Trustlines

On Stellar, accounts must explicitly opt in to hold and use assets. This opt-in is called a trustline.

What Are Trustlines in Stellar?

  • A trustline is an explicit opt-in setup by a Stellar account that authorizes it to hold, receive, and transact with a non‑native asset (i.e. anything other than XLM), issued by a specific issuer

  • Without a trustline, an account cannot receive or keep that asset on the Stellar network

  • Each trustline requires 0.5 XLM in base reserve, increasing the minimum balance and limiting abuse

  • Trustlines also include a trust limit—the maximum amount the account is willing to hold—and record the current balance and liabilities (e.g., open offers)

Without a trustline, an account cannot receive or hold a token like USDC.


🔑 Why Trustlines Matter

  • Authorization: They give permission for an account to hold a specific asset (e.g., USDC from its issuer).

  • Reserves: Each trustline requires a small XLM reserve, so accounts can’t spam unlimited assets.

  • Limits: A trustline sets a maximum balance the account is willing to hold.


⚡ Trustlines in Escrows

  • Escrows depend on trustlines.

Our escrows can be configured for ANY trustline on Stellar. But all roles must have the Trustline with that asset.

  • Practical impact: All participants must have the proper trustline set up first.

✍🏼 USDC/EURC Trustline

USDC/EURC is the most functional and widely used trustline for escrow. I am attaching the issuer addresses for these so that you can use them when initializing an escrow and defining your trustline:

USDC

Testnet: GBBD47IF6LWK7P7MDEVSCWR7DPUWV3NY3DTQEVFL4NAT4AQH3ZLLFLA5

Mainnet: GA5ZSEJYB37JRC5AVCIA5MOP4RHTM335X2KGX3IHOJAPP5RE34K4KZVN

EURC

Testnet: GB3Q6QDZYTHWT7E5PVS3W7FUT5GVAFC5KSZFFLPU25GO7VTC3NM2ZTVO

Mainnet: GDHU6WRG4IEQXM5NZ4BMPKOXHW76MZM4Y2IEMFDVXBSDP6SJY4ITNPP2

References:


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