Stellar is a layer-1 open-source, public blockchain designed for rapid, low-cost financial transactions and asset transfers, especially bridging traditional finance and digital assets. It powers real-world use cases such as cross-border payments, stablecoins, and financial inclusion tools, with over 500,000 fiat-to-crypto on- and off-ramps integrated globally. At the heart of Stellar lies the Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP), a proof-of-agreement methodology built on Federated Byzantine Agreement. Unlike Proof-of-Work or Proof-of-Stake, SCP allows decentralized consensus via a network of trusted validators. Each node selects a quorum, a set of other nodes it trusts—when enough trusted nodes agree, transactions finalize securely and efficiently, typically in under 6 seconds. SCP offers strong fault tolerance and safety, meaning the network remains secure and consistent even if some nodes fail or act maliciously—though sometimes there may be temporary delay in reaching consensus if nodes are not aligned. The main purpose of Stellar is to connect financial institutions to blockchain technology and facilitate cheaper transactions in developing markets. Stellar was created by Ripple co-founder, Jed McCaleb, in 2014, as such, both networks share some underlying similarities. Despite their similarities, Ripple and Stellar are aimed at different audiences. Where Ripple has banks and large corporations as its target audience, Stellar is more targeted towards individuals and small businesses.