"One step from Telegram to a full-fledged financial hub": 001k.bot brand ambassador Serhiy Gutsu on the evolution of the platform, Zero commissions and AML protection

About the origins and release on the Web

• 001k.bot has gone from a Telegram tool to a full-fledged web platform. Tell us how the project started? What was the key user problem you wanted to solve at the start?

• 001k.bot started with Telegram because at the start it was important for us to make interaction with the product as simple as possible. For people who already used the messenger, it was a familiar format: there was no need to open complex interfaces, install separate applications, or spend time on adaptation — everything you needed was at hand.
  

  The initial idea was practical: to give users one convenient tool where they can quickly work with digital assets and perform basic operations in one place.

  Over time, user needs changed, and the product evolved with them. We added new assets, transaction history, expanded functionality, and gradually started creating more tools, including for businesses. At some point, it became clear that the product had grown beyond the bot and had a full-fledged web version.
  

• Today you are an independent web platform. Who are the founders of 001k.bot and what previous experience did the team have that helped create a product of this scale?

• I have been involved in the development of 001k.bot for a long time and have seen how the product has changed at every stage, so I am comfortable talking about both the service itself and more broadly — about where the digital asset market and user needs are heading.
  Behind 001k.bot is a team with experience in the crypto and fintech sectors, in developing financial products and building infrastructure for them.
  It was this background that determined how the product developed. We started with Telegram, but it quickly became clear that users needed more scripts, more tools, and the ability to work in more than just one interface.
  Therefore, the appearance of a full-fledged web version was a logical step for us — a continuation of how the product itself developed and how the needs of its users changed.

• Going beyond the messenger is a big step. What was the deciding factor or the “final straw” when you realized that the Telegram bot could no longer be the only point of entry?

• As I’ve already partially said, there wasn’t a specific "last straw." We saw how user behavior was changing, what new needs were emerging, and gradually developed the product for these scenarios.

• How many users do you have now and how fast is their number growing?

• I wouldn’t get hung up on a specific number of users here. What’s more important for us is that we see stable positive dynamics and growing interest in the product.
  This has become especially noticeable after the launch of the web version. People return to the platform and use different scenarios — transfers, swaps, AML checks, transaction history and other tools, rather than logging in once and disappearing.
  Therefore, now we are looking more at the extent to which 001k.bot becomes a regular tool for users to work with digital assets, and not just at the number of registrations. And here the dynamics are good.

Architecture, functionality and security

• You claim full synchronization: one account for bot and web, one KYC. How did you technically implement this seamless integration and why was maintaining a single UX critical for you?

• Serhiy Gutsu: For us, Telegram and web are two ways to work with the same platform, not two different products. Therefore, from the very beginning, we built everything so that the user had one account.
  It was important to us that switching from Telegram to web didn’t mean starting all over again: registering again, going through verification, or transferring data.
  If it is more convenient to quickly make a transaction in Telegram, you can do it there. If you need a history of transactions, more functions, or more detailed asset management, then the web. But the account, data, and user experience remain the same.

• The new web version offers broader functionality, such as AML check and API integration. What benefits does this provide to users?

• It is important to note that this functionality is not exclusive to the web — some of the features also work in the Telegram bot. We did not want to create two products of different levels, where for certain actions you must necessarily go to the web.
  AML-check, for example, is also available in the bot: before a transaction, you can check the address and understand whether there are any risks with it. The main actions with assets remain there — transfers, exchanges, working with the balance, and transaction history.
  Web provides greater convenience for those who regularly work with assets: more information on one screen, easier work with history and more complex scenarios.
  API stands out separately — it’s more about business and users who need to integrate work with digital assets into their own internal processes and automate some of the operations.
  The main thing for us is not how many functions the web has, but that the person chooses where it is more convenient for them to work — in Telegram or in the browser.

• The implementation of KYC and AML checks is often perceived by users as an additional barrier. How do you explain the need for these procedures to customers? Doesn’t this reduce the influx of audience?

• Any additional verification may seem like an unnecessary step at first glance, and I understand that. But KYC and AML are part of normal operation with digital assets, a way to make the environment safer for all users, not a barrier.
  These procedures help us better understand who we work with and reduce risks: contact with unscrupulous counterparties, suspicious transactions, situations that may later result in the user’s funds being blocked or subject to additional checks.
  
  

  The main thing is that the procedure itself does not turn into a constant quest. Therefore, the user goes through KYC in 001k.bot once: after verification, you can work in both Telegram and the web version without repeated checks.

