To give the original creators (who pre-mined something like 17 billion tokens) a giant amount of money.

https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/6bi958/ripp...

Unlike Ripple, where the pre-mined tokens are held by individuals, the pre-mined stellar tokens are owned by Stellar Development Foundation, a nonprofit corporation.

Here are some quotes, but do check the link bellow too:

"SDF manages the execution of lumen distribution, with oversight and direction provided by SDF’s Expansion Board. The initial lumens held by SDF are required to be distributed to the world in the following manner:

50% for distribution via the Direct Sign-up Program

25% for distribution via the Partnership Program

20% for distribution via the Bitcoin Program

5% held by SDF to support operational costs"

https://www.stellar.org/about/mandate/

How much control does Jed McCaleb have over this foundation?

Are there any updates on the status of SDF as a non-profit? https://www.xrpchat.com/topic/17500-a-stellar-story/ suggests their tax exempt status is at least unclear.

Nothing could have been premined since there is no mining on Stellar.

Can handle fiat currencies; supports regulatory compliance (KYC, AML). Compared to Bitcoin: lower transaction fees, faster, lower energy costs.

(Stellar without Lightning is magnitudes faster and cheaper than Bitcoin without Lightning. Stellar with Lightning should be faster and cheaper than Bitcoin with Lightning — assuming the Stellar network is equally well-connected, which it might not be.)