In 2024, the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) focused on fostering research that aligns with their mission of equitable financial access. Iftach Haitner from Tel-Aviv University joined SDF as a full-time cryptography researcher, expanding the team alongside Giuliano Losa. The team also coordinated part-time collaborations with Eli Gafni and Moshen Lesani, as well as research interns. A notable event was the organization of the 11th Workshop on Formal Reasoning in Distributed Algorithms (FRIDA 2024) at CAV 2024, promoting industry and academic collaboration. The team published three peer-reviewed papers and participated in various academic conferences. SDF funded 14 academic research groups globally, emphasizing contributions to cryptography, distributed computing, and blockchain technology, supporting their overarching mission. They also developed ‘python-fbas’, a tool for analyzing Federated Byzantine Agreement Systems, furthering blockchain research.
