Stellar will invest $100M in Soroban smart contract apps in bid to beat Ethereum – VentureBeat
Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the gaming industrys top leaders? Learn more about GamesBeat Summit sponsorship opportunities here.
Stellar is a blockchain that is trying to beat Ethereum. And so the Stellar Development Foundation will invest $100 million to get developers to make apps for its platform.
The foundation is launching the Soroban Smart Contracts Platform, which gives Stellar a better footing to compete with Ethereum. In the past, it handled just payments in cryptocurrency. But now it has a smart contracts platform that developers including game makers can use to create blockchain apps such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), games and decentralized finance (DeFi) apps.
The $100 million fund to kickstart those apps comes as an important time, as funding for blockchain games dried up in the last few quarters.
Soroban is the Stellar Development Foundations long-awaited smart contracts platform. With Soroban now live on the networks mainnet, Stellar enters a new era, enabling developers worldwide to create, deploy, and interact with decentralized applications (dApps) on its blockchain.
GamesBeat Summit Call for Speakers
Were thrilled to open our call for speakers to our flagship event, GamesBeat Summit 2024 hosted in Los Angeles, where we will explore the theme of Resilience and Adaption.
The release of Soroban represents the most substantial upgrade to the Stellar network in its decade-long history. Stellar, known primarily for its prowess in crypto payments, expands its capabilities to support decentralized finance (DeFi) and various applications with this major development, the company said.
During Sorobans two-year testing phase, which concluded in January 2024, it garnered significant attention from developers globally. Over 190 projects spanning diverse sectors such as gaming, lending, insurance, and more participated in testing Sorobans capabilities. Stellar says that the advantages are speed and scalability.
With $100 million allocated to the Soroban Adoption Fund, the Stellar Development Foundation aims to incentivize and support projects leveraging the smart contract capabilities of the network. This investment underscores SDFs commitment to fostering innovation and growth within the Stellar ecosystem.
Tomer Weller, VP of product at The Stellar Development Foundation, said in a statement, SDF aims to deliver the tools and technology necessary to power a next-generation financial system one that is both decentralized and real-world ready. Soroban opens the doors for decentralized applications to easily plug into the existing global financial market, without compromising speed or scalability. We look forward to seeing a variety of world-changing dApps built on Stellar.
Soroban, engineered to address industry demands and democratize financial services, offers a faster, cost-effective, and secure alternative to existing smart contract platforms. By streamlining transactions and reducing computing power requirements, Soroban minimizes smart contract fees while ensuring accessibility and ease of use for developers.
The launch of Soroban signals Stellars commitment to advancing blockchain technologys real-world applications, promoting financial inclusivity, and driving global economic empowerment. Developers interested in exploring Soroban can find more information at stellar.org/soroban.
Stellar, a decentralized and sustainable network for financial products and services, connects the worlds financial infrastructure, facilitating cross-currency transactions and digital asset issuance. Over six million accounts are active on the Stellar network, which serves as a platform for financial institutions worldwide.
The Stellar Development Foundation, established in 2014, supports the growth and development of the Stellar network. As a non-profit organization, SDF maintains Stellars codebase, fosters community engagement, and advocates for equitable access to the global financial system through blockchain technology.
But it wont be easy to beat Ethereum, the king of decentralized applications for the past decade. Three of the five largest blockchain games are on Ethereum and $57 billion in locked in the network, or about 58% of the decentralized finance market share.
But Ethereum also has notorious scalability issues, both in cost and speed. Stellar has mastered scale thats why the UN uses it for crypto disbursements, and MoneyGram uses it for its global cash-to-crypto service.
VB Daily
Stay in the know! Get the latest news in your inbox daily
By subscribing, you agree to VentureBeat's Terms of Service.
Thanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here.
An error occured.
