Range is now a Tier 1 validator on Stellar

In coordination with the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF), Range will be operating a Tier 1 validator on the Stellar Network, alongside MoneyGram and Figure Markets. Stellar processed over $17.97 billion in stablecoin volume in the first half of 2026, a scale that makes the reliability of its consensus a direct concern for the institutions settling on it. The three organizations span capital markets, global money movement and blockchain security infrastructure, and each will operate core consensus infrastructure for a network built to run regulated finance.

Tier 1 validators are key to Stellar's core consensus infrastructure. They run multiple geographically distributed full validators that participate in the Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP), a model in which each validator chooses its own quorum set, the specific set of peers it trusts, to agree on the state of the ledger. These operators are publicly identifiable and maintain the highest uptime standards. They run the infrastructure not for financial return but to protect the safety and liveness of the entire network.

Expanding the set of Tier 1 organizations increases the network's fault tolerance, so consensus can continue even if several operators go offline at once, and it broadens the mix of industries, geographies, and infrastructure that underpin agreement on the ledger.

"What sets Stellar apart is that the controls regulated institutions depend on, like approving, revoking, and freezing assets, are enforced by the protocol itself," said Jose Fernandez da Ponte, President and Chief Growth Officer at the Stellar Development Foundation. "Adding world-class institutions and community members like MoneyGram, Figure Markets and Range as validators makes Stellar an even better network for regulated finance to run on."

Why this matters for Range

Range is the platform for companies operating across stablecoins and fiat. We run real-time monitoring and pre-execution compliance controls across more than 200 blockchain networks, screening transactions for sanctions, fraud, and operational risk before they settle, and we secure over $30B in assets for our customers.

Running a validator is a different kind of commitment. Monitoring a network means observing what moves across it, but operating consensus infrastructure means being accountable for whether the network agrees on the truth at all. For a company whose product is financial control across stablecoins and fiat, that is a natural place to stand.

Stellar sits at the center of stablecoin payments and cross-border settlement, the exact intersection Range is built for. Stellar is already a Range customer, using the platform for visibility and controls across stablecoin and fiat activity. The validator role is separate: here Range helps operate part of the network's core infrastructure rather than consuming its product, and neither relationship depends on the other. It also puts a security-focused operator among the organizations anchoring the network, adding a perspective shaped by observing how value actually moves and how it gets attacked across hundreds of chains.

"Range spends every day securing the infrastructure that moves stablecoins and fiat for our customers, so helping secure Stellar itself is a natural next step," said Andres Monteoliva, Range CEO. "Running Tier 1 validators lets us bring that security and monitoring expertise directly to the consensus layer of a network built for regulated finance. The institutions settling real money on Stellar should know the organizations underpinning it have a direct stake in keeping it safe."

What Tier 1 requires

Tier 1 is not a designation an organization can claim on its own. To qualify, each operator must meet a defined bar and coordinate with the operators already holding the line.

• Run three geographically dispersed full validators that publish complete history archives.
• Maintain sustained uptime of 99.9% or higher.
• Complete SEP-1 and SEP-20 self-verification so the network can transparently identify its nodes.
• Coordinate actively with the existing Tier 1 community on network upgrades and operations.

Range’s validator nodes are expected to be fully integrated into the Tier-1 quorum configuration by mid-August 2026.

Full details are in the announcement from the Stellar Development Foundation.

Range secures $30B+ in assets across 200+ networks, and now helps secure Stellar itself. To see how pre-execution controls and real-time monitoring work across stablecoin and fiat rails, get in touch.