New York City - In the rapidly evolving field of decentralized finance (DeFi), Raj Brahmbhatt, CEO and founder of Zeebu in New York, is leading a transformative wave with the introduction of the ZBU protocol. This revolutionary liquidity engine redefines the efficiency of B2B telecom payments, bridging the gap between traditional finance and DeFi. By automating telecom invoice settlements and creating a decentralized, liquidity-optimized payment infrastructure, Zeebu is positioning itself as a leader in both the telecom and blockchain industries. This interview aims to explore the unique aspects of the ZBU protocol and its implications for the telecom and financial sectors in 2025 and provides insight into the strategic vision behind Zeebu's approach to integrating decentralized solutions with existing financial frameworks.
What sets the ZBU Protocol apart as a liquidity engine for decentralized finance, and how does it enhance B2B telecom settlements?
Our ZBU Protocol is an exciting new liquidity engine unlike any other. We have implemented a comprehensive overhaul of Zeebu’s core architecture and created a payment infrastructure that is decentralized, distributed, and liquidity-optimized, reflecting the core principles of blockchain technology. We distribute the revenue we earn through the ZBU Protocol, rewarding our most committed, engaged stakeholders with significant Annual Percentage Yields by granting them Protocol Rewards.
We operate at the intersection of the blockchain and telecommunications industry, leveraging instantaneous cross-border transactions to make telecom invoice settlements fast, secure, and painless, saving them millions in the process. By creating seamless telecom invoice settlements, ensuring liquidity optimization, and rewarding our community for their contributions, we aim to become the largest liquidity protocol for B2B settlements and bridge the gap between traditional finance and DeFi.
How does Zeebu plan to scale its operations and maintain the efficiency and security of transactions?
We’re not afraid of scale. Since our inception in 2021, Zeebu has grown to serve 136 active telecom carriers, onboard 214 businesses, process over $4 billion in transaction settlement volume, and settle 90,798 invoices. With our proven track record, we aren’t concerned: if anything, we’re excited about the new influx of users. Through the ZBU Protocol, we aim to revamp the Telecoms industry payment rail standard of 4-5% transaction fees instead of charging 2% while decreasing settlement times, thus facilitating telecom giants moving to retail.
By introducing key features such as a staking vault and a specialized liquidity pool with ZBU Protocol, we promote efficient and equitable distribution of rewards across our participants, ensuring a scaling user base while still delivering the efficient, secure transactions on which we pride ourselves. In line we intentionally designed the ZBU protocol to accommodate a high volume of daily transactions, allowing us to provide a service that works for both small and large-scale DeFi projects.
The telecom industry has long been tied to legacy systems. What do you see as the biggest challenge in transitioning to decentralized systems?
Traditionally, the telecom sector's trust framework has been heavily reliant on manual verification and settlement processes. While these methods may have been the norm in a pre-digital era, they're fraught with challenges in today's dynamic landscape. For instance, manual processes, by their very nature, are slow. In an industry where time is often equated with money, such delays can hamper growth and innovation. No matter how meticulously executed, manual interventions invariably introduce the possibility of errors. In an industry as complex as telecom, these errors take the shape of major issues.
Legacy systems take 3-5 days to settle invoices, but Zeebu can automate and settle invoices in seconds. With Zeebu, B2B settlements are shortened from 10 days to 10 seconds by leveraging the platform’s revolutionary on-chain settlement system. With Zeebu, each transaction, when executed, is recorded transparently on the blockchain. This means stakeholders can effortlessly trace and verify their transaction's journey, eliminating complexities and fostering trust. Zeebu also leverages self-executing smart contracts to automate the entire settlement process for telecom businesses for improved operational efficiency, settling over $4.5 billion USD in B2B transactions since the project’s inception and generating $82 million USD in 15 months. Already, Zeebu has entered milestone strategic partnerships with major telecommunications providers, including Qatama Ltd, BBT Voice Limited, Hayo Telecom Inc., Axistel FZE, BridgeVoice Inc., Broadband Telecom Inc., and Novatel d.o.o., demonstrating the value we bring to the industry.
Looking at the broader DeFi landscape, how does Zeebu envision bridging the gap between traditional and decentralized finance in 2025?
DeFi is entering an exciting new era of partnership with TradFi. With TradFi institutions such as BlackRock and Fidelity Investments embracing DeFi and incorporating Ethereum into their ETFs, Bitcoin’s unprecedented rise, and the SEC’s approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs, it is clear that the gap is already starting to close between the two spaces. This positive mood between the two industries already bodes well for Zeebu, generating interest in further collaboration. Going forward, we are working hard to expand our network and identify further opportunities to engage with TradFi institutions.
With the launch of the ZBU Protocol, the platform is evolving into a decentralized liquidity engine built to decentralize and scale B2B settlements. Designed to accommodate a high volume of transactions without compromising on speed or security, ZBU Protocol is adapting to the needs of both small and large-scale DeFi projects and traditional institutions - ensuring that sufficient liquidity is always available for settlement processes. We hope to leverage our secure transactions to build trust with TradFi institutions, showing them that blockchain technology is not something to run away from but towards.
How will the introduction of ZBU Protocol features like staking and liquidity pools impact the adoption of decentralized finance solutions?
New features, including staking and liquidity pools, are the key to driving widespread adoption of DeFi solutions. The ZBU Protocol introduces key features such as a staking vault and a specialized liquidity pool, promoting an efficient and equitable distribution of rewards across its participants. The ZBU Protocol liquidity layer pairs ZBU with stable tokens, where contributors to this pool are issued liquidity providers (LP) tokens, which represent their share of the pool. These LP tokens can be locked for predetermined periods, during which the holders are eligible for rewards derived from the pool's utilization in B2B settlement cycles. With ZBU Protocol powering its APY through its existing revenue streams, these solutions offer unique ways for users to play a real role in the future of the Zeebu ecosystem while earning rewards without fear of market volatility.
In addition to these incentives, Zeebu solves tangible inefficiencies in the telecommunications industry: we reduce on-ramp costs, facilitate near-instant value transfer across borders, and free up space in telecom companies’ margins. Combined with Zeebu’s tangible solution to a real-world problem facing the telecom industry, the introduction of DeFi services such as liquidity pools and staking vaults will have a positive impact on the overall adoption of DeFi solutions and will act as a core driver in scaling our existing userbase.
