Digital Assets
How to Buy Stellar | Buy XLM in 4 Steps (August 2026)
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Stellar (XLM ) is a distributed payment infrastructure that features an open-source code. The platform entered the market with the goal of facilitating a more streamlined approach to international money transfers such as remittance payments.
Stellar (XLM) exchange availability was reviewed on July 17, 2026. The featured options are Kraken, Coinbase, Uphold, Binance International, KuCoin, Gate, HTX, shown below in the requested partner-priority order.
To explore the project's technology, use cases, token design, and key risks, visit our Investing in Stellar guide. Exchange listings and regional eligibility can change, so confirm that XLM spot trading is enabled for your account before depositing funds.
How to Buy Stellar (XLM) in 4 Steps
- 1.Compare exchanges Review the supported partners below, including regional restrictions, funding methods, and fees.
- 2.Create and verify an account Choose an eligible platform and complete its identity-verification requirements.
- 3.Fund the account Deposit fiat currency or cryptocurrency using a method available in your region.
- 4.Buy Stellar Locate an active XLM spot pair, review the order details, and complete the purchase.
1. Kraken
Founded in 2011, Kraken is one of the longest-running major cryptocurrency exchanges. It offers a simplified purchase flow alongside Kraken Pro, where eligible users can access order books, charts, market and limit orders, and additional trading tools. When buying Stellar (XLM), compare the available quote currencies, order-book depth, minimum order, and total fee shown before confirming the trade.
Accepts: residents of the United States except Maine and New York, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and European Economic Area countries. Certain funding services are also limited in Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Utah. Prohibited: India, Japan, the Philippines, Russia, Belarus, Iran, Iraq, Cuba, North Korea, and Syria.
Kraken disclaimer: Not investment advice. Crypto trading involves risk of loss. Payward European Solutions Limited, trading as Kraken, is authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland.
2. Coinbase
Coinbase Global, Inc. (COIN ) was founded in 2012, and its Class A shares have traded on Nasdaq under the symbol COIN since 2021. That public-company status distinguishes Coinbase from most crypto exchanges by adding quarterly financial reporting and other public disclosures. The standard Coinbase interface is designed for straightforward purchases, while Coinbase Advanced adds charts, an order book, and greater control over trade execution for eligible users buying Stellar (XLM).
Accepts: residents of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Singapore, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands. Prohibited: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria. Before purchasing XLM, compare the simple-buy quote with any available spot pair and review the spread, transaction fee, payment-method cost, and withdrawal network.
3. Uphold
Launched in 2015, Uphold is a multi-asset platform that supports direct conversions between cryptocurrencies, traditional currencies, and commodities through its "Anything-to-Anything" trading model. This can reduce the need to convert through an intermediate asset. Its current asset catalogue marks Stellar (XLM) as buy-enabled, while the order preview displays the quoted rate and applicable spread or fee before confirmation.
Accepts: residents of the United States except New York, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, and Sweden. Does not serve: Canada or New York. New accounts unavailable: Germany, the Netherlands, India, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea.
Uphold disclaimer: Terms apply. Cryptoassets are highly volatile, and your capital is at risk. Do not invest unless you are prepared to lose all the money you invest.
4. Binance International
Launched in July 2017, Binance grew into the largest digital-asset exchange by trading volume and now anchors a broader blockchain ecosystem. Binance International is particularly known for deep spot-market liquidity, numerous quote currencies, and order types that can include market, limit, stop-limit, and OCO orders. For Stellar (XLM), select an active spot pair and compare its order book, minimum trade size, and trading fee before placing an order.
This information applies to Binance International. Binance.US operates separately and has a different asset catalogue and geographic coverage. Accepts: residents of Australia and major European Economic Area markets, including France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Prohibited: residents of Canada and the United States.
5. KuCoin
Launched in 2017, KuCoin has developed a broad international platform serving more than 40 million users across more than 200 countries and regions. Its large catalogue of over 1,000 listed assets makes it especially relevant for buyers looking beyond the most established cryptocurrencies. Eligible users can access spot markets, multiple order types, and additional services, but for Stellar (XLM) the immediate priority is confirming the exact active spot pair and its liquidity.
Accepts: residents of the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Canadian provinces other than Ontario and British Columbia. Prohibited: the United States and its territories, Singapore, mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, France, the Netherlands, Ontario, and British Columbia. Before sending XLM off-platform, match the withdrawal network with the receiving wallet and review the fee and minimum withdrawal.
6. Gate
Founded in 2013, Gate is a long-running digital-asset platform known for listing a wide selection of both established and emerging cryptocurrencies. It was also an early major exchange to commit to publishing proof that customer assets are fully reserved. For Stellar (XLM), users can access order-book spot trading where supported, but should compare the active quote pair, current liquidity, minimum order, and fee before trading.
Accepts: residents of supported United States jurisdictions through Gate US, European Economic Area countries through Gate Europe, and Australia through Gate Australia. Prohibited: Gate US does not serve Alaska, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Washington, or the U.S. Virgin Islands; Gate Europe does not accept residents of the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Russia, or mainland China.