  
  
  This may be a deterrent to some, of course. But for those who regularly work with digital assets, clear rules and a normal system of checks usually add trust, not take it away. The point is not to remove all the steps, but to make them clear, reasonable, and not create unnecessary hassle.

• How is the 001k.bot security system structured? What guarantees do you provide?

• I wouldn’t talk about absolute guarantees here — that would be incorrect for financial products. For us, security is primarily a system of several levels that together help reduce risks for the user.
  This includes user verification, AML procedures, and transaction control. Separately, there is two-factor authentication — it adds another layer of account protection so that a single password is not enough for access.
  At the same time, we want the user to have tools for additional control. For example, through AML-check, you can check the address before interacting with it, and in the whitelist, you can save verified addresses that you regularly work with. This reduces the risk of accidentally sending funds to the wrong place.
  Our approach is to give the user several levels of control over their own account and operations, rather than simply technically securing the platform on their side.

• Do you have physical branches or offline locations? Perhaps they are planned?

• No, 001k.bot does not have physical branches and never has. We built the product from the beginning as a completely online service.
  The user works with the platform via Telegram or web and can perform all basic operations remotely, without being tied to a specific city or offline point. Our focus is to develop the digital product and its functionality, as well as to make working with assets as convenient as possible online.

Platform Economics: Offers, Stablecoins, and Cashback

• You currently have a special offer for a USDT to USDC swap. Why did you choose this particular pair and how does it help those receiving payments in USDT in Europe?
• USDT and USDC are one of the most understandable and practical pairs for people who regularly work with stablecoins. For example, a person receives a payment in USDT and then needs USDC — depending on which service or platform they use.
  Therefore, we set the service fee for this pair to 0%. For many users, this is a regular scenario, and we wanted to remove unnecessary costs from it. In the market, swapping between stablecoins is not always done without an additional fee, and with regular operations this difference is already felt.
  

And we look at this scenario more broadly than just exchanging USDT for USDC. In one account, a user can receive assets, make a swap, transfer them further, or use other platform tools. The task of 001k.bot is to collect in one product the scenarios that a person works with regularly, rather than providing a separate function for one operation.

• In addition to commission-free swaps, you offer a 30% cashback on commissions on other pairs. Does this help attract new customers?

• Such mechanics work well at the stage of first getting acquainted with the product. A cashback of 30% of the commission is an additional reason to try other pairs, make your first transaction, and see how convenient it is to work with the platform in general.
  But a person shouldn’t stay just for the cashback. A promotion can bring a user in for the first time, and then the product itself decides: how clear the interface is, how fast transactions are made, what functionality is available, and whether they want to come back.
  Cashback for us is an incentive to try 001k.bot, not the main reason to use it.

Scaling and new business solutions

• 001k.bot is positioned as an independent brand. How do you see its development in the future and do you plan to expand the ecosystem with new tools?

• 001k.bot has always been a separate product and an independent brand — this is not a new status that appeared with the launch of the web version. The web was the next stage in the development of the same product.
  From day one, we saw 001k.bot as a platform for working with digital assets, gradually covering more and more use cases.
  Today, it’s not just swaps or transfers: the user can store assets, use limit operations, check addresses via AML, work with history, addresses, as well as separate functions for business.
  The logic will be the same from now on. We don’t want to expand the product for the sake of the number of features or build an "ecosystem" for the sake of the word itself: a new tool appears only if it solves a specific user task and logically complements what already exists.
  Therefore, we see the development of 001k.bot in expanding the capabilities of the platform itself — both for private users and for businesses.

• And finally, about the new Multi-send and Whitelist features. For whom are they most relevant?

• These are two quite different functions, but both emerged from practical scenarios.
  Multi-send is needed primarily by those who regularly make a lot of transfers — businesses, teams, companies that pay contractors or make mass payments. Conventionally, if you need to send money to 15 recipients, you don’t need to manually create a separate transaction 15 times — you can create one operation for the entire payment amount. This is faster and reduces the risk of making a mistake in the details during a large number of transfers of the same type.
  Whitelist is more about control and security. The user adds verified addresses to the trusted list, and if the function is enabled, funds can only be withdrawn to them. Even if someone else gains access to the account, simply adding your address and withdrawing assets to it will not work — the system will not allow such an operation.
  I think these two features are a good indication of the direction we are taking the product in. 001k.bot is gradually becoming not just a place for a single transfer or swap, but a tool for regular work with digital assets, where both convenience and control over operations are important.