Zar, a venture initiated by Brandon Timinsky, the former CEO of SadaPay, has successfully secured $7 million in funding to establish a worldwide network that enables cash exchanges for stablecoins at local shops globally.
This funding round saw participation from notable investors, including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Dragonfly Capital, VanEck Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, and various co-founders of the Solana blockchain.
The valuation of Zar remains undisclosed, as reported by Fortune.
Timinsky Champions Stablecoin Adoption
As stablecoins have burgeoned into a $238 billion market, essential for facilitating cross-border transactions and providing protection against inflation, Zar aspires to transform everyday stores into physical points for cryptocurrency exchange.
The company plans to utilize a vast network of over 28 million mobile money agents worldwide—individuals and businesses facilitating over $1.5 trillion in financial services beyond conventional banking.
With Zar’s platform, users will have the ability to enter a local retail store, scan a QR code, and carry out transactions through the Zar app.
Clients can evaluate vendor ratings, examine exchange rates, and hand over cash in exchange for stablecoins such as USDT or USDC, which will be credited directly to their digital wallets.
Store proprietors can profit by applying a margin onto the exchange rate, while Zar will earn a transaction fee that varies by region.
Though the service is not yet operational, it has already garnered significant interest. Nearly 100,000 users are currently on Zar’s waitlist, with 7,000 vendors across 20 nations—including Pakistan, Nigeria, Argentina, and Indonesia—showing interest.
Unlike typical crypto platforms, ZAR is engineered to facilitate dollar inflows without enabling capital flight. By helping people access stable digital dollars while keeping that value within their local economies, we're addressing a critical need—especially in countries like…
— ZAR (@zardotapp) April 30, 2025
Timinsky indicated that the company will not primarily target the U.S. market initially, given the limited adoption of stablecoins in a country with a more stable currency and a matured banking system.
Instead, the focus will shift towards emerging markets where populations often face unreliable financial services and are in search of alternatives to unstable local currencies.
The investment will be directed towards expanding Zar’s team, establishing new offices, and further developing its technology. The company aims to roll out its services by the summer’s end.
Projected Surge in Stablecoin Market
Citigroup has released projections indicating a substantial growth in the stablecoin sector, predicting that its overall market capitalization could escalate from approximately $240 billion today to over $2 trillion by 2030.
This increase is expected to be fueled by evolving regulatory landscapes and a rising interest from both financial institutions and public entities.
Under Citigroup’s base-case forecast, stablecoin supply could reach $1.6 trillion by the end of the decade, with a more optimistic scenario suggesting that this figure could explode to $3.7 trillion.
Furthermore, the number of active stablecoin wallets has surged by over 50% in the past year, signifying heightened adoption and engagement within the digital asset ecosystem.
Specifically, the count of active stablecoin addresses rose from 19.6 million in February 2024 to reach 30 million by February 2025, representing a remarkable 53% year-on-year growth.
The post Zar Secures $7M From A16z, Dragonfly to Bring Stablecoins to Local Stores appeared first on Finance Newso.
