WalletConnect today announced support for the Stellar network and a partnership with Penrose Partners to bring WalletConnect Pay to merchants in Bermuda. This initiative is meant to support the Government of Bermuda’s plan to become the world’s first fully onchain economy.
Stellar support lets apps and wallets in the Stellar ecosystem connect to the WalletConnect Network, which reaches 900 million end users, thousands of institutions and 700+ wallets. Wallets and custodians supporting the integration from day one include Fireblocks, Utila, LOBSTR and Arculus.
WalletConnect Pay now supports payments on Stellar, so customers can pay merchants directly from their Stellar wallets. LOBSTR, the Stellar wallet built by Ultra Stellar, is the first wallet live with WalletConnect Pay on Stellar, available from today.
Raja Chakravorti, Chief Business Officer of the Stellar Development Foundation, commented, “Bermuda’s work to make digital assets part of everyday commerce is exactly the kind of real-world use Stellar was built for. WalletConnect Pay brings that experience to the point of sale for users who already hold assets in Stellar wallets."
In Bermuda, WalletConnect and Penrose Partners are working to bring WalletConnect Pay to merchants across the island. The first merchant is Premier Tickets (PTIX), Bermuda's leading event ticketing platform, which will let customers pay for tickets with digital assets through WalletConnect Pay. The group plans to submit an application to participate in the Bermuda Monetary Authority’s Innovation Hub inviting greater regulatory collaboration on the roll-out across the Island.
WalletConnect Pay will be configured such that each customer's payment goes directly from their wallet to the event organiser's wallet, and PTIX never holds the funds. That means one ticketing platform can offer low cost digital asset payments on behalf of many independent organisers with a single integration and funds are received within seconds.
The partnership supports the Government of Bermuda's plan, announced at the World Economic Forum in January 2026, to become the world's first fully onchain national economy, using digital assets as everyday financial infrastructure across government, business and consumers. The Government has said that traditional payment rails are costly and restrictive for small island economies and push up fees for local merchants. Bermuda has been building towards this since it introduced the Digital Asset Business Act in 2018, which set out its regulatory framework for digital asset businesses.G Clay Miller, Partner at Penrose Partners, said “We welcome WalletConnect’s participation in our ‘onchain economy’ initiative. Bermuda has made significant progress in driving the adoption of digital finance over the last two years, and the addition of WalletConnect Pay will help further this initiative by providing local businesses with more flexible payment options.”
Penrose Partners, the advisory firm behind the island's Digital Finance Forum, will support merchant onboarding and local education. PTIX payments are expected to go live in Q2 2027, with more merchants to follow.
"Jess Houlgrave, CEO of WalletConnect, commented, ‘Payments has proven to be the most impactful use case for crypto, and getting there takes governments willing to lead. Bermuda has been forward-thinking in creating the rules and conditions for digital assets to be used in real-world commerce, and it's showing other jurisdictions what's possible. We're proud to bring WalletConnect Pay to Bermuda's merchants, starting with PTIX."
WalletConnect connects 900 million end users through 700+ wallets and supports $400B+ in annual transaction volume across its network.
About WalletConnect
WalletConnect is the leading global connectivity network for wallets, banks, fintechs, financial institutions, and DeFi. One platform enables secure, compliant money movement with any asset on any chain, providing a single access point to 900M end users, thousands of institutions and $2 trillion in value.
About the Stellar Development Foundation
The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is a non-profit organization focused on working with and supporting changemakers to create equitable access to the global financial system through blockchain technology. SDF provides grants, investments, funding, and other awards to builders and organizations. SDF also develops resources and tooling on the Stellar network to help unlock real world utility. As a nonprofit foundation, SDF puts the health of the Stellar network and the Stellar ecosystem and its mission above all else. For more information, visit https://stellar.org/foundation .
About Penrose Partners
Founded in 2019, Penrose Partners is an award-winning digital asset consultancy that advises public and private sector institutions on strategy, business development, and education programs. Penrose’s mission is to help drive the global adoption of digital assets to create a more open and inclusive financial system. The firm works at the intersection of innovation, regulation, and enterprise, supporting leading organizations including Coinbase, Circle, Apex, the NEAR Foundation, and the Government of Bermuda. Headquartered in Bermuda, Penrose Partners operates globally across Toronto, Montreal, New York and London.