Telcoin has not issued a Community Update since July 2022, a full seven months ago. In the last update, Rajesh Sabari, Chief Commercial Officer, stated, "We will make formal, public announcements regarding these new partnerships as soon as we obtain the necessary approvals, ideally before the next community update." The seven silent months since that statement has left many Telcoiners frustrated. But true to their word, Telcoin has not made any public announcements regarding partnerships and has issued no community update.
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Rajesh closed off his July update by saying, “Last but not least, while we are still in the planning stages, I can also report that Telcoin will be in attendance at both Singapore Blockchain Week 2022 (starting July 25) and the GSMA Mobile360 event, also in Singapore, in early August. While many of our industry peers buckle down and scale back, expect to see more of Telcoin at relevant industry events over the coming months.” It became clear since July 25 that working through GSMA events is a crucial strategy for Telcoin. It seems that Mr. Sabari is taking advantage of ˜Telcoin’s membership, mentioning GSMA four times in his update. In addition to the Singapore event, he attended the GSMA MWC22 FinTech Summit in Vegas, where he joined Brian Gorman, FinTech Vertical Lead at GSMA. Their session discussed the transformation of payments, with Digital Financial Services (DFS) as a key enabler of growth forecasts. The session also discussed “new value propositions and new entrants” who are “disrupting the market delivering seamless experiences and real convenience to consumers and merchants enabling DFS to become mainstream and power growth." Interestingly, in July, Rajesh stated that Telcoin's "value proposition resonated strongly, both on the remittance front and on our burgeoning blockchain validation offering” with members of the GSMA, to the extent that his team had done “one-on-one workshops that dive deeper into their specific market needs." He indicated that Telcoin will be "a major enabler of both traditional and blockchain-based, user-owned mobile financial services for mobile phone subscribers the world over.”
I hope you are paying attention to the terminology here. For example, the GSMA refers to Digital Financial Services as a key enabler in the sector. Rajesh talks about Telcoin being a major enabler… The GSMA talks about new value propositions, and Rajesh talks about the value proposition that resonated strongly with GSMA members. As an author, I know speakers and authors use signature terms when writing. I have previously mentioned that some US government publications have Telcoin signature terms. These terms also appear in Nebraska. You can almost use them to trace the contributors to documents. In the same way, I believe that Telcoin, and Rajesh specifically, play a significant role in shaping the GSMA agenda for FinTech.
Back in Lithuania
Before I discuss Barcelona, please remember that Rajesh said formal public announcements about partnerships would be made as soon as Telcoin obtains the necessary approvals, ideally before the next community update. Thus far, there has been no community update. However, something significant has happened.
On November 4, 2022, Telcoin announced that its subsidiary Telcoin Europe UAB, registered in Lithuania, would provide digital asset services, including a self-custodial digital asset wallet and cryptocurrency exchange service to Europeans. However, they did not indicate whether or not they had the “necessary approvals" spoken of by Rajesh. From a licensing point of view, Lithuania is undoubtedly a "key geography" for growth and expansion. You will recall that in July, Rajesh had indicated that “the commercial team (would) absolutely have its work cut out for the remainder of the year as (they) explore opportunities in key geographies across the globe." Five months later, they were in Lithuania. However, no further announcement was made, and there was no Community Update, suggesting that the "necessary approval" was not in place.
Just as we were getting worried, we learned that Telcoin had become a "legal entities operating as a virtual currency exchange operator in Lithuania," commencing on February 6, 2023. In other words, Telcoin now has the "necessary approval” to operate in Europe. But, the Community Update, which would seal the deal and take Telcoin to the moon, has not landed.
All roads lead to Barcelona.
One of GSMA’s major events is taking place in Barcelona from February 27 to March 02, 2023. The “MWC Barcelona is the largest and most influential event for the connectivity ecosystem. Whether you’re a global mobile operator, device manufacturer, technology provider, vendor, content owner, or are simply interested in the future of tech, you need to be here," invites the GSMA. This is because "it's the one time of year where everyone who's anyone comes together under one roof. Tens of thousands of senior executives from the top global companies, international governments, and trailblazing tech businesses converge at MWC Barcelona to make decisions.”
Those are big statements, certainly appetizing.
What is most appetizing, however, is that Rajesh will be there. Telcoin announced on Twitter on February 2 that "Telcoin is heading to Barcelona." Rajesh is scheduled to speak in two sessions, one of them chaired by Brian Gorman, the FinTech Vertical Lead at GSMA. Rings a bell? Brian leads activities to enhance collaboration between the Financial Services vertical and the mobile ecosystem. Do you see that? Brian was previously in “product and commercial management in banking and mobile telecoms including Lloyds and Barclays, and latterly heading up the Digital Product team, Commerce, at Telefónica UK." Yes, the UK. Very interesting.
But perhaps the most significant news regarding the event in Barcelona is that "a number of team members will be heading to Barcelona." This trip to Barcelona is partly why we have not received Telcoin Community Update number 10. Writing on Discord, Ryan Neuner, Marketing Analyst at Telcoin. He stated that Telcoin decided "to hold the Community Update until after Mobile World Congress" in Barcelona, allowing them to "share even more information" than they had initially planned.
This can only mean one thing: something big is coming to Barcelona. It seems that Telcoin's GSMA membership and influence are starting to bear fruit with Rajesh. Based on the above reflection, it is evident that Rajesh has a significant influence on Telcoin strategy, including the timing of community updates. It seems that he also has a significant influence on the GSMA. I also think in or just after the event in Barcelona, Telcoin will make formal, public announcements regarding new partnerships as they have obtained the necessary approvals. This will culminate in the tenth Community Update.
Disclaimer
This page will be updated as and when new information becomes available.
The information and content (collectively 'information') provided herein are general information. The authors do not guarantee the suitability or potential value of any information or particular investment source. Any information herein is not intended, nor does it constitute financial, tax, legal, investment, or other advice. The authors have no affiliation with Telcoin or other persons or companies referred to in this article. The information in this article is based on the sources used.
DID YOU KNOW?
Telcoin leverages blockchain technology to provide access to low-cost, high-quality decentralized financial products for every mobile phone user in the world. The Telcoin App is your mobile access point to the entire suite of user-owned Telcoin products, including a fast and affordable fiat remittance portal and a digital wallet on the Polygon Network