See more here:
Stellar will invest $100M in Soroban smart contract apps in bid to beat Ethereum - VentureBeat
- Can AI Write Secure Smart Contracts? Opportunities, Limitations, and Best Practices - Blockchain Council - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- Smart contracts in South Africa: Legal recognition, challenges and the future of automated agreements - Polity.org.za - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- Beyond the Dotted Line: Analysing the Legal and Regulatory Framework of Smart Contracts in India. - Legal Service India - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- Legal and Compliance Considerations for Smart Contracts: Enforceability, Liability, and On-Chain Governance - Blockchain Council - June 5th, 2026 [June 5th, 2026]
- Smart Contracts for C&C: How ClearFake Hid in Plain Sight on BSC Testnet - TrendMicro - May 27th, 2026 [May 27th, 2026]
- Leading Industry Participants Reinforcing Their Presence in the Smart Contracts Market - openPR.com - May 20th, 2026 [May 20th, 2026]
- Solidity vs Rust for Smart Contracts (Ethereum vs Solana) - Blockchain Council - May 20th, 2026 [May 20th, 2026]
- Smart Contracts Explained: Automating Trust - Blockchain Council - May 20th, 2026 [May 20th, 2026]
- Ethereum leads in smart contracts with diverse uses; XRP targets institutional payments with higher risk-reward. - Pluang - May 20th, 2026 [May 20th, 2026]
- Beyond the Blockchain: Smart Contracts and Advanced Cryptocurrency Uses - Omaha World-Herald - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- PI Network Price Prediction: Protocol 23 Smart Contracts Arrive in May While PEPETO Presale Secures $9.5 Million - openPR.com - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- The Intersection of AI and Smart Contracts is Entering a Defining Moment of Chaos - Tekedia - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- Pi Network News: Protocol 22 Activated as Network Prepares for Smart Contracts on May 11 - Coinpedia - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- PI remains in red despite the launch of smart contracts on testnet - TradingView - April 25th, 2026 [April 25th, 2026]
- PI remains in red despite the launch of smart contracts on testnet - Invezz - April 25th, 2026 [April 25th, 2026]
- Vaults or NonCustodial Smart Contracts are Pooling Deposits into YieldGenerating Strategies : Analysis - Crowdfund Insider - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Lithosphere Advances AI-Native Smart Contracts with Lithic Execution Model - TMX Newsfile - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Pi Network Roadmap v21 to v23 Explained: From Stability to Smart Contracts and Full Web3 Utility - MEXC - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Pi Network Signals Smart Contracts and DEX With V23 Upgrade - Coinfomania - April 17th, 2026 [April 17th, 2026]
- Pi Network Smart Contracts with Rust and Soroban: How Programmable Finance Is Shaping the Future of Web3 - MEXC - April 12th, 2026 [April 12th, 2026]
- The Future Of DAO Treasury Management: Automation, Smart Contracts, And AI-Driven Allocation - Outlook India - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Blockchain for Intellectual Property Protection Market Research Report 2025: Immutable Records, Smart Contracts, and Tokenization, Addressing... - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- AI + Smart Contracts: Safe Automation with Oversight - Blockchain Council - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Polymarket overhauls trading engine, smart contracts to introduce in-house stablecoin - - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Smart Contracts, Tokens, and a May Deadline: Pi Networks 2026 Roadmap Is Here - Coinpedia Fintech News - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Dogecoin (DOGE) Runs on 22 Developers and Zero Smart Contracts, Analysts Point to AI Trading Protocols - openPR.com - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Chicago Bears hand out smart contracts to sign high-impact free agents with limited salary cap space - WKYC - March 11th, 2026 [March 11th, 2026]
- DataVault AI and Wellgistics Health Announce Plans to Expand Partnership to Include Healthcare Delivery Intellectual Property for Healthcare as a... - February 27th, 2026 [February 27th, 2026]
- AI Meets Smart Contracts: The Next Phase Of Automation On The Blockchain - Outlook India - February 27th, 2026 [February 27th, 2026]
- World Liberty Financial: Zero smart contracts were affected. All USD1 funds remain completely safe, secure, and fully backed - marketscreener.com - February 27th, 2026 [February 27th, 2026]
- Interview with Haseeb, Managing Partner at Dragonfly: AI Armageddon Is Still Far Off; Smart Contracts Are Laws Designed for Machines - TechFlow - February 27th, 2026 [February 27th, 2026]
- The Role of Smart Contracts in Future Betting Infrastructure - bitrates.com - February 9th, 2026 [February 9th, 2026]
- Litecoin price prediction for 2040: LitVM smart contracts and halvings target $500 - Traders Union - February 9th, 2026 [February 9th, 2026]
- A Beginners Guide to Smart Contracts in Todays Web3 Economy - Nasscom - February 9th, 2026 [February 9th, 2026]
- Litecoin price prediction for 2027: July halving and LitVM smart contracts eye $150 - Traders Union - February 9th, 2026 [February 9th, 2026]
- What Happens When You Mix Smart Contracts With Artificial Intelligence 01/28/2026 - MediaPost - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Ethereum Chose Smart Contracts, Solana Chose Speed Why Bitcoin Everlight Is Focusing on Payments - Cryptopolitan - February 2nd, 2026 [February 2nd, 2026]
- Smart Contracts Under the Microscope: What Recent Audits Are Revealing - vocal.media - February 1st, 2026 [February 1st, 2026]
- REVOX joins TOYUSD1 to boost decentralized gaming via smart contracts - MSN - January 20th, 2026 [January 20th, 2026]
