Foxy 🦊ⓣ

@nemild Reading this, I’d really encourage you and @ycombinator to connect with Telcoin Association @TelcoinTAO about how they could help founders building in these areas. I’ve followed Telcoin for years, and what keeps my attention is how much of what you’re describing they’re bringing together. Across the broader Telcoin ecosystem, there’s already a chartered digital asset bank in Nebraska issuing eUSD, with personal bank accounts directly tied to dollars onchain. You can fund through traditional banking and receive money you can actually use onchain. That’s a pretty meaningful starting point for anyone building financial applications. Now Telcoin Network is approaching mainnet, targeting launch this year. It’s an EVM compatible Layer 1 built specifically for GSMA member mobile network operators to run and secure. Developers get familiar Ethereum tooling, while the telecom model creates a potential path into existing mobile services and customer bases. Getting a financial product in front of people is a huge part of making it work. The Association also brought David Palmer (@Metaversebizz) on board as Strategic Telecom Advisor. He brings more than 25 years in telecom and co founded Pairpoint, the Vodafone and Sumitomo venture. His work with connected devices, blockchain and the machine economy is directly relevant to where this is going. He’s helping with operator participation and the applications built around the network, with validator onboarding already underway. I’m also expecting some big MNO announcements as this develops. The operators will announce on their own timelines, but that’s another reason I think this is worth following closely right now. The TEL upgrade fits into that bigger picture. Moving from 2 to 18 decimals gives the native gas token much finer precision for fees, DeFi and activity across chains. Alongside that, the new contract supports signed approvals, authorized transfers and smart contract wallets. That’s where the agentic payments angle gets interesting to me. EIP 3009, which TEL now supports, is also used in x402 payment flows. It gives developers a building block for software to authorize payments and have another party submit them. I can see why that matters for agents buying data, paying for API calls or coordinating services. There’s still integration work involved, but there’s something concrete to build with. With mobile operators involved, you can also start thinking about connected devices paying for services and businesses automating settlement between networks. Palmer’s experience makes a lot of sense in that context. Put that beside bank issued digital cash, existing DeFi liquidity through TELx, plans for more currencies, and merchant and institutional accounts in development. You start to see the scope of what they’re aiming for. What I’d want YC builders to explore with Telcoin Association is how much of this they could use to get their own products off the ground, and where the Association could help them build or connect with the right people. Banking access, programmable payments, liquidity and distribution are problems they’ll have to solve too. They still have to deliver on the network and earn adoption. But they’ve already done years of work on pieces that matter to the exact future you’re describing. That’s why I think a conversation with the Association would be worth your time. base:0x09be1692ca16e06f536f0038ff11d1da8524adb1

For anyone who missed yesterday’s discussion with Parker Spann (@p4cap) and David Palmer (@Metaversebizz), they covered David’s role as @TelcoinTAO's telecom advisor, mainnet, and how they’re approaching operator adoption. A few things worth sharing: • Parker said mainnet is coming later this year. No specific date was given. • Validator onboarding is happening now. He asked operators and mobile money providers to get their technical and strategy teams involved before mainnet. Reach out to @TelcoinTAO if you are interested in getting involved or to learn more. • Developers are already working on integrating existing applications and bringing local currencies onchain. • Part of the plan is to move existing mobile money apps with millions of users onto Telcoin Network. • Parker said the banking and partner API allows operators, wallets, and fintechs to offer bank accounts under their own brand. Customers could use those services through apps they already have. • David is already helping them reach the right decision makers. Parker said those introductions are getting them into the right rooms pretty much immediately. • The first use cases Parker expects to move quickly are remittances, mobile money, and payments between operators, using stablecoins and onchain FX. • Parker also said they’ve identified an agentic application he’s excited about, but left the details for another time. David kept coming back to one point: operators need to see how this makes them money. His work includes helping the team build that business case and connect it with the people who can approve it. He said he hopes we’ll start seeing the results over the next few months. He also described the next 12 to 18 months as a critical window for execution. No new operators were named, but Parker did explicitly say onboarding and integration work are underway. You can watch the full video here: youtube.com/watch?v=5fldBVFK… base:0x09be1692ca16e06f536f0038ff11d1da8524adb1

Just got this email from @TelcoinDAB… You can now move USD from your connected bank account into eUSD and withdraw it back to your bank through ACH with ZERO fees charged by Telcoin. No deposit fees. No withdrawal fees. This is the kind of stuff that matters when it comes to making digital cash practical for everyday people. Getting money in and out shouldn’t be complicated or expensive. Another piece of the infrastructure coming together. base:0x09be1692ca16e06f536f0038ff11d1da8524adb1