Open MetaMask tonight, and you might find an address in your account that you never requested.
On October 29, MetaMask and the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) announced at the Meridian 2026 conference in Lisbon that Stellar had become the default network on MetaMask’s mobile app and browser extension, launching that same day. MetaMask says it is the first major self-custody wallet to support Stellar by default.
A few key facts:
1. Existing accounts will automatically get a Stellar address derived from their existing recovery phrase, so there’s no need to install another wallet. Existing Stellar users can also import their recovery phrase.
2. Supports $XLM, trustline assets, and Soroban tokens. You can send and receive them, and swap them with assets on other supported networks.
3. SDF data: Stellar processed $55.6 billion in payments in 2025, up 52% year over year.
My take: This could mean more for MetaMask than for Stellar. A wallet that grew out of the $ETH ecosystem is now focusing on “Open Money”—the idea of managing all your money from one account. Starting with a chain built specifically for cross-border payments makes its strategy clear.
Two easy pitfalls to watch out for, according to MetaMask’s help documentation:
A new address must first receive at least 1 XLM to activate. Transfers of non-XLM assets to an inactive address will fail outright;
Each trustline you add locks an additional 0.5 XLM as a reserve. The amount you can spend is your “available balance,” not your total balance.
Wallets are the scarcest distribution channel. What’s worth watching next is whether on-chain addresses and payment volumes actually pick up.
This is not investment advice.