Fact-check findings

The reviewer could not reconcile the claim with the evidence it cited. This is a lead, not a ruling that the claim is false.

1. #6[disputed][awaiting moderator]in section: Token Distribution and Centralization

   “The validator set consists of approximately 77 nodes, significantly smaller than Bitcoin or Ethereum.”

   reviewerThe validator set consists of approximately 77 nodesNo source was found supporting a '77 nodes' figure; it is also not supported by the section's own cited source (a 2019 burn article unrelated to validator counts). The closest credible, SDF-published figure is 23 Tier 1 validators / 476 total nodes (Q3 2024), though that is itself now somewhat dated given new Tier 1 validators (MoneyGram, Figure Markets, Range) announced for 2026.
   Proposed correction (not yet applied)

   The validator set consisted of 23 Tier 1 validators (476 total nodes, including watchers) as of SDF's Q3 2024 network report, significantly smaller than Bitcoin or Ethereum.
   citedwww.coindesk.com/markets/2019/11/05/stel…s-cryptocurrency
2. #8[disputed][awaiting moderator]in the timeline

   “2018-01-15”

   reviewerBlackWallet DNS hijack occurred on 2018-01-15The timeline date appears to reflect the CoinDesk publication date rather than the incident date itself; multiple contemporaneous reports place the hijack on Jan 13, 2018.
   Proposed correction (not yet applied)

   2018-01-13
   citedwww.coindesk.com/markets/2018/01/15/400k…lackwallet-theft
3. #12[disputed][awaiting moderator]in section: Partnerships and Institutional Adoption

   “MoneyGram integrated Stellar for $4.2B in transaction volume.”

   reviewerMoneyGram integrated Stellar for $4.2B in transaction volumeThis claim has no citation at all in the section's sources list, and the one official SDF source that does report a MoneyGram/Stellar volume figure states a number far smaller than $4.2B. Could not find any source corroborating $4.2B; it may be a conflation with a different metric (e.g., network-wide stablecoin volume).
   Proposed correction (not yet applied)

   MoneyGram's Stellar-based cash-in/cash-out service has processed nearly $30 million in total transaction volume since its 2021 launch, according to SDF's own three-year partnership update.

No source the reviewer could reach confirms or contradicts the claim.

1. #5[unverifiable][awaiting moderator]in section: Token Distribution and Centralization

   “The Stellar Development Foundation retains approximately 30 billion XLM.”

   reviewerThe Stellar Development Foundation retains approximately 30 billion XLMThe cited source does not actually establish current-state holdings, and more recent secondary reporting (of mixed quality) suggests SDF's current balance may be lower than 30B. Could not confirm with a credible primary source either way.
   citedwww.coindesk.com/markets/2019/11/05/stel…s-cryptocurrency
2. #13[unverifiable][awaiting moderator]in section: Partnerships and Institutional Adoption

   “IBM's World Wire partnership was largely discontinued.”

   reviewerIBM's World Wire partnership was largely discontinuedCircumstantial evidence (leadership departure, no recent public updates, reported Tier-1-bank adoption problems) is consistent with 'largely discontinued,' but no primary source confirming a formal wind-down was found, and this section cites no source for the claim at all.
3. #17[unverifiable][awaiting moderator]in the summary

   “Stellar (XLM) is a payments-focused blockchain co-founded by Jed McCaleb in 2014, ranked #22 by market cap (~$5.4B).”

   reviewerStellar (XLM) is ranked #22 by market cap (~$5.4B)Market cap/rank is inherently a moving snapshot with no citation on the page; available secondary indicators suggest the figure may understate current market cap, but I could not confirm a precise replacement figure from a source I fetched directly.

The claim was accurate when written but events since have overtaken it.

1. #16[stale][awaiting moderator]in section: Ecosystem Scams and Phishing

   “SDF runs Immunefi and HackerOne bug bounty programs to combat ecosystem-level threats.”

   reviewerSDF runs Immunefi and HackerOne bug bounty programs to combat ecosystem-level threatsWas accurate historically, but SDF has since consolidated bounty intake onto HackerOne as of May 2026; Immunefi's listing (aside from a separate OpenZeppelin-specific bounty) is no longer the active channel.
   Proposed correction (not yet applied)

   SDF ran parallel Immunefi and HackerOne bug bounty programs until May 2026, when it consolidated its bug bounty program onto HackerOne; the Immunefi Stellar program is now deprecated for new submissions.
   citedcyberint.com/blog/research/phishing-for-…ealing-campaign/

The cited evidence supports part of the claim but not all of it.

