Which tokens can you transfer on Stellar network?
Stellar moves XLM and issued assets like stablecoins if your wallet holds a trustline. Other-chain tokens need a bridge, and issuers can freeze.
Vahe HakobyanEditor-in-chief
Updated Oct 6, 20263 min readFact-checked
On this page
- XLM needs no trustline; issued assets usually do.
- Path payments convert between issued tokens while they move.
- Soroban tokens follow contract rules; classic assets use trustlines.
- Issuers can freeze or claw back tokens, so check the flags.
Stellar is an open-source protocol for moving value between currencies and assets. It launched in 2014, and its ledger tracks XLM, also called Lumens, plus assets that issuers create on the network.
Which tokens can Stellar transfer?
Stellar moves native XLM and assets that issuers create on its network. An issued asset can be a stablecoin, a deposit, or a tokenized real-world asset.
What does a trustline change?
A trustline is a wallet entry that accepts one specific asset from one specific issuer. XLM does not need one, but issued assets usually do, and each trustline raises the XLM your account must reserve.
Can you send other-chain tokens?
Tokens built for Ethereum or another chain cannot move directly on Stellar. You use a bridge, which locks or burns the original and issues a representation that follows the bridge's rules.
Who controls issued tokens?
An issued asset is not neutral the way XLM is. Its issuer sets controls in the asset's flags and terms, so check who issues the token and what those settings allow.
- Requiring authorization before any account holds it.
- Freezing transfers.
- Clawing back tokens from holders.
- Limiting which accounts can receive it.
How do path payments and Soroban tokens work?
Stellar has a built-in exchange, so a path payment can convert between issued tokens as it moves them, with XLM often finding an efficient path. Soroban tokens differ: smart contracts create and move them under contract rules, while classic assets use trustlines.
Frequently asked questions
Open your wallet, choose the asset, enter the issuer's account and asset code, then sign the change trust operation your wallet builds.
Usually yes, if the exchange supports the Stellar network and that exact asset and issuer. You often need a memo, sometimes a memo ID, so the exchange credits you; Stellar has no destination tags.
The payment normally fails and the token does not arrive, and the sender usually pays only the network fee. Stellar transactions are irreversible once they complete.
No. Stellar's classic assets are ledger entries tied to an issuer and an asset code, not ERC-20 contracts on Ethereum.
