XLM = Stellar's Native Asset
Stellar Lumens (XLM) is the native currency of the Stellar network. Unlike issued Stellar assets, XLM does not require an issuer or trustline. It is used for network fees and minimum-balance requirements.
READ THE DOCS ↗THE INDEPENDENT XLM & STELLAR KNOWLEDGE BASE
XLMPEDIA
Understand It. Move It. Use It.
The practical source for Stellar Lumens (XLM): how the network works, where XLM can go, how to send it safely, where to buy or sell it, wallets, ramps, payments, assets, developers, and the ecosystem around it.
Independent resource: XLMPEDIA is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the Stellar Development Foundation. “Stellar” and related marks belong to their respective owners.
01 / Start Here
What exactly is XLM?
Stellar = The Network
Stellar is an open distributed ledger designed for moving value, issuing assets, trading assets, and building payment applications. XLM is one asset on that network—the native one.
NETWORK FUNDAMENTALS ↗Payments Are The Point
Stellar supports payment flows for remittances, payroll, supplier invoices, treasury movement, asset transfers, and other cross-border use cases. Its ecosystem also connects to traditional financial rails through anchors.
PAYMENTS OVERVIEW ↗02 / Sending XLM
How to move XLM safely
The network can be simple. The irreversible nature of blockchain transfers means the details matter.
Get the destination right
Use the recipient's Stellar address or supported address format. Never trust a copied address without checking it.
Confirm the asset
For native XLM, select XLM/native lumens. For other Stellar assets, verify the issuer and asset code.
Check the memo requirement
Some exchange or service deposits require a memo to route your funds to your account. If the recipient specifies one, include it exactly.
Send a small test first
For a new destination, a small test transfer can reduce the chance of an expensive mistake before sending the full amount.
Verify the transaction
Use a Stellar explorer to confirm the transaction hash, source, destination, asset, amount, and status.
MEMO / DESTINATION TAG WARNING
If an exchange or service gives you a deposit address plus a memo, destination tag, or similar routing value, do not omit it. The address alone may identify the platform, while the memo identifies your account inside that platform.
Never send your secret key or recovery phrase to receive XLM. A legitimate recipient only needs the information required to route the payment.
VERIFY ON-CHAIN
03 / Wallets
Where can you hold XLM?
Choose based on custody, convenience, device, and how much control you want over your keys.
Freighter
A Stellar-focused browser extension from the Stellar Development Foundation ecosystem for signing transactions and interacting with Stellar applications.
FREIGHTER ↗LOBSTR
A Stellar wallet for sending, receiving, buying, swapping, and managing Stellar assets. It is operated independently from the Stellar Development Foundation.
LOBSTR ↗Ledger
Hardware-wallet infrastructure for users who want private keys kept on a dedicated device, with Stellar support through Ledger's ecosystem.
LEDGER ↗More Stellar Wallets
The Stellar developer ecosystem supports integrations including Albedo, Freighter, Hana, Ledger, Trezor, Lobstr, Rabet, WalletConnect, xBull and others.
WALLET DIRECTORY ↗Custodial vs Non-Custodial
With custodial services, a third party controls the keys. With non-custodial wallets, you control the signing keys and are responsible for backups and security.
WALLET GUIDE ↗Rule #1
Never give anyone your secret key, seed phrase, recovery phrase, or signing credentials. Treat them as the keys to the funds themselves.
SECURITY ↗04 / Buy • Sell • Trade
Where XLM can be acquired or converted
Availability, funding methods, fees, and withdrawal rules vary by country and platform. Always verify the current XLM deposit/withdrawal status before moving funds.
Coinbase
Coinbase currently lists XLM and provides buying/trading access in supported regions.
COINBASE XLM ↗Kraken
Kraken currently supports buying and trading XLM, subject to regional availability.
KRAKEN XLM ↗LOBSTR
LOBSTR provides Stellar-focused wallet and buy/sell functionality, with availability depending on location and provider requirements.
LOBSTR ↗Before You Withdraw
Check that the destination network is Stellar and that the receiving service supports XLM deposits. Never assume an address from another network is compatible.
SENDING CHECKLIST ↗05 / Anchors & Ramps
Where Stellar meets traditional money
Stellar calls its on/off-ramp providers “anchors.” They connect Stellar assets with traditional rails such as bank transfers and cash-in/cash-out systems.
Anchor Directory
Search Stellar anchors by name, country, assets, and supported standards. This is the best starting point when you need a real-world fiat bridge.
ANCHOR DIRECTORY ↗How Anchors Work
An anchor can accept fiat through traditional rails and deliver an equivalent Stellar asset, or redeem a Stellar asset back into real-world value.
ANCHORS EXPLAINED ↗MoneyGram Ramps
Stellar documentation describes MoneyGram Ramps as a product enabling third-party applications such as wallets and exchanges to cash in/out USDC on Stellar.
STELLAR RAMPS ↗Stellar Ecosystem Standards (SEPs)
| Standard | Purpose | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| SEP-01 | Stellar Info File | Publishes service, asset, payment-rail and integration information. |
| SEP-06 | Programmatic deposit / withdrawal | Wallets and exchanges can interact with anchors without sending users away. |
| SEP-10 | Web authentication | Proves control of a Stellar account for supported workflows. |
| SEP-24 | Hosted deposit / withdrawal | Provides a standardized interactive anchor flow. |
| SEP-31 | Cross-border payments | Standardized receive-side infrastructure for cross-border payment services. |
| SEP-38 | Price quotes | Standardized exchange-rate and quote information for supported assets. |
06 / Real-World Uses
What can Stellar actually do?
