Abroad at Meridian 2025: Innovation, Partnerships, and Growth from Brazil

From September 15–18, the iconic Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro hosted Meridian 2025, Stellar’s global conference that brought together blockchain leaders, regulators, financial institutions, and developers from around the world.

Abroad was there, showcasing key partnerships for real-world stablecoin payments and reaffirming our role in driving digital payment adoption across Latin America.

‍A Truly Global Gathering

Brazil set the stage for Meridian 2025, Stellar Development Foundation’s annual conference. Over the course of a week, blockchain industry leaders came together to discuss financial inclusion, regulation, Web3 infrastructure, and real-world use cases shaping the digital economy.

One of the biggest announcements was the native issuance of PYUSD on Stellar, PayPal’s stablecoin. This move signaled the growing trust of global institutions in the future of digital assets. The impact was immediate: it showed that major financial players are ready to embrace stablecoins on open networks.

The event also brought together companies like PayPal, Airtm, Etherfuse, Franklin Templeton Digital Assets, CoinDesk, Bridge, MoneyGram, alongside a diverse ecosystem of builders and partners such as Beans, Decaf, Meru, Blend.Capital, The Digital, DTCC, Fireblocks, LayerZero, Anclap, Flip, Anchora, and many more. Once again, Meridian proved to be the place where the future of open finance takes shape.

HackMeridian: Innovation in Action

The conference also featured HackMeridian, the official hackathon. More than 600 participants from around the world—developers, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts—teamed up to build projects exploring real-world use cases on Stellar. From digital identity solutions to new models for cross-border payments, the hackathon was a vibrant showcase of creativity and collaboration, highlighting the enormous potential of the global community.

Abroad at Meridian: From Pilots to Real Partnerships

We came to #Meridian2025 with one clear goal: to show how our platform works in practice and grow alongside the ecosystem.

Ahead of the event, we ran tests and overcame key challenges through our integration with Lobstr, ensuring the best possible user experience.

During the conference, we officially launched our product on ZyptoApp, giving attendees a new way to make stablecoin payments in Brazil.

Later, we announced our collaboration with BeansApp, presenting the integration live and hosting a special activity where several participants won $50 in rewards.

Most importantly, more than 300 people used Abroad to make payments in Brazil during the event, validating the strength of our solution in a truly international setting.

Real Growth for Abroad

Our participation in Meridian 2025 wasn’t just about visibility it also delivered measurable results. According to Dune, in September we reached 66 monthly active users, including 54 new and 12 returning. We also processed over 910 transactions in a single month, with total volume on Stellar already surpassing 200K USDC.

These numbers show that our work is paying off and that Abroad is becoming a key player in the adoption of stablecoin payments in Latin America.

‍A Future Already Underway

Meridian 2025 was more than just an event it was proof that open finance is no longer a promise, but a reality in motion. For us, sharing the stage with global leaders, seeing our platform used in real transactions, and achieving tangible growth thanks to community support is the clearest sign that we’re on the right path.

Brazil marked the beginning of a new chapter. We leave with strong partnerships, valuable insights, and the conviction that every step we take brings millions of people closer to a financial system that is inclusive, transparent, and borderless.

At Abroad, we believe this is only the beginning.