Anchor (Stellar)
An anchor is a regulated on/off-ramp service on the Stellar network that connects bank money to the blockchain: it accepts a fiat deposit and delivers the equivalent asset to a Stellar wallet, and handles the reverse for withdrawals. Anchors are how most fiat currency enters and exits the Stellar ecosystem.
An anchor is Stellar’s bridge to the banking system — a licensed business that takes deposits in a local currency and issues (or delivers) the matching asset on-chain, following Stellar’s standard deposit/withdrawal protocols. For someone starting from a bank account, an anchor can be the most direct route to holding USDC on Stellar without ever touching a trading interface.
Coverage varies by country and currency, and each anchor sets its own fees and identity checks. The how to get USDC guide covers when an anchor beats a simple exchange withdrawal.