Wöchentliche Telegram-Zusammenfassungen

The week saw continued frustration over unresolved FX fees, with users still reporting 1.2-2.4% instead of the promised 1%, and FM drafting sample PR statements for the team to use since they had not issued one in weeks. COCA published a comparison article against Bybit that was criticized by the community for factual errors, likely AI-generated content, and misleading claims about non-custodial features that are not yet live. A new user Vladislav from Russia generated extensive conversation, asking many onboarding questions about card features, IBAN timelines, and Samsung Pay compatibility. The COCA token price rose to around $1.30, generating some optimism. Community member bruncikas tested Wirex IBAN functionality and shared findings about instant SEPA transfers and EURC conversion. Users discovered that COCA's domain was on the OISD DNS blocklist, causing login issues for those using ad-blocking DNS services. Ralph reported visual bugs showing mismatched balances between the home screen and breakdown view. The April 1 Curve cashback reduction loomed with users making last-minute subscription payments to lock in the 50% discount while it still applied.

The biggest announcement was that COCA would keep full Curve cashback for Premium+ (6%) and Elite (8%) tiers starting April 1, while all other tiers drop to 1% on Curve transactions. This sparked debate about whether it was a fair compromise or a monetization move targeting lower-tier users. COCA also launched a Spring upgrade promotion offering $120 (Premium+) or $200 (Elite) bonuses for users upgrading by March 31. The community discussed airport lounge access as a potential future perk for higher tiers. FX fees remained unresolved with users in Switzerland and other non-EUR/USD countries reporting 2-3% charges, and GG noted he would need to buy a Curve subscription for his upcoming Japan trip. Several users compared COCA unfavorably to competitors like Wirex, Gnosis, and Bybit on specific features. Community sentiment was increasingly divided between loyal supporters and frustrated users considering leaving the project.

February cashback disappeared from the app ahead of the March 10 payday, causing brief alarm before being credited later that day (EURC first, then USDC). Several users reported receiving less cashback than expected, with one claiming approximately $530 missing due to transactions with excluded MCC codes from merchants like Amazon, Booking.com, and American Airlines. COCA announced beta testers had been selected (70-75 EU-based users), with some active community members like GG initially missing the invite due to email delivery issues with iCloud. The team published the monthly February recap highlighting achievements, and the self-banking announcement described how the smart wallet authorization system works. Ongoing FX fee complaints intensified, with FM and bruncikas calling out the team for poor transparency and communication, while the team still had not issued a definitive statement or offered compensation for overcharged fees.

COCA made several major announcements: a redesigned home screen preview for the upcoming banking app update, new USD and EUR bank account screens, the opening of beta testing applications, and a Referral Surge campaign with a $1000 prize pool for March. FX fees on non-direct pairs remained a hot topic, with users reporting inconsistent rates between 0.5% and 2%+ and the team acknowledging they were still working on a fix. Papa Bear continued promoting Ready Metal as a superior alternative due to zero FX fees. A user story featuring community member FM (who earned approximately 700 EUR cashback in two months after switching from Crypto.com to COCA Elite) was published, generating discussion about return on investment calculations. Multiple users reported scammers impersonating COCA team members via DM, and the community expressed growing frustration over the lack of a formal FX fee statement and slow support ticket responses.

The week was dominated by the discovery of unexpected FX fees on non-direct currency pairs, with users reporting charges of 1.3% to 3.5% instead of the previously advertised 0%. After several days of community frustration over team silence, COCA issued two official statements: first acknowledging the issue, then confirming direct pairs (EURC-EUR, USDC-USD) remain at 0% FX while indirect pairs would carry a 1% fee attributed to payment provider changes due to market instability. Users remained skeptical as real-world transactions continued showing fees above the stated 1%. COCA also announced a token distribution freeze until December 1 2026, extended the Refer-a-Friend campaign through March 31, and updated project documentation. Community members actively compared COCA with competitors like Ready Metal, Gnosis, Bleap, and Ether.fi, with several expressing they might switch cards if FX issues persisted.

The dominant topic was the upcoming removal of Curve cashback on February 23, sparking intense and prolonged debate between users who rely on Curve for daily payments and those who see it as non-essential. COCA announced a Q&A session with CEO Vasili Paulau and Head of Product Max Holub for February 20, where the team revealed Curve would retain full cashback through March 31 before moving to a flat 1% in April, a banking update with SEPA/IBAN was coming in weeks, and the team consists of 20+ members based legally in Dubai. The team also extended tier validity by 3 months for early adopters, removed tier upgrade fees, and sped up app launch times. Valentine's Day contest winners were announced, and the community shared many off-topic conversations about cuisine, travel, and crypto card collections.

COCA announced a 3-month extension of discounted/free tiers for all early adopters and promotional tier holders, though the exact end date showed a discrepancy between app display and blog post. An Apple Pay raffle promotion launched with a $500 prize pool running February 12 to March 31. The COCA Card Contest winners were announced. Curve compatibility became a major debate topic. February 10 was payday with cashback distributed. The broader crypto market experienced a significant downturn with BTC approaching $69k, though COCA token showed relative resilience. A Valentine's Day contest (#LoveWithCOCA) was announced, and the monthly January 2026 recap highlighted physical card launch, new tiers, and the AMA as key milestones.

COCA migrated login to Privy, eliminating seed phrases in favor of email-based social login while maintaining non-custodial security. A brief app outage occurred during the transition but was quickly resolved. The Refer-a-Friend campaign was extended to February 28. Significant community concern emerged around Curve card compatibility after reports of Curve blocking users' cards randomly. The team published a user success story featuring community member bruncikas. Multiple users reported ongoing issues with refund transaction handling. COCA was featured as the "Best Overall Crypto Card" by Cryptopolitan. Discussion continued about PayPal cashback removal, with users and the team explaining the fraud-related rationale. The 30% tier discount promotion was set to expire on February 8.