1. #15[partially supported][awaiting moderator]in section: Ecosystem Scams and Phishing

   “Documented fake hard fork campaigns and phishing sites targeting XLM holders.”

   reviewerDocumented fake hard fork campaigns and phishing sites targeting XLM holdersPhishing sites targeting XLM holders are well documented by the cited source, but 'fake hard fork campaigns' is not supported by that source and was not independently corroborated.
   citedcyberint.com/blog/research/phishing-for-…ealing-campaign/

The cited evidence supports the claim as written.

1. #1[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Protocol Overview

   “Stellar was founded in 2014 by Jed McCaleb (co-founder of Ripple and Mt. Gox) and Joyce Kim.”

   reviewerStellar was founded in 2014 by Jed McCaleb and Joyce KimWell corroborated across multiple independent sources.
   citeden.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_(payment_network)
2. #2[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Protocol Overview

   “Soroban smart contracts launched on mainnet in February 2024 with a $100M adoption fund.”

   reviewerSoroban smart contracts launched on mainnet in February 2024 with a $100M adoption fundFeb 2024 is correct for the mainnet activation; capacity was then raised in phases through March, which the page does not claim otherwise.
   citedwww.coindesk.com/tech/2024/02/20/stellar…-smart-contracts
3. #3[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Protocol Overview

   “The SDF burned 55 billion XLM in November 2019, reducing total supply from 105B to 50B.”

   reviewerThe SDF burned 55 billion XLM in November 2019, reducing total supply from 105B to 50BMatches independent reporting.
   citedwww.coindesk.com/markets/2019/11/05/stel…s-cryptocurrency
4. #4[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Founder Background — Jed McCaleb

   “Jed McCaleb founded eDonkey (settled $30M with RIAA), created Mt. Gox (sold before the hack but his creation became crypto's largest exchange failure), and co-founded Ripple (departed amid disputes, long XRP sell-off agreement).”

   reviewerJed McCaleb founded eDonkey and settled $30M with RIAAAll three sub-claims check out, though the sell-off agreement detail required a source beyond the one cited on the page.
   citeden.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jed_McCaleb
5. #7[confirmed][no action needed]in section: BlackWallet DNS Hijack (2018)

   “In January 2018, approximately $400,000 in XLM was stolen from BlackWallet users after attackers hijacked the third-party wallet's DNS records via social engineering of the hosting provider. The Stellar protocol was not compromised.”

   reviewerIn January 2018, approximately $400,000 in XLM was stolen from BlackWallet users via DNS hijackCore claim is accurate; see separate timeline date finding below.
   citedwww.coindesk.com/markets/2018/01/15/400k…lackwallet-theftwww.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/h…o-steal-400-000/
6. #9[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Soroban Protocol 23 Network Incident (October 2025)

   “A bug in Soroban's state archival system went undetected for 35 days, resulting in 84 ledger entries being permanently corrupted. SDF's own post-mortem faulted insufficient code review processes. No funds were lost but the incident exposed governance and QA weaknesses.”

   reviewerA bug in Soroban's state archival system went undetected for 35 days, 84 ledger entries permanently corrupted, no funds lost, SDF post-mortem faulted code reviewFigures and causal narrative match the SDF post-mortem closely.
   citedstellar.org/blog/foundation-news/state-a…ssue-post-mortem
7. #10[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Regulatory Status

   “No SEC, CFTC, or DOJ enforcement actions against Stellar or SDF. CEO Denelle Dixon testified before the House committee in December 2024. XLM has not been named in any securities enforcement action.”

   reviewerNo SEC, CFTC, or DOJ enforcement actions against Stellar or SDF; CEO Denelle Dixon testified before the House committee in December 2024; XLM not named in any securities enforcement actionNo enforcement actions found against Stellar/SDF specifically; testimony is corroborated by an independent preview article even though the cited PDF itself is only a bio page.
   citedwww.congress.gov/118/meeting/house/11774…241204-SD001.pdf
8. #11[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Partnerships and Institutional Adoption

   “Franklin Templeton's BENJI tokenized money market fund on Stellar has $1.98B in AUM.”

   reviewerFranklin Templeton's BENJI tokenized money market fund on Stellar has $1.98B in AUMNote AUM is a fast-moving figure; other recent aggregators (RWA.xyz, Stellar case study) put it anywhere from ~$654M (Stellar-only) to ~$2.5B (total suite, mid-2026), so treat $1.98B as a snapshot rather than a fixed figure.
   citedwww.franklintempleton.com/press-releases…oney-market-fund
9. #14[confirmed][no action needed]in section: StellarOrg Social Media Compromise (2023)

   “The official Stellar X (Twitter) account was briefly hijacked in 2023 and used for a phishing campaign. The issue was resolved within hours with no reported fund losses from the Stellar protocol.”

   reviewerThe official Stellar X (Twitter) account was briefly hijacked in 2023 and used for a phishing campaign, resolved within hours with no reported fund losses from the Stellar protocolMatches the official account closely.
   citedstellar.org/blog/foundation-news/updates…df-security-team