Author: Fairy, ChainCatcher

Editor: TB, ChainCatcher

In the wave of payment innovation, new companies are emerging one after another, and the digital dollar wallet Zar is one of them. However, unlike most startups that focus on the U.S. market, Zar initially focuses on cash-dominated economies in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

Zar offers a digital dollar wallet that allows users to find nearby supported merchants through the app, conveniently exchange their cash for stablecoins, and spend at merchants worldwide that accept Visa using a linked Visa debit card.

How Does Zar Work?

Zar focuses on providing a channel for converting cash into dollar stablecoins in emerging markets. Zar believes that in countries where cash is predominant and local currencies are volatile, users have a higher trust in the dollar, indicating a potential market opportunity.

Zar does not build a payment network from scratch but leverages the existing "trust agent networks" in each country: such as convenience stores in Latin America, phone recharge shops in South Asia, and remittance points in Africa, which handle hundreds of billions of dollars in cash flow annually.

Users simply walk into a nearby store, scan the QR code provided by Zar, view merchant ratings through the mobile app, input the amount to exchange, and then hand over cash. Within seconds, they can receive the equivalent stablecoins in their mobile wallet. These stablecoins can be used for savings, transfers, or everyday spending, while merchants earn revenue through exchange rate differences and incentives from the Zar platform.

Zar also offers a "non-crypto native user-friendly" self-custody wallet equipped with a consumable Visa card, creating a complete closed loop from "cash" to "stablecoin" to "spending payment."

Team Background

Zar's founder and CEO Brandon Timinsky graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in Marketing and Entrepreneurship and studied Economics at Florida International University. According to LinkedIn, he has founded 10 projects since 2005, covering various fields including web design, real estate SaaS platforms, corporate fleet fuel management solutions, and high-performance skincare and anti-aging products for men.

Among these, the most representative project is the digital bank SadaPay, which achieved over $1.5 billion in annual transactions within five years. In September 2024, Timinsky founded Zar, aiming to provide a more convenient channel for stablecoin usage for people living in regions with currency instability.

Zar's co-founder Sebastian Scholl graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science degree. He initially worked as a web developer at XO Group and later served as the Director of Product and Developer Relations at 8base. In December 2022, he founded the AI content platform Walkthrough.ai, focusing on the development of generative content tools. In September 2024, Scholl founded Zar.

Left: Brandon Timinsky, Right: Sebastian Scholl

Project Progress

In October 2024, Zar completed its angel round of financing, receiving support from several well-known angel investors, including Solana Labs co-founder Toly and former Coinbase CTO Balaji. Subsequently, on April 30, 2025, Zar announced the completion of a $7 million financing round led by prominent institutions such as Dragonfly Capital, a16z, VanEck, and Coinbase Ventures.

Zar has not officially launched yet, but the official statement indicates that approximately 100,000 users have joined the waiting list, and about 7,000 merchants have expressed willingness to cooperate, covering regions including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nigeria, Lebanon, and Argentina. Zar plans to officially launch its services by the end of this summer, with the first location in Pakistan, and currently has no plans to enter the U.S. market, intending to gradually expand to more countries based on market feedback in the future.

(This article only introduces early projects and does not constitute investment advice.)

免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。