Cross-Border Payments
Move digital value across borders and connect payment applications to local rails through anchors and other financial infrastructure.
Remittances
Payment providers can use Stellar rails to connect send-side services with receiving-side anchors and local cash or banking rails.
Payroll & Disbursements
Organizations can distribute digital assets to many recipients through Stellar-based payment infrastructure.
Supplier & Treasury Payments
Stellar's payment rails can support business-to-business transfers, invoice settlement, and treasury movement.
Stablecoins & Tokenized Assets
Stellar supports issued assets and smart-contract tokens, allowing representations of currencies and other forms of value to move on-chain.
Trading & Liquidity
The network includes a decentralized exchange and liquidity pools that can support asset swaps and path-payment routes.
07 / How The Network Works
The machinery underneath XLM
Stellar Consensus Protocol
SCP is Stellar's consensus mechanism. It is designed around federated agreement rather than proof-of-work mining or proof-of-stake validator economics.
SCP DOCS ↗Payments
A basic payment sends a specified asset from one Stellar account to another. XLM is the native asset, but Stellar also supports many issued assets and contract tokens.
PAYMENT DOCS ↗Path Payments
A path payment can send one asset while the recipient receives another, using order books and/or liquidity pools when a viable conversion path exists.
PATH PAYMENTS ↗Soroban Smart Contracts
Stellar also supports smart contracts through Soroban, expanding the network beyond simple account-to-account asset transfers.
SOROBAN DOCS ↗08 / Build On Stellar
For developers & payment businesses
Everything from wallet integration and transaction APIs to anchor infrastructure and smart contracts lives in the Stellar developer stack.
Developer Docs
Start with the official documentation hub for fundamentals, APIs, SDKs, smart contracts, network data and tools.
OPEN DOCS ↗Wallet SDK / Wallet Kit
Build wallet experiences and connect to multiple Stellar wallets through supported integration tooling.
WALLET DEVELOPMENT ↗Anchor Platform
SDF's Anchor Platform provides implementations for key Stellar Ecosystem Proposals used by wallets, exchanges and payment services.
ANCHOR PLATFORM ↗Stellar Info File
Publish a machine-readable Stellar Info File describing supported assets, geography, rails and service capabilities.
INFO FILES ↗Network Data
Explore the current developer tooling for RPC, Hubble, Galexie, Horizon and other data access methods.
NETWORK DATA ↗Open Source
Stellar is an open-source network with public documentation, tooling and ecosystem projects.
STELLAR GITHUB ↗09 / Security
The rules that save money
NEVER SHARE SECRET KEYS
No legitimate support agent needs your private key, seed phrase, recovery phrase, or wallet signing secret to “verify” a payment.
VERIFY THE NETWORK
When withdrawing from an exchange, make sure the destination network is Stellar and the receiving service accepts XLM on Stellar.
CHECK THE MEMO
Exchange deposits may require a memo. Missing or incorrect routing information can create recovery problems.
VERIFY ASSET ISSUERS
Not every token sharing a familiar asset code is authentic. For non-XLM assets, verify the issuer address and official source.
TEST NEW DESTINATIONS
For meaningful amounts, consider a small test payment first. Confirm receipt before sending the remainder.
USE THE EXPLORER
When something looks wrong, inspect the transaction on-chain. The ledger can show the actual asset, amount, source, destination and result.
10 / Live Tools
Bookmark these
Stellar Expert
Independent public explorer for accounts, assets, transactions, payments and network activity.
OPEN EXPLORER ↗Stellar Network
Independent XLM site for ecosystem information, use cases, products, organizations and network education.
STELLAR.ORG ↗Developer Documentation
Official technical reference for building, integrating and understanding the network.
DEVELOPERS ↗Anchor Directory
Find on/off ramps and asset issuers by country and supported assets.
FIND ANCHORS ↗Coinbase XLM
Market information and access subject to Coinbase's current regional availability.
COINBASE ↗Kraken XLM
Live market page and XLM trading access subject to regional availability.
KRAKEN ↗Live XLM Market Snapshot
Market data is informational and can fail or be delayed if the external API is unavailable. It is not investment advice.
11 / Quick Answers
XLM FAQ
Can I send XLM to another person?
Yes. XLM can be transferred between Stellar accounts using Stellar payment operations.
Can XLM be used for fees?
Yes. XLM is the native asset used to pay Stellar transaction fees and to satisfy network balance requirements.
Is XLM the same thing as Stellar?
No. Stellar is the network; XLM is its native currency.
Can Stellar move assets other than XLM?
Yes. Stellar supports issued assets and smart-contract tokens, and path payments can convert between supported assets when a viable route exists.
What is an anchor?
An anchor is a Stellar-specific term for services that connect on-chain assets to traditional financial rails.
Is XLMPEDIA an independent XLM site?
No. XLMPEDIA is an independent information resource. Always verify critical information against independent XLM documentation and the service you are using.