The explicit design decision here is that most of the logic that in Ethereum would be executed in the EVM, can instead be computed off-chain, with the results e

The explicit design decision here is that most of the logic that in Ethereum would be executed in the EVM, can instead be computed off-chain, with the results encoded in the Stellar ledger. This precludes some of the loftier use-cases that have been proposed for Ethereum like DAOs and trustless prediction markets, but makes it much easier and faster to move money around. (Put differently, Ethereum is a distributed computer, not a payment rail; Stellar is a payment rail, not a distributed computer). If you want to implement a gambling site in a jurisdiction where that is illegal, Stellar won't help you, and Ethereum might. However if you're an existing business that is incorporated in the US, then you are probably fine with asking customers to trust you; this is what all companies currently do, under perjury of prosecution. Another key benefit to Stellar is that if you just want a token / ICO, then this is built into the protocol; Stellar has the concept of an Asset, which you can issue with a couple of API calls. This replaces the need for implementing and testing your own ERC20, which is a major headache, particularly for existing non-crypto oriented enterprises. There are obviously some open questions on exactly which use-cases Stellar would be useful for, but an example would be in-app purchase tokens like Kin; there's no reason to implement that as an ERC20 and incur the risk involved with the EVM when you're just moving tokens around.