{"id":"tomer-weller","title":"Tomer Weller","content":"**Tomer Weller** is a technology and product executive working in [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) and financial technology. He currently serves as chief product officer of the [Stellar](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) Development Foundation after previously working in engineering, research, and product roles across software and [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) companies. [\\[5\\]](#cite-id-Irzm2gmPh9NUCYuB) \n\n## Education\n\nWeller graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a BSC in Computer Science Engineering in 2011. He later attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a Master’s in Media, Arts, and Science in 2016. [\\[6\\]](#cite-id-ihI9r9CuaCoE08B7) \n\n## Career\n\nWeller began his career as a performance engineer at HP Software in 2010. During this period, he also co-founded Paradroid, where he worked on software architecture for a self-navigating robotic system controlled through an Android device. In 2011, Weller joined Logicalls as a full stack developer, working on end-to-end software development projects until 2012. He later became an Android developer at ANY.DO from 2013 to 2014, contributing to mobile application development. From 2014 to 2017, Weller worked as a research assistant at the MIT Media Lab in the Viral Spaces research group. In 2017, he joined Lightyear.io as an engineer before moving to Interstellar as a solutions architect in 2018. Weller joined the [Stellar](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) Development Foundation in February 2019 as director of partner engineering. He later served as vice president of technology strategy from 2021 to 2023, followed by vice president of product from 2023 to 2024. Since September 2024, he has served as the organization’s chief product officer. [\\[7\\]](#cite-id-9iOTAi5N8XPLaYO1) \n\n## Interviews\n\n### Confidential Payments\n\nOn the Block By Block podcast in March 2026, Weller explained how [Stellar](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) aimed to provide configurable privacy solutions without sacrificing [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) transparency and auditability. He highlighted that institutions increasingly demanded privacy for their sensitive data, especially competitive and regulatory information, which prompted [Stellar](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) to develop privacy layers that operate at the application level through cryptographic primitives like [zero-knowledge proofs](https://iq.wiki/wiki/zero-knowledge-proofs-zkps). These privacy features included confidential tokens and privacy pools, enabling encrypted balances and onion-layered anonymity, while still maintaining the core openness of the ledger for transparency and auditability. Weller emphasized that the technology for privacy solutions was sufficiently advanced, with projects like [Stellar](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) Private Payments (SP) and collaborations with firms like Nethermind already delivering practical implementations. He also discussed the importance of administrative controls for regulated entities, the evolution of zero-knowledge cryptography, and the need for privacy solutions that can scale to meet institutional demands by 2026 and beyond. Throughout, he stressed that privacy in [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain), particularly for institutions, was not a binary choice but a configurable spectrum that could be tailored to different use cases, balancing privacy with transparency, and that the future of confidential payments on [Stellar](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) was promising and imminent. [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-1N9bHtzZyunQjMdK) \n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=YWIj8vbNHWE)\n\n### Real Rails\n\nIn a fireside chat with [Stable](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stable) in October 2025, Weller discussed the practical, real-world applications of [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) and digital payments, emphasizing that [Stellar](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) was one of the early [blockchains](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) committed to on-chain payments amidst distractions such as [NFTs](https://iq.wiki/wiki/non-fungible-token-nft) and [meme coins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/memecoins). He highlighted current use cases including the ATM Wallet processing over $1.2 billion annually, aid distribution to refugees in Ukraine, and payroll for health workers in Syria, illustrating [fiat](https://iq.wiki/wiki/fiat-money)-to-[crypto](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) onramps via [Stellar](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar). Weller explained [Stellar’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) collaboration with MoneyGram, which enables cash in/out transactions across over 400,000 global agents, emphasizing the importance of interoperable rail infrastructure and traditional remittance systems. He noted that the infrastructure improvements, regulatory progress, and network effects were removing barriers to [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) adoption, akin to existing payment networks like Visa, and stressed