7. HTX
Founded in 2013 under the Huobi brand, the exchange adopted the HTX name in 2023 as part of its tenth-anniversary rebrand. HTX provides international spot markets, P2P services, and other digital-asset products, and it publishes proof-of-reserves information for customer assets. Before buying Stellar (XLM), confirm that the intended spot pair is active and review its liquidity, order type, minimum size, and trading fee.
Accepts: residents of Canada and Australia. Prohibited: residents of the United States, the United Kingdom, every European Union member state, mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Myanmar, Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria. When depositing or withdrawing XLM, use the same blockchain network at both ends of the transfer.
What is Stellar (XLM)?
Stellar is an open-source, blockchain-based, network. Oversight of the Stellar network is performed by a non-profit organization, known as Stellar.org.
The Stellar network is powered by its native token, ‘XLM’ – commonly referred to as ‘Lumens’.
What does Stellar (XLM) do?
Through its structuring, Stellar is able to facilitate cheap, and quick, transfers of value. Much of the development surrounding Stellar is targeted towards the remittance industry and cross-border transactions. One of the benefits afforded through the use of the Stellar network is integrated asset conversions. This means that the network supports a plethora of currencies, and can seamlessly convert between them.
How does it Work?
Stellar makes use of a proof-of-stake protocol. This means that transaction validations occur through XLM holders ‘staking’ their tokens. This simply entails the holder to store their asset in a supported digital wallet. This process is significantly more energy efficient than proof-of-work models and is growing in popularity.
Compared to most networks, Stellar makes use of its native token in a unique manner. While XLM tokens can be used to complete transactions, their original purpose was to provide ‘friction’ to the network. This friction is achieved by introducing modest transaction fees (payable in XLM), and minimum wallet holdings. The purpose of this is to reduce/eliminate spam from being introduced into the network, clogging data blocks.
Is it Legitimate?
Stellar Lumens (XLM) is a legitimate cryptocurrency and blockchain platform designed to facilitate fast, low-cost cross-border transactions. Launched in 2014 by the Stellar Development Foundation, the project aims to improve financial inclusion by connecting banks, payment systems, and individuals. Stellar’s decentralized network enables users to transfer digital assets, including fiat currencies, using its native token, Lumens (XLM), as a bridge currency to facilitate efficient exchanges.
The platform is supported by reputable partnerships, including collaborations with IBM and other financial institutions, enhancing its credibility in the blockchain space. Stellar’s focus on regulatory compliance and transparency further underscores its legitimacy. With a clear use case, active development, and a solid track record, Stellar Lumens is widely recognized as a trustworthy and functional blockchain project.
Projected Developments?
There are various developments and upgrades expected to be seen on the Stellar network in the coming years. The following are a few of the largest on the horizon.
- Increase robustness and stability
- Establish Stellar on a world stage
- Develop and improve use cases
- Cross-border transactions
- Securitize assets
Underlying Stellar (XLM) Ideology?
While comparisons will always exist between Ripple and Stellar, it is clear that the guiding factors for development differ between each. Stellar, in particular, was built with financial inclusion in mind. By bringing new efficiency to cross-border transactions, a new subset of humans can now gain access to new financial opportunities. Underlining the idea of financial inclusion is the fact that the SDF is run as a non-profit organization.
Acceptance and Controversies?
For projects of its kind, Stellar has managed to establish higher levels of acceptance than most. The following are but a few of the companies that have partnered with, and utilize Stellar in some shape or form.
- IBM
- Securrency
- Franklin Templeton
- Wirex
Beyond working relationships with these companies, Stellar is one of the most commonly supported assets on cryptocurrency exchanges and is readily accessible for many.
For the most part, Stellar has avoided any real controversy. There are those, however, that do not agree with the sway that the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) holds over the network – due to the SDF controlling 30M of the 50M XLM in existence.
Aside from this, many view Stellar in the same vein as Ripple. Much of this stems from the fact that the founder of Stellar, Jed McCaleb, was also a co-founder of Ripple. Due to variances in network structuring and actions by the SDF, Stellar has managed to avoid much of the same criticisms of Ripple, as most do not view it as likely to be a security.
Regulation?
To date, no official statements have been made by regulators on the status of XLM.
Outside of commentary by regulators, an independent group known as the ‘Crypto Ratings Council (CRC)’, has provided its input. Based on its assessment of the Stellar network, utilizing assessment tools similar in nature to those that would be used by regulators, the CRC has given it a score of 3.75 out of 5. This indicates that the project does indeed share various traits with that of a security. For comparison’s sake, the CRC gave similar scores to rival projects, like Tezos (3.75/5) and Ripple (4/5).
As with any investment or asset, always practice caution with assets surrounded by unknowns. While there are various arguments pointing towards Stellar not being a security, there is always the chance that regulators such as the SEC will have a differing perspective.
Who Made Stellar (XLM)?
Stellar was first launched in 2015 by Jed McCaleb. However, this endeavor was not the first foray into blockchain by McCaleb, as he is also the co-founder of Ripple and the infamous Mt. Gox exchange.
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