The Stellar x CV Labs Accelerator, launched in partnership with the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF), has announced its inaugural cohort of ten high-growth startups spanning Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the United States. Selected from a competitive pool of applicants, these ventures represent some of the most promising companies building practical financial solutions that address real market inefficiencies across payments, liquidity, trade finance, banking, and digital asset accessibility.
At a time when institutions are actively exploring tokenization, stablecoins, and blockchain-based settlement rails, the cohort reflects a broader shift within financial services: moving away from experimentation toward commercially viable infrastructure. Rather than focusing on speculative use cases, the selected companies are tackling foundational challenges that affect businesses, financial institutions, and consumers across both developed and emerging markets.
A Cohort Focused on Real-World Financial Utility
The ten companies chosen for the accelerator are united by a common objective: improving how money, assets, and financial data move across borders.
Among the selected ventures is Crebit Pay (USA), which is building a rate-locking layer for stablecoin foreign exchange, helping businesses reduce volatility and uncertainty in cross-border transactions. DeFa by InvoiceMate (UAE) addresses a different challenge by providing settlement liquidity to licensed payment operators across Africa and the Gulf, a critical component in improving regional payment efficiency.
Janus Solutions (Germany) is developing what it describes as a financial operating system for global trade, while Kutana Technologies (Ghana) is focused on trade finance infrastructure that enables African SMEs to access markets and move capital more efficiently. In Francophone Africa, JoonaPay (Côte d’Ivoire) is building operational financial infrastructure that helps businesses streamline payment and treasury functions.
Several companies are also focused on expanding access to digital financial services. Remi (UAE) seeks to bridge traditional financial infrastructure and digital assets across emerging markets, while Sorted (Hong Kong) is developing a non-custodial wallet designed to simplify access to digital dollars across Africa and South Asia. Yolat (Nigeria) is building a cross-border neobank that allows Africans and African businesses to earn, hold, send, and spend funds across jurisdictions through a single platform. The cohort also includes Saleem (UAE), whose stablecoin payment infrastructure is specifically designed for feature phones, extending digital financial access to populations without smartphones or traditional banking services.
Perhaps most forward-looking is Sly, a globally distributed venture focused on building identity, governance, and payment infrastructure for what is increasingly being referred to as the “agentic economy”, a future where autonomous AI agents participate directly in commercial and financial transactions.
Financial Infrastructure Moves Into Its Next Phase
The composition of the cohort reflects some of the most significant trends currently shaping financial services.
Cross-border payments remain expensive and fragmented in many regions, particularly across emerging markets. Stablecoin adoption is creating new opportunities for faster settlement and lower transaction costs, while the digitization of real-world assets is driving demand for infrastructure that can support tokenized economies. Simultaneously, businesses are seeking more efficient tools for trade finance, liquidity management, and treasury operations.
According to Jose Fernandez da Ponte, President and Chief Growth Officer of the Stellar Development Foundation, the cohort demonstrates how quickly the blockchain sector is maturing from innovative technology to essential infrastructure.
“The quality of this inaugural cohort reflects how quickly blockchain is transforming financial infrastructure. These founders are building solutions that address genuine market needs from cross-border payments to digital asset access and trade finance.”
His comments underscore a broader industry shift toward practical adoption, where success is increasingly measured not by technology alone but by the ability to solve tangible business challenges.
Backed by Capital, Expertise and Ecosystem Access
Over the next 12 weeks, cohort companies will participate in a structured accelerator program designed to help founders refine strategy, accelerate product development, strengthen investor readiness, and scale operations. The initiative combines technical workshops, business development support, fundraising preparation, and direct engagement with ecosystem stakeholders.
Participating startups will also have access to one of the program’s most valuable assets: an extensive network of mentors and operators drawn from leading institutions across blockchain, venture capital, fintech, and financial services.
The mentor roster includes:
- Daniel A. Casanas, Head of Investments, Stellar
- Martina Skangalova, Founder, BEINGZ
- Simon Dingle, Co-Founder, ZARP & Inves Capital
- Haya Al Husry, Venture Partner, DASH Ventures
- Jerry Xu, Investment Team, Stellar
- Yevheniia Broshevan, Co-Founder, Hacken
- George Arnold, Utopia Capital Management
- Marwane Lairi, CEO, Avicenne Studio
- Juan Lopez Carretero, Senior Director, Europe Market Development, Stellar
- Timbo Drayson, Co-Founder & CEO, OkHi
- Kwame Oppong, Senior Advisor, Africa Market Development, Stellar
Together, these advisors bring expertise across payments, regulation, cybersecurity, venture investment, market expansion, and digital asset ecosystems.
The accelerator also provides access to ecosystem benefits and potential development funding of up to $150,000 in XLM, giving founders additional resources to build and commercialize their solutions.
The program’s international footprint reflects its ambition. Following an in-person bootcamp in Cape Town, South Africa, founders will spend the coming months refining their products and go-to-market strategies before presenting at a live Demo Day during Stellar Meridian in Lisbon, one of the industry’s leading blockchain conferences.
For investors, financial institutions, and ecosystem stakeholders, the inaugural Stellar x CV Labs Accelerator cohort offers an early look at where innovation is heading. The selected startups are not merely building applications; they are constructing foundational infrastructure intended to make financial systems faster, more accessible, and more interconnected.
As the lines between traditional finance, digital assets, and AI-enabled commerce continue to converge, the companies emerging from this cohort may offer a glimpse into the architecture of tomorrow’s financial system. Their success will not only be measured by capital raised or technology deployed, but by their ability to solve some of the most persistent challenges in global finance.