that trust and compliance were central to building effective payment systems. Weller also reflected on [Stellar’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) progressive integration of [smart contracts](https://iq.wiki/wiki/smart-contract) with a focus on security, consensus protocols that build trust, and the ecosystem's development, positioning [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) not just as volatile tokens but as foundational infrastructure for global finance. Overall, he advised maintaining focus on the core mission of creating equitable access and building products that deliver genuine value, while emphasizing [Stellar’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) global ambitions and the importance of ecosystem collaboration for mainstream [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) and payment adoption. [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-1YLR966VyQ1djU4L) \n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=OAU4f5bSVGs)\n\n### Smart Contracts and Stablecoins\n\nOn the [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) Deep Dive podcast in August 2025, Rachel Wolfson interviewed Weller, who discussed the [Stellar's](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) recent implementation of [smart contracts](https://iq.wiki/wiki/smart-contract) through the introduction of Project Soroban, a virtual machine inspired by a Japanese abacus, which took nearly two years to develop and launch. He highlighted [Stellar's](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) original design for cross-border payments, incorporating features like asset issuance and compliance tools, and emphasized the importance of integrating [smart contracts](https://iq.wiki/wiki/smart-contract) to expand into everyday financial instruments such as savings, investments, and [decentralized finance (DeFi)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi). Weller explained [Stellar's](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) unique [consensus mechanism](https://iq.wiki/wiki/consensus-mechanism), Proof of Agreement (PoA), which relies on [validators](https://iq.wiki/wiki/validator)' reputation within a trust-based network mirroring traditional banking relationships, offering transparency and security attractive to traditional financial institutions. He shared that [Stellar](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) is actively working on enhancing scalability, privacy solutions, and network performance, aiming for sub-second transaction times. Weller also noted strategic partnerships, like Visa supporting [Stellar](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) [USDC](https://iq.wiki/wiki/usdc), and predicted continued growth in [real-world asset](https://iq.wiki/wiki/real-world-assets-rwas) tokenization, [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) usage, and [DeFi](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi) applications on [Stellar](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar). Overall, he expressed optimism about the network's future, emphasizing efforts to improve usability, security, and regulatory clarity to foster mainstream adoption and real-world value creation. [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-fmHdYqAoWeIi99tq) \n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=-9WhDnrl5r8)\n\n## Presentations\n\n### Journey Starts Here\n\nAt Meridian 2023, the event marked the beginning of the Soroban journey, emphasizing its ambitious and quixotic nature—aiming for innovative and optimistic advancements in [smart contract](https://iq.wiki/wiki/smart-contract) technology. Weller, Justin Rice, and [Jed McCaleb](https://iq.wiki/wiki/jed-mccaleb) highlighted the technical depth of the conference, showcasing numerous core engineers, ecosystem developers, and experts from various fields, all focused on building a sustainable and efficient platform. They underlined the vibrant state of the Soroban ecosystem, with over a hundred projects underway and forty presenting during the conference, covering essential components like [oracles](https://iq.wiki/wiki/oracle), [AMMs](https://iq.wiki/wiki/automated-market-maker), and developer tools, despite the [mainnet](https://iq.wiki/wiki/mainnet) launch still pending. Furthermore, they celebrated Soroban's integration with [Stellar's](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) [real-world assets](https://iq.wiki/wiki/real-world-assets-rwas), enabling functionalities like [fiat](https://iq.wiki/wiki/fiat-money) ramps and asset-backed contracts, which set it apart from other platforms. The event featured numerous sessions delving into technical decisions, ecosystem growth, and practical applications such as cash-to-[DeFi](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi) connections, with speakers expressing enthusiasm and excitement for future developments. Overall, Meridian 2023 encapsulated the momentum, technical innovation, and collaborative spirit driving Soroban and [Stellar](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stellar) toward a promising future. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-FCtFwlW71tEGuIOG) \n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=vV8FLaz1gXY)","summary":"Tomer Weller is chief product officer at the Stellar Development Foundation and a blockchain/fintech product executive. 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