# ZABAL Update #13

*What Empire Builder Enables for ZABAL*

By [The ZAO Newsletter](https://paragraph.com/@thezao) · 2026-01-04

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This update focuses on the coordination layer behind ZABAL: **Empire Builder**.

ZABAL uses Empire Builder as a coordination surface, not just a launch tool. It functions as a live, onchain control panel for how participation, alignment, and rewards are surfaced and managed over time.

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ZABAL Empire
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Join the ZABAL Empire - Token utilities, airdrops, burns & community features. Build engaged token communities with Empire Builder.

https://www.empirebuilder.world

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/1201e02f03d0e4d776ce983ecd3e32a75d28b6a414d96137be72b284e5bd22ed.png)

](https://www.empirebuilder.world/empire/0xbB48f19B0494Ff7C1fE5Dc2032aeEE14312f0b07)

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Leaderboard With Asset-Based Boosts
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ZABAL has a live leaderboard on Empire Builder that ranks participants based on **boosts**, not raw trading activity.

Boosts are applied to people holding aligned assets across the Zaal ecosystem, including:

*   $ZABAL token holders
    
*   Other aligned Zaal ecosystem tokens, such as writer coins, Retake-style community tokens, or Zora-based creator coins
    

For example, holding BetterCallZaal or other aligned Zaal ecosystem assets increases your position on the leaderboard.

This design surfaces **alignment and long-term participation**, not short-term speculation.

The leaderboard answers a simple question:  
Who is actually here and holding across the ecosystem?

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Transparent Treasury Visibility
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Empire Builder includes a fully visible treasury tied directly to the ZABAL empire.

From the UI, anyone can see:

*   Treasury balances
    
*   Inflows and outflows
    
*   Burns
    
*   Distributions
    

There are no hidden mechanics. Everything is observable and auditable onchain.

This creates a shared source of truth for how value is held, moved, and used.

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Flexible Distribution Mechanics
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The treasury is not locked into a single payout model.

Empire Builder supports multiple distribution formats, including:

*   Top 10 leaderboard distributions
    
*   Raffle-based distributions
    
*   Custom reward logic tied to participation
    

This flexibility allows ZABAL to reward consistency, avoid pure whale dominance, and experiment with different incentive structures.

All distributions are visible in the UI and verifiable onchain.

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Burn Mechanics
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Empire Builder supports treasury burns, with burns clearly displayed in the interface.

This allows ZABAL to:

*   Reduce supply intentionally
    
*   Tie burns to milestones or decisions
    
*   Make value removal explicit and transparent
    

Burns are visible, auditable, and permanent.

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Tiny Interns — The ZABAL Bot
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Empire Builder also supports lightweight automation agents, sometimes referred to as **tiny interns**.

For ZABAL, we’ve created a **ZABAL bot** that lives on Farcaster.

You can tag the ZABAL bot directly (@zabalbot) as a coordination and reference layer as the ecosystem evolves. The bot helps surface information and support coordination without manual overhead.

The ZABAL bot is not a decision-maker or authority. It’s a coordination helper.

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What This Means for ZABAL
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Empire Builder gives ZABAL:

*   A neutral coordination surface
    
*   Asset-based alignment signals
    
*   Transparent treasury logic
    
*   Flexible reward mechanisms
    
*   Automation without centralization
    

This isn’t about financial engineering.  
It’s about making participation legible.

This is the foundation. How we use it will be shaped in public.

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Empire Builder gives us structure, not answers.

How we use these tools will be decided in public, shaped by participation, and refined through real-world use. The goal isn’t to optimize numbers — it’s to make coordination visible and usable.

We’ll be going live **tomorrow at 9:00 AM EST** for a **BCZ Yaps** conversation with **Yerberzerker from Empire Builder**, walking through the system, the thinking behind it, and what builders should pay attention to.

More soon as we continue to build this in the open.

**– Zaal, from the ZABAL**

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*Originally published on [The ZAO Newsletter](https://paragraph.com/@thezao/zabal-update-13)*