In the rush to scale stablecoins, much of the crypto world has focused on trading platforms, DeFi protocols, and enterprise adoption. But what if the true frontier lies in a dusty corner shop in Lagos or Lahore?

That’s the bet Zar is making.

A Ground Game for Stablecoin Adoption

With $7 million in funding from a16z, Dragonfly, and other crypto heavyweights, Zar wants to turn local stores into cash-to-crypto hubs—places where you can walk in with physical currency and walk out with USDC or USDT in your wallet.

It’s a radically offline-first strategy—one that acknowledges a reality most blockchain builders overlook: cash isn’t dead, especially in the Global South.

Beyond Onboarding: It’s Infrastructure Without Banks

Zar doesn’t want to replace mobile money agents. It wants to partner with them. The company plans to tap into 28 million existing cash agents worldwide, who are already trusted to handle $1.5 trillion in financial activity annually.

In these markets, traditional on-ramps are inaccessible, slow, or untrusted. By embedding stablecoin access into existing retail relationships, Zar is attempting to bootstrap financial sovereignty without the overhead of building new branches or licensing banks.

This isn’t about disrupting banks. It’s about skipping them altogether.

Why It Matters: Stablecoins Are the Real Killer App

While Western regulators and speculators argue over yield curves and protocol designs, stablecoins are quietly powering remittances, savings, and payroll in countries facing currency collapse or regulatory gridlock.

And the numbers are accelerating:

• Stablecoin wallets grew 53% in the last year
  
• Citigroup predicts a market size of $2T+ by 2030
  

What Zar offers isn’t flashy—it’s functional. It solves for trust, liquidity, and access. And in emerging markets, that’s everything.

Final Thought

Zar isn’t just a startup. It’s a signal. A reminder that the next phase of crypto adoption won’t happen in Discord servers or protocol governance forums.

It will happen in corner shops. In cash. In local trust networks. That’s where the crypto revolution quietly wins.