The Story of Kale: How One Company Built a Global Payment System on Stellar
From Vision to Reality: Kale’s Journey on Stellar
Kale is a remarkable success story in the world of blockchain payments. Founded in 2018, Kale set out to solve a massive problem: cross-border payments are slow, expensive, and often unreliable. Their solution? Build a global payment system entirely on the Stellar ($XLM) blockchain.
As detailed in Stellar’s official blog, Kale chose Stellar because of its speed, low fees, and focus on real-world utility. Transactions on Stellar settle in just 3–5 seconds for fractions of a penny, perfect for remittances, business payouts, and everyday transfers. Kale launched its payment platform in 2019 and quickly expanded across Africa, Europe, and Asia.
How Kale Uses Stellar: Fast, Cheap, and Inclusive
Kale’s system works like this:
- Users deposit fiat money (dollars, euros, etc.) via local banks or mobile money.
- Kale converts it to USDC or XLM on Stellar.
- The money moves instantly to the recipient.
- The recipient cashes out locally – often through partners like MoneyGram.
This eliminates the middlemen that charge 6–7% fees on traditional wires. Kale’s platform now supports dozens of countries and processes millions in volume every month. As Kale’s CEO noted, “Stellar gave us the infrastructure we needed to make payments truly global and truly affordable.”
Real Impact: Millions of Transactions and Financial Inclusion
Kale’s growth is impressive. They’ve handled billions in payments and helped millions of people send money home without losing a big chunk to fees. In regions like Nigeria, Kenya, and the Philippines, Kale has become a go-to solution for remittances. The company has also partnered with major fintechs and banks, showing that blockchain can work with traditional finance.
Stellar’s open-source nature and strong community made it easy for Kale to build and scale. As the blog highlights, Kale’s success proves that blockchain isn’t just for speculation – it’s for solving real problems.
Why This Matters for Stellar and the Future of Payments
Kale’s story is one of the best examples of Stellar’s mission in action. It shows how the network can power real businesses, create jobs, and bring financial access to underserved communities. With Kale and partners like MoneyGram, Visa, and Franklin Templeton, Stellar continues to grow as the go-to blockchain for payments and real-world assets.
If you’re looking for a blockchain that’s fast, cheap, and actually used every day, Stellar is hard to beat. And Kale’s journey is proof of what’s possible when the right team meets the right technology.