COCA announced reaching unicorn status with a $1B valuation, backed by $3M+ annual recurring revenue and +694% monthly active user growth. Apple Pay support went live, with users sharing screenshots. Card spending limits were increased to unlimited daily spending for Visa and 850 EUR daily ATM withdrawal. The community extensively discussed the upcoming self-banking update with IBAN. Coinbase experienced delays for EURC transfers, affecting multiple users. Concerns arose about circulating supply discrepancies on CoinGecko. Users discussed tax implications across different EU countries, with a notable debate about Germany vs Netherlands crypto taxation.

The January 23 AMA was the highlight, featuring the COCA leadership team in a live voice session on X. Major announcements included: Apple Pay launching in January, COCA evolving into a "self-banking" app with IBAN (SEPA/SWIFT support), real-time APY on card balances, the ability to buy COCA directly in the app, US card availability planned for 2026, token unlocks frozen until December 1 2026, and future transition to USD-based tier pricing. CEO Vasili confirmed 50k+ active card users and plans for non-custodial infrastructure via Privy. User FM created a detailed AMA transcript that was widely appreciated. Community members debated staking strategies around the February 28 tier expiration.

Physical COCA cards launched and became available in the app, sparking excitement with users rushing to order them ($5 card fee). A 30% off loyalty tier staking promotion was announced, running January 15 to February 8. The community AMA was announced for January 23, with $20 prizes for the 5 best questions. CEO Vasili Paulau actively engaged the community, explaining COCA's MPC wallet security model and confirming the transition to Privy as a non-custodial wallet provider. Extensive discussions about wallet custody took place. The community compared COCA favorably against competitors like Plutus, CDC, and Bybit.

COCA announced several major updates: new intermediate loyalty tiers (Standard+ and Premium+), redesigned category-based 50% subscription cashback (Streaming, AI Assistants, Music, Marketplaces), and the removal of PayPal cashback eligibility. Featured in CoinGecko's Top Crypto Cards for 2026 list. Community extensively debated the $70 cap on 50% subscription cashback. The COCA token price surged toward $1. January 10th payday was successful. CEO Vasili Paulau announced an upcoming AMA and confirmed plans for product and token updates.

The week was dominated by holiday-season support frustrations, with a user experiencing a blocked card on New Year's Eve and expressing anger over slow customer service. Community discussions centered on COCA token price drops linked to upcoming token unlocks. A user questioned COCA's revenue model and how it differs from failed competitors. Updated Refer-a-Friend terms went into effect (now requiring $500 spend across 4+ transactions within 30 days). A persistent cashback display bug continued to frustrate users.

Holiday-week activity slowed. A user struggled with login due to unreceived authorization codes, and another waited 6+ days for a card-to-wallet fund transfer. COCA announced updated Refer-a-Friend terms for January 1, raising minimum spend from $100 to $500. Zealy Sprint winners were announced. COCA published a DAC8 compliance post highlighting its non-custodial nature. The team hinted at new countries being added in January. PayPal cashback remained inconsistently enforced. Users shared year-end fun facts and holiday greetings.

COCA launched a holiday "+2% cashback boost" for paid-tier users in travel, marketplaces, and food delivery categories. Inconsistent eligibility caused confusion. A user reported losing 10,000 USDT permanently after forgetting their seed phrase. A Polygon network outage prevented app login for hours, with the team committing to decentralize tier logic. A $50,000 Holiday Marathon raffle was announced for Polygon top-ups. Users discussed Curve tips for avoiding FX fees, and Southeast Asian users shared workarounds using Moreta Pay for local payments.

COCA's November recap highlighted strong growth: active card users up 85%, new card orders up 45%, and transaction volume up 22%. The December 10 "PayDay" distributed rewards, though some users reported missing or incorrect amounts. A UI bug showed zero card balances on December 11 (display issue only). COCA won the BeInCrypto 100 Award for Best Software Wallet 2025. A Zealy Sprint with a $500 prize pool was launched. Users continued requesting physical cards, estimated Q1 2026. COCA Travel was validated as genuinely competitive by some users.

COCA announced a holiday 10% APY promotion on card balances for December, but initial confusion about start dates prompted the team to update campaign dates to December 5-31. A significant policy change removed PayPal and Alipay from cashback eligibility, sparking heated debate. The community extensively compared COCA against Ready, Ether.fi, and Bybit cards. Vasili confirmed non-custodial card infrastructure in early 2026. A Cloudflare outage temporarily zeroed card balances on December 5. Updated loyalty reward terms capped subscription cashback at $70 per sub and confirmed PayPal/Alipay exclusion.

Ongoing frustration over unresolved missing deposits and a login outage on November 25 attributed to maintenance. Missing deposits were gradually refunded with 10 USDC compensation. COCA announced new deposit support for Solana, TRON, NEAR, and Aurora networks plus security improvements. The community debated staking economics as the COCA price approached $1. A Vasili-impersonator scam was identified. COCA was shortlisted for the BeInCrypto 100 Awards. The 30% off loyalty tier promotion entered its final days before the November 30 deadline.

The official COCA Community Chat on Telegram was launched on November 17, drawing early members migrating from Discord. The community immediately engaged in detailed comparisons of competing crypto cards (Ether.fi, Ready, Bybit, Gnosis Pay, CdC), with most concluding COCA offers the best value. A global Cloudflare outage briefly took down the app. COCA announced its launch on Aurora (NEAR) and updated refer-a-friend terms. Major technical issues emerged with missing deposits (Polygon and Base) and a UI bug causing card balances and virtual cards to disappear. The team promised compensation for affected users.