A project that started as a meme coin idea and turned into a solution for reducing blockchain transaction costs
“Digital Dozari,” which was initially based on the idea of a meme coin, has now become an educational and practical platform for raising awareness and developing blockchain technologies. Shahin Noursalehi, the founder of this project, talks about the challenging journey that transformed a simple idea into a serious initiative aimed at changing users’ perspectives on digital currencies and reducing transaction costs.
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“Digital Dozari” started as a joke based on the meme coin concept, but over time, especially with user engagement, it changed course and evolved into a more serious project. The initial goal of this project was to raise awareness and disseminate information about digital currencies. However, after a while, the project’s creator decided to establish a larger system that would reduce blockchain transaction costs for users.
To explore this further, we spoke with Shahin Noursalehi, the initiator of the Digital Dozari project. He explained at the beginning of the conversation: “This project started as a joke based on the idea of a meme coin, but over time, and especially with user engagement, it moved away from its original state. Initially, the goal of this project was awareness and information dissemination, but as the project progressed, we decided to focus more on its educational aspects.” In response to how the idea of Digital Dozari was born in his mind, he said: “For about five years, I have been active in the field of blockchain and digital currencies. One of my constant concerns has been why Iran has not been able to engage in various blockchain-related activities beyond just buying and selling. Users and even technical specialists have primarily been directed towards cryptocurrency trading, while the crypto and digital currency space has various areas of activity.” Noursalehi also referred to the actions of the Central Bank and criticized the unsuccessful efforts to launch the digital Rial: “Current designs could lead to issues such as users’ privacy concerns. This is why the idea of launching Digital Dozari first occurred to me during a banking conference when I realized that many banking executives were not even familiar with cryptocurrency in a practical sense. This was a red flag for the country’s banking and economic system. Challenging the current state led us to create an educational space through the Digital Dozari project to examine existing issues in the digital currency domain.”
Digital Dozari: A Token That Always Remains at Zero Price
He further highlighted the project’s success in attracting public attention, stating: “Currently, the number of Digital Dozari holders has reached around 1,200 people. This rapid growth indicates the potential of this project and users’ interest in this type of digital activity. The Digital Dozari project was launched with the aim of shifting the country’s economic and banking environment towards the adoption of new technologies and raising awareness in society.” Noursalehi then addressed his concerns regarding the buying and selling of the Digital Dozari token, explaining: “If this token had moved towards being traded, it could have created problems. This is particularly dangerous because some people use deceptive promises to convince others to buy a token today and hold it to become billionaires in the future without the project founders being aware of these developments. This pattern is similar to other meme coins, where people focus on buying, selling, and profiting from price increases rather than the project’s real objectives.” To prevent such issues, Noursalehi, in collaboration with a few experienced and veteran figures in Iran’s crypto industry, decided to keep the Digital Dozari token as a project with a permanently fixed price of zero and never allow its price to increase. Regarding this, he explained: “To achieve this, we designed a specific mechanism called Stable-Zero, which is detailed in the project’s White Paper. This mechanism ensures that the token price always remains zero and that there is never an opportunity for it to be bought or sold. This approach prevents potential abuses and ensures that no one can present this token as a tradable asset to others.” When asked about possible concerns from the Central Bank and other governmental institutions that might have hindered the progress of Digital Dozari, he said: “From the very beginning, we carefully considered the legal aspects and risks of the project. That’s why the Dozari token was deliberately designed to bear no resemblance to the country’s official currency and does not use the IRR (Rial) unit at all. Instead, we use the term 2ZR, which is distinct from the Rial.” He continued: “To prevent any misunderstandings or legal issues, we intentionally set the price of the Dozari token at zero so that it can never be used as a medium of exchange or a tradable asset. Digital Dozari has never intended to be a tradable asset, as such a development could lead to significant legal violations. Therefore, from the outset, by eliminating the possibility of pricing and trading, we safeguarded the project against potential risks.”
Efforts to Establish the Use of Digital Wallets
However, Noursalehi admitted that this project has faced challenges, especially among those with experience in buying and selling cryptocurrency. Specifically, some of these individuals, despite using cryptocurrency, had never owned a digital wallet and only relied on exchange accounts (crypto platforms) to store their digital assets. This led to one of the project’s main objectives: educating users on the use of digital wallets and their differences from bank accounts. He explained: “This project initially started with the goal of educating people, and we tried to show users that digital currency should be stored in a personal wallet rather than in exchange accounts. Therefore, the project aimed not only to teach how to use digital currencies but also to create awareness regarding the security and personal control of digital assets.” Noursalehi then discussed how users receive the Dozari Digital token and the airdrop process, explaining: “To receive tokens, users must use the TonKeeper wallet, enter their wallet address, and request an airdrop. Since the launch of the Dozari Digital project, airdrop requests have been met with significant enthusiasm, and the number of requests has quickly increased. This was particularly due to its timing with the Central Bank event and the humorous, satirical nature of the project. As a result, in just 24 hours, we received around 1,200 wallet addresses requesting tokens.”
He continued: “However, the transaction cost for each airdrop was around 25 cents, which rapidly increased expenses. Therefore, the project team decided to limit the airdrop and announced that only a limited number of requests would be accepted daily, distributing the tokens among selected individuals. Additionally, we asked users to share the transaction cost among three to five participants. Some even volunteered to cover transaction fees themselves, which helped reduce extra costs for the project. Currently, anyone who wants to receive Dozari tokens must either pay the transaction fee or join the project’s Telegram group and submit their wallet address to receive an airdrop.”
Tally Box: A Solution for Low-Cost Transactions
Regarding the future of the Dozari Digital project and its ongoing activities, Noursalehi stated: “The Dozari project started as a joke but gradually evolved into a more serious and technical initiative. The transaction cost for each Dozari Digital airdrop was 25 cents, which led us to realize that blockchain platform operators are the ones benefiting from transaction fees, not the users who profit from pump-and-dump schemes.” He continued: “For this reason, we launched a new project called ‘Tally Box.’ This project is inspired by the concept of the ‘Tally Stick,’ which was the first counting tool used by humans. Tally Box aims to reduce the transaction costs of foreign blockchain-based coins using either a blockchain network or a centralized Layer-2 platform. Given the Central Bank’s concerns about capital outflow, the Tally Box project has been designed to lower transaction fees on foreign blockchains.”
Noursalehi explained how Tally Box works: “In this project, various tokens and coins can be transferred into a Layer-2 system, reducing transaction costs significantly—down to one twenty-fifth of the original fee, or about one cent. The primary goal is to lower transaction costs for Iranians when using international coins and tokens while also creating a platform for the expansion of domestic blockchain projects.” He highlighted the difference between this system and local exchanges, stating: “Tally Box is designed in such a way that it never interferes with the buying and selling of currencies and coins on exchanges; rather, it acts solely as a platform to reduce transaction fees. This system is structured to sustain itself by collecting transaction fees without requiring additional sources of revenue.” Noursalehi pointed out the system’s long-term advantages, saying: “If implemented correctly, this system cannot go bankrupt. Due to its specialized nature and its ability to generate revenue through transaction fees, it will always be able to cover its operational costs, preventing bankruptcy. This feature allows people to confidently use the system for educational purposes or to accelerate their time-to-market strategies without worrying about the high transaction costs of Layer-1 blockchains.”
