The increased institutional adoption of public blockchains for financial activity has intensified the debate on how to enable privacy on open networks. The idea may initially sound like a belated attempt to reconcile two contradictory goals. But it is, in fact, the evolution of a discussion that began with the Bitcoin White Paper itself, which has a section devoted to privacy. 

Privacy on open blockchains: framing the problem

On October 20, 2025, a DNS configuration error at Amazon Web Services cascaded into a 15-hour outage affecting 113 cloud services and over a thousand companies. For most businesses, this meant inconvenience. For institutions running critical financial operations on affected systems, it meant something more serious.

The legal case for open blockchain networks

The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) has long recognized the transformative power of public blockchains in reshaping financial access. Our latest contribution to this conversation is in the Digital Assets 2024 Report by the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF).

The Power of Public Blockchains: SDF Contributes to OMFIF's Digital Assets 2024 Report

SDF's Chief Legal and Policy Officer, Candace Kelly, shared insights on blockchain compliance and the use of the Stellar network for humanitarian aid disbursement at the Point Zero Forum, a leading fintech event discussing the real-world applications of blockchain technology.

SDF at Point Zero Forum: Advancing Blockchain for Good

SDF recently joined industry counterparts in signing onto a letter voicing support for the core principles behind the bipartisan Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21).

Standing with the Industry on FIT21

The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) recently submitted a letter in response to a Request for Information on Financial Inclusion (RFI) issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury). This response blends our work on financial access with our continued efforts to advocate for open systems.

Open Systems and Financial Inclusion: SDF’s Treasury Response

Open Systems: The Blueprint for a Connected Future

The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) has recently published a comprehensive paper delving into the role blockchain-based solutions play in advancing digital financial inclusion, “Blockchain as a means to broaden digital financial inclusion? Exploring the role of blockchain-based solutions in promoting greater financial access and usage.” 

Blockchain as a Means to Broaden Digital Financial Inclusion

The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is pleased to submit its comments to the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) regarding environmental sustainability impacts of blockchain consensus mechanisms. ESMA sought feedback from industry and the public on the development of technical standards in connection with the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulation, including sustainability indicators for distributed ledger technology.

ESMA Consultation Response: Sustainability and ESG Insights

The term “decentralization” is often used in the blockchain space, describing products, organizations, and characteristics of blockchains themselves. But how should we think about assessing decentralization, and what measures define the term itself? In a new paper, A Practical Framework for Decentralization, the policy team at the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) set out to address that question. 

Demystifying Decentralization: A Practical Framework

The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is pleased to announce that its Head of Policy, Lesley Chavkin, has joined the Stablecoin Standard Advisory Board. 

SDF's Lesley Chavkin Joins Stablecoin Standard Advisory Board

In response to a discussion paper on DeFi published by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), a French financial regulator, the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) has submitted a comprehensive response, underlining our commitment to shaping an appropriate global regulatory framework for DeFi.

Innovation and Regulation: SDF's Response to French Regulators

https://cdn.sanity.io/images/e2r40yh6/production-i18n/d9b4779d50ae9dce77f7f510c0c879240109ed16-2438x694.png

SDF's Policy Priorities for 2023

Exploring the role of blockchain-based solutions in promoting greater financial access and usage.



Access: A First Step Towards Financial Inclusion

Explore Stellar's commitment to environmental and social impact initiatives.

Sustainability

Participating in policy

Advocating for the builders and changemakers

Policy Blogs

All in one place

Hear it from us first. Sign up to get the real-time scoop on Stellar ecosystem news, functionalities, and resources.

Invalid request

The newsletter made by devs, for devs. Learn about new technical updates and resources available for building on the Stellar network.

The newsletter with something for everyone. Get regular updates on Stellar network announcements, events, partnerships, and more.

By providing the contact information required in this form, you agree to be contacted by the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) in order for us to inform you about our products and services. For more information on our privacy practices or how to unsubscribe, please refer to our 

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google 

The Newsletters

Welcome to the community. We'll keep you in the loop. If you'd like, get started with some of ou

Thank you

The email you actually want to read

Stay informed on the Stellar Development Foundation's approach to regulation, compliance, and global financial policy.

The Stellar network is an open-source blockchain used for a variety of payment and remittance applications. Learn about the non-profit Stellar Development Foundation and the fundamentals of how the network works.

Learn Stellar

The Foundation

About Stellar

Discover how you can use the Stellar network and explore the many projects and applications building on it today.

Stellar for

Explore

Real Use Cases

Jump into the documentation or explore our developer resources. Explore and apply for a variety of funding programs. 

Ready to Build

Start Building

Stellar unites a global community to create an open network & transform the global financial system.

Connect

Community

Discord

LinkedIn

Twitter

Youtube

The Stellar network is an open-source blockchain for payments & asset tokenization. Stellar offers tools and a global ecosystem of developers, entrepreneurs & enterprises.

Stellar

Blogs

Policy

The Stellar Development Foundation weighs in on the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation in the EU's official journal.

MiCA Implementation: Off to the Races

The EU’s Data Act: Smart Contracts at Risk? 

Is Global Consensus on Stablecoins Within Reach?

If your preferred language is English, you can switch it in the menu.

Parece que tu idioma preferido es el español, si es así puedes cambiarlo aquí, también puedes cambiarlo en el menú.

DTC Case Study

Please try again. Thanks for your patience.

Search error, apologies!

Sorry, no matches found.

Stay up-to-date on the Stellar Development Foundation's involvement in key policy & regulatory conversations.

Blogs

Policy

Privacy on open blockchains: framing the problem

The legal case for open blockchain networks

MiCA Implementation: Off to the Races

The EU’s Data Act: Smart Contracts at Risk?

Is Global Consensus on Stablecoins Within Reach?

Advocating for the builders and changemakers

SDF's Policy Priorities for 2023

Access: A First Step Towards Financial Inclusion

Sustainability

All in one place

Filter

Tags

Privacy on open blockchains: framing the problem

The legal case for open blockchain networks

The Power of Public Blockchains: SDF Contributes to OMFIF's Digital Assets 2024 Report

SDF at Point Zero Forum: Advancing Blockchain for Good

Standing with the Industry on FIT21

Open Systems and Financial Inclusion: SDF’s Treasury Response

Open Systems: The Blueprint for a Connected Future

Blockchain as a Means to Broaden Digital Financial Inclusion

ESMA Consultation Response: Sustainability and ESG Insights

Demystifying Decentralization: A Practical Framework

SDF's Lesley Chavkin Joins Stablecoin Standard Advisory Board

Innovation and Regulation: SDF's Response to French Regulators

The email you actually want to read

ABOUT US

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

THE STELLAR NETWORK

DEVELOPERS

CONNECT