Meet Ali: A Software Engineer from Lahore with a Big Idea
Not all blockchain innovation comes out of Silicon Valley. Sometimes it comes from a co-working space in Lahore, Pakistan—armed with a laptop, chai, and a massive problem to solve.
Ali Ahmed, a 28-year-old full-stack developer, is building something the crypto world often talks about but rarely delivers: a decentralized payroll system that actually works. And he’s doing it on Avalanche.
Here’s what he’s building, why Avalanche is his go-to choice, and how it could transform how remote teams get paid, especially across borders.
The Problem: Payments That Don’t Respect Time Zones, Borders, or People
If you’ve ever worked remotely or hired freelancers abroad, you know how bad traditional payroll can get:
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5–7 business day delays
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Ridiculous currency conversion fees
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Random wire transfer failures
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Zero transparency until money (maybe) lands
Ali saw it firsthand while working with clients in the US and Dubai. He got paid late. Lost money on fees. And got ghosted more than once by international payment platforms.
His simple thought: What if payroll worked like DeFi? Transparent, fast, trustless. No banks, no borders, no “working days.”
Why Avalanche?
Ali considered Ethereum first, like most devs do. But gas fees were a killer. He also looked at Polygon and Solana. Then the Avalanche caught his eye.
Here’s why Avalanche made the cut:
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Subnets: Ali could launch a dedicated subnet for payroll with custom rules, like stablecoin-only payments and faster block times.
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EVM compatibility: No need to relearn tooling.
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Low fees: Costs a fraction of a cent per transaction.
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Finality speed: 1–2 seconds. No waiting around for blocks to confirm.
Basically, Avalanche gave him the freedom to build a mini financial network on top of existing DeFi infrastructure, with real-world reliability.
The MVP: Here’s What He’s Already Built
Ali’s MVP (minimum viable product) launched in January 2025 in closed beta with a few Pakistani and Gulf-based startups.
Here’s how it works:
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Onboarding: Employers sign up, deposit USDC or Circle’s EURC on Avalanche.
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Smart Contracts: Payroll schedules are written into smart contracts that lock funds until payday.
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Proof-of-Work Delivery: Employees submit proof of task completion (GitHub push, Figma share, milestone tick).
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Trigger: Once approved, the smart contract automatically releases funds to the worker’s Avalanche wallet.
No HR middleman. No “Sorry, bank holidays.” Just code + work = pay.
Bonus Features Already Working
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Vesting schedules for longer-term hires
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Multi-sig approvals for high-value contracts
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Cross-border compliance layer that logs country-specific reporting data (without leaking private info)
Real-World Story: Zara’s First On-Time Payment in Months
Zara, a UI designer in Karachi, used to get paid 12 days late—on average—by her Dubai-based client. Since switching to Ali’s payroll system, she now gets paid within 10 seconds of finishing her Figma deliveries.
Her quote:
“It’s the first time I feel like my time zone isn’t a disadvantage.”
This is the kind of real-world win crypto always promises but rarely delivers.
The Token Question (No, He’s Not Launching One… Yet)
You might be wondering: Is Ali going to drop a payroll token? Right now, no.
He wants to build trust and traction first. His model uses stablecoins like USDC, not volatile native tokens. But yes—eventually, a governance token could help automate dispute resolution, payroll prioritization, or even community audits.
Until then, it’s fiat-backed stablecoins all the way. This isn’t about moonshots. It’s about fixing payroll.
Key Challenges So Far
Ali didn’t sugarcoat it—building a decentralized payroll system hasn’t been all smooth sailing.
1. Compliance Headaches
Every country has its own tax laws and reporting quirks. While the smart contracts are global, the compliance wrapper has to be modular per region. He’s currently piloting in Pakistan, UAE, and the Philippines—each with a different setup.
2. Onboarding Non-Crypto Users
Not every freelancer wants to download MetaMask and memorize seed phrases. So Ali’s building a custodial wallet layer using social logins and 2FA for normies.
Still, education is a big part of onboarding. And no, he hasn’t converted his uncle yet.
3. Reputation Scoring
Decentralized systems are trustless. But payroll isn’t.
That’s why Ali’s adding a reputation layer—similar to LinkedIn + GitHub + DeFi credit scores. Clients and freelancers can rate each other post-payout. It’s optional, but already proving useful to prevent future disputes.
What’s Coming Next?
Ali’s got a lean team of four developers, and here’s what they’re shipping next:
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Fiat off-ramps via Pakistani mobile wallets and UAE bank APIs
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B2B dashboard for startups to bulk-pay entire teams
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Payroll NFTs (yes, really) to act as verifiable work receipts for hiring history
They’re also in talks with Avalanche’s ecosystem fund for a small grant. Word is they’re close.
The Bigger Picture: Why This Actually Matters
Here’s the thing. Decentralized payroll isn’t just cool—it’s necessary for the future of global work.
Remote work is exploding. Freelancers are everywhere. But the payment system is still stuck in the 1990s.
Ali’s project is one of the first to attack this problem from the ground up, using Avalanche’s speed, flexibility, and composability.
If it scales—and early signs are promising—it could do for remote work what USDT did for cross-border transfers: cut out the nonsense.
Final Thoughts
Ali isn’t trying to go viral on X. He’s not pitching on Shark Tank. He’s just a dev with a problem and a solution that actually works.
The decentralized payroll system he’s building doesn’t promise to save the world. But for freelancers across emerging markets, it just might save rent money. Or keep the lights on.
And that? That’s the kind of crypto story we need more of in 2025.
About The Author
Name: Frasat Ali
Role: Founder & Lead Analyst at LatestCryptoInfo.com
Experience: 5+ Years in Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Markets
Specializations: Bitcoin, Ethereum, DeFi, NFTs, and Crypto Regulations
Frasat Ali is a seasoned cryptocurrency analyst with over five years of hands-on experience in blockchain technology, trading, and market research. As the founder of LatestCryptoInfo.com, he is dedicated to providing accurate, unbiased, and actionable crypto news to help investors make informed decisions.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/frasataliofficial
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