In an interview with CoinGabbar, Keshav Pandya, the co-founder and COO of Web3 payments platform Zeebu, shares how blockchain technology is redefining the future of international payments.
When it comes to next-generation payment solutions, Keshav Pandya has a pretty good idea of how far we’ve come and where we’re heading.
A technologist and crypto industry veteran, he is one of the masterminds behind the innovative Web3 payments platform Zeebu, where he is redefining international payments with the use of blockchain technology. For him, the world is now in a crucial transition from Web2 to Web3.
“Imagine you’re from Nigeria and you’re traveling to Dubai, dealing with the difficulty and costs involved in converting your Naira to AED, whether through banks or OTC exchanges, you end up losing 3-5% in conversion fees,” Keshav explained. “It’s a huge hassle with significant fees. Now, consider the magnitude of fees businesses might be paying for international payments. We recognized this pain point and decided to address it with Zeebu.”
With Zeebu, Keshav and the other co-founders are bringing seamless, cost-effective payment solutions to telecom businesses worldwide by leveraging blockchain technology to reduce fees and streamline transactions. Their aim is simple: to create a transparent and efficient financial ecosystem for global commerce.
“We are not just facilitating payments; we are creating a comprehensive Web3 payments and settlement solution for the telecom industry,” Keshav stated.
As promising as that sounds, transitioning to Web3 payments comes with its fair share of troubles. Many traditional financial institutions are wary of the trustless nature of blockchain. But this is not enough to shake Keshav’s confidence in it. “You don’t have to believe in someone; it’s written and it’s going to happen,” he noted, highlighting the transparency and security of blockchain technology.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Sudeep (Coin Gabbar): Let’s start with Keshav. Can you tell us about your background and how you landed in Web3 and ultimately Zeebu?
Keshav (Zeebu): Sure, Sudeep. I’ve been in the crypto industry for over a decade, initially helping build high-frequency trading engines for exchanges. This experience gave me deep insights into the complexities and inefficiencies of traditional financial systems, especially concerning international transactions. My co-founder Raj, who has a long history in the telecom industry, pointed out the significant financial losses telecom companies face due to high banking fees and slow transaction processes. We realized there was a massive opportunity to address these issues using blockchain technology, leading to the creation of Zeebu. Our goal is to streamline international payments and settlements, starting with telecom and eventually expanding to other industries.
Sudeep: Can you explain what Zeebu is doing, how it works, and how it benefits users?
Keshav: Absolutely. Zeebu is focused on creating a settlement protocol that simplifies and reduces the cost of international transactions. Traditional banking systems often involve high fees and slow processes for currency exchange and cross-border payments. This is particularly burdensome for industries like telecom, where companies lose millions annually due to these inefficiencies. Zeebu’s protocol leverages blockchain technology to facilitate faster, cheaper, and more transparent transactions. By providing robust settlement services, we ensure that transactions are completed smoothly and securely. Our vision is encapsulated in our tagline, "Telecom today, rest of the world tomorrow," indicating our ambition to extend these benefits globally.
Sudeep: Right now, you have a limited set of products. What does the future entail? How are you taking it forward?
Keshav: From day one, our primary focus has been on ensuring that no one loses money, which has shaped our tokenomics and business model. Currently, we’re building our liquidity protocol, allowing users to stake various assets. In the next six months, we aim to enhance our governance program, this will empower our community to play a significant role in Zeebu's development.
Sudeep: How does Zeebu bridge the gap between traditional financial systems and the crypto world, especially considering regulatory aspects?
Keshav: Bridging this gap is one of our top priorities. Traditional financial systems rely on trust in centralized institutions, while the crypto world offers transparency through decentralized mechanisms. Zeebu combines the best of both worlds by implementing rigorous regulatory compliance within our decentralized framework. This approach ensures that we meet legal requirements while maintaining the transparency and democratization that blockchain technology provides. By doing so, we create a trustless system in the positive sense—one that doesn't require blind trust because it is inherently secure and transparent.
Sudeep: Can you discuss the support and opportunities Zeebu offers to builders on your protocol?
Keshav: We are deeply committed to fostering innovation within our ecosystem. We will be onboarding 100 crypto experts into various governance councils. These councils will provide extensive support and resources to builders, helping them develop and implement their projects on the Zeebu protocol. Our tokenomics are designed to reward contributors with loyalty incentives based on transaction processing, encouraging ongoing development and expansion of our ecosystem.
Sudeep: What is your perspective on the current growth and evolution of the crypto world?
Keshav: The crypto ecosystem is undergoing a profound transformation. In the last bull run, we saw a lot of hype around meme tokens. However, the current trend is towards projects that offer real-world utilities and technological innovation. We are seeing serious projects that address genuine needs, and this shift is vital for the long-term sustainability and credibility of the crypto space. The industry is maturing, and with it, we are seeing an increase in projects that integrate seamlessly with traditional finance systems while leveraging the benefits of blockchain technology.
Sudeep: What role do you see AI playing in Zeebu's future development?
Keshav: AI will play a crucial role in enhancing our services. We are exploring the use-cases of AI-driven models to build credit scores based on blockchain transaction histories. This will enable us to offer personalized lending services, providing users with access to credit based on their on-chain activity and financial behavior. By integrating machine learning, we can continuously improve our risk assessment models, making our lending services more accurate and efficient. This approach will help democratize access to financial services, especially for those who are underserved by traditional credit systems.
Sudeep: Zeebu appears to be making significant strides. What more can we expect from Zeebu?
Keshav: Zeebu is just getting started. We are committed to expanding our reach beyond telecom to other industries, making our protocol a universal solution for liquidity and settlement. We invite everyone to be part of this journey—whether by building on Zeebu, participating in our governance or by joining the growing zeebu community. Our ultimate goal is to democratize financial systems and bring efficiency, transparency, and cost savings to users worldwide.
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