- Polygon smart contracts under attack, but the real danger may be just starting! - AMBCrypto - January 18th, 2026 [January 18th, 2026]
- Melento and Forrester reveal how smart contracts drive risk, compliance, and revenue insights - Mediabrief.com - January 18th, 2026 [January 18th, 2026]
- The father of smart contracts: supports X revoking access permissions to InfoFi application APIs; Kaito and other incentive-based content platforms... - January 18th, 2026 [January 18th, 2026]
- HIP-1249: Enhanced smart contracts on Hedera with precise throttling - Hedera - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- 'Imagination the limit': DeadLock ransomware gang using smart contracts to hide their work - theregister.com - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Caixin: Digital RMB smart contracts differ from Ethereum smart contracts and are not built on a blockchain network. - Bitget - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Ethereum developer activity hits record high, with 8.7 million smart contracts deployed in Q4 2025 - Bitget - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Ethereum Deploys Record 8.7 Million Smart Contracts In Q4 2025, Breaking 2021 High - Yellow.com - January 4th, 2026 [January 4th, 2026]
- Ethereum Smart Contracts Shatter Records: 8.7M Deploy in Q4 - Live Bitcoin News - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- What Are Smart Contracts? Transforming Digital Industries & Trust - Outlook India - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- What Are Smart Contracts and How Do They Work? - Blockchain Council - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- The Mechanics of Smart Contracts: From Conditions to Automatic Execution - vocal.media - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Understanding Ethereums Role in Creating and Deploying Smart Contracts - aberdeennews.com - December 18th, 2025 [December 18th, 2025]
- Interpreting and vetting smart contracts: utilising blockchain manipulations and crypto currency fraud - Penningtons Manches Cooper - December 10th, 2025 [December 10th, 2025]
- Smart Contracts: Enhancing Security, Trust, and Automation in Modern Digital Platforms - vocal.media - December 5th, 2025 [December 5th, 2025]
- AI has successfully simulated the theft of $4.6 million and has learned to autonomously attack smart contracts. - PANews - December 5th, 2025 [December 5th, 2025]
- AI-Native Smart Contracts Are No Longer TheoryThey Just Became Real - Hackernoon - December 5th, 2025 [December 5th, 2025]
- How Do Smart Contracts Work And Why Are They Critical For Secure Blockchain Systems? - Outlook India - December 5th, 2025 [December 5th, 2025]
- How automation, smart contracts and AI are reshaping property law - lawnews.nz - December 2nd, 2025 [December 2nd, 2025]
- TBC: Revolutionizing Bitcoin With UTXO Smart Contracts and Cross-Chain Innovation - Bitcoin.com News - December 2nd, 2025 [December 2nd, 2025]
- What Are Smart Contracts In Crypto: Uses, Risks, And Benefits - Traders Union - December 2nd, 2025 [December 2nd, 2025]
- Blockchain and Smart Contracts Are Reshaping the Future of Online Casinos in Australia - Australian Manufacturing Forum - November 30th, 2025 [November 30th, 2025]
- DataVault AI licenses smart contracts tech to Wellgistics Health - Investing.com - November 26th, 2025 [November 26th, 2025]
- How Blockchain Security and Smart Contracts Are Helping Reduce Fraud and Increase Trust in Online Casinos - BlockchainReporter - November 23rd, 2025 [November 23rd, 2025]
- Certora Launches the First Safe AI Coding Platform for Smart Contracts By Chainwire - Investing.com - November 23rd, 2025 [November 23rd, 2025]
- AgriFi Democratizes Farming Profits through Tokenized Agriculture and Smart Contracts - StreetInsider - November 11th, 2025 [November 11th, 2025]
- Smart Contracts on Tron vs. Smart Contracts on Ethereum: Which Is the Best Choice? - The Gila Herald - November 11th, 2025 [November 11th, 2025]
- Game Changer For Crypto Smart Contracts - Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute | SWFI - November 11th, 2025 [November 11th, 2025]
- AI & Crypto 2025: Machine Learning, DeFi Innovation, and Smart Contracts with AI - Bitcoinsensus - November 11th, 2025 [November 11th, 2025]
- Klever Blockchain Update: KVM Becomes the New Execution Layer for Smart Contracts - The Defiant - November 3rd, 2025 [November 3rd, 2025]
- Noomez vs Other Presales: The Clear Advantages of $NNZs Audited Smart Contracts and Price Progression - Live Bitcoin News - November 3rd, 2025 [November 3rd, 2025]
- North Korean Hackers Are Using BNB And Ethereum Smart Contracts To 'Bulletproof' Crypto-Stealing Malware, Google Says - Yahoo Finance - October 28th, 2025 [October 28th, 2025]
- How Banks Can Fend Off the Twin Threat of Stablecoins and Smart Contracts to Business Payments - The Financial Brand - October 28th, 2025 [October 28th, 2025]
- Klever Blockchain Update: KVM Becomes the New Execution Layer for Smart Contracts - Brave New Coin - October 28th, 2025 [October 28th, 2025]
- Giggle Academy: Has never issued any tokens or smart contracts - Bitget - October 26th, 2025 [October 26th, 2025]
- AI-powered digital arbitration framework leveraging smart contracts and electronic evidence authentication - Nature - October 24th, 2025 [October 24th, 2025]
- Smart Contracts in Blockchain: What They Are and How They Work - Crypto.com - October 23rd, 2025 [October 23rd, 2025]
- North Korean hackers embedded malware in Ethereum and BNB smart contracts - Invezz - October 23rd, 2025 [October 23rd, 2025]
- Rewriting Blockchain Privacy: The Dawn of Private Smart Contracts with Zero Knowledge Proof - Digital Journal - October 21st, 2025 [October 21st, 2025]
- DPRK and EtherHiding: UNC5342 hides malware in smart contracts on Ethereum and BNB Smart Chain - Bitcoinsensus - October 19th, 2025 [October 19th, 2025]
- Smart Contracts on the Blockchain: What They Are, How They Work, and Examples - Nasscom - October 19th, 2025 [October 19th, 2025]