnership had produced something tangible: cash-to-USDC ramps live in over 170 countries. A ramp is the bridge between physical cash and digital money. Walk in with bills, walk out with a dollar-pegged token in a wallet, or do the reverse. The next step came on June 2, 2026, when MoneyGram launched its own USD-pegged stablecoin, MGUSD. The token debuted in the US first, with a global rollout planned to follow. The research ties MGUSD to Bridge, described as a regulated issuer. A seat at the validator table In July 2026, MoneyGram became a Tier 1 validator on the Stellar network. That’s a bigger commitment than simply buildin...