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About ZAR
ZAR is a digital dollar wallet designed for cash-based economies. Its core service allows users to deposit local currency at partner retail shops and receive USDC, a dollar-pegged stablecoin, in their app. Users can then spend these digital dollars via a linked Visa card or send them cross-border.
The main problem ZAR addresses is financial instability in emerging markets. In countries like Pakistan, Kenya, and Argentina, high inflation erodes savings, while traditional banking infrastructure is limited. ZAR provides a practical bridge: it converts volatile local cash into a stable digital dollar, making savings and payments more reliable without requiring users to understand blockchain technology.
Over the past six months, ZAR has focused on expanding its physical cash-in network across South Asia and Africa. The company has grown its merchant partner base and increased user adoption in existing markets, particularly in Pakistan. It has also been preparing for entry into additional African markets, with a stated goal of broadening access to dollar-denominated savings and payment tools for underbanked populations.
ZAR, a digital dollar wallet for emerging markets, was co-founded by Solana Labs and others, completing an angel round. In 2025, it joined a16z's CSX accelerator program, receiving at least $500K in investment. Shortly after, it raised $7M in a seed round led by a16z, followed by a $12.9M round also led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Coinbase. These funding milestones underscore growing institutional confidence in its mission to provide USD access to users in high-inflation countries.
Brandon Timinsky (Co-Founder & CEO): Serial entrepreneur since age 15. Founded SadaPay (acquired by Papara in 2024) and GasNinjas (acquired in 2017). Self-taught programmer; scaled SadaPay to millions of users and billions in payment volume. Currently leading ZAR, a stablecoin wallet for emerging markets.
Sebastian Scholl (Co-Founder): Previously founded walkthrough.ai and served as Director of Product & Developer Advocacy at 8base. Co-founded ZAR with Brandon to build stablecoin-based financial tools. Background in product management and developer relations.