What Relai does

Relai is a Zurich-headquartered Bitcoin-only investment platform founded in 2019 by Julian Liniger. The company operates a self-custodial mobile wallet application that enables retail users, high-net-worth individuals, and corporate clients to buy, sell, and store Bitcoin with full control of their private keys. Its core product architecture is a non-custodial wallet in which 12-word recovery phrases are generated and stored solely on the user's device, supported by three-factor authentication (email OTP, device fingerprint, biometric/PIN) and planned Lightning Network integration for layer-2 transactions. Relai acts as direct counterparty in trades using its own capital, setting prices by aggregating reference data from five high-liquidity exchanges and averaging the three median prices.

The company serves three distinct customer segments through a tiered product structure: the main Relai app for retail consumers (minimum 50 EUR/CHF transactions, 1.0% base service fee, 4.6 App Store rating); Relai Private for high-volume individual traders above 100,000 CHF/EUR (fees scaling down to 0.20% for EUR 50M+); and Relai Business for corporate Bitcoin treasury adoption. Relai generates revenue through transaction fees (0.20%-2.0% depending on tier and volume), credit card payment processing pass-through fees (3.0%), and a referral program paying 10% of referred users' service fees indefinitely. The platform is distributed primarily through iOS and Android app stores with a Web App for larger transactions, supported by content marketing, community programs, and influencer partnerships.

Relai's growth profile shows 300% expansion in 2023, over 100,000 active users, 500,000+ cumulative app downloads, and $1 billion+ in Bitcoin volume processed. The company has raised over $22 million across multiple rounds (Redalpine, ego death capital, plus crowdfunding), and in October 2025 obtained a MiCA license from the French AMF, making it one of the first Bitcoin-only companies authorized to operate across all 27 EU member states. Existing regulatory infrastructure includes VQF SRO membership in Switzerland and ISO-27001 certification, positioning Relai for EU-wide expansion in 2026.

Name

Relai

Legal name

Relai AG

Website

https://relai.app

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Relai is a Swiss Bitcoin-only investment app offering a self-custodial wallet for retail, high-net-worth, and corporate clients to buy, sell, and store Bitcoin. The Zurich-based company serves 100,000+ users and holds a MiCA license enabling regulated services across the EU.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bitcoin Investment Platform

NAICS

Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231)

SIC

Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)

akta.pro primary industry

Custodial Wallets & Hosted Accounts (exchange/fintech custody, omnibus wallets) (FSAPACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Compliance Identity & KYC/KYB for Wallets (on-chain identity, reusable KYC, travel rule tooling) (FSAPACAL)

Keywords

• Bitcoin investment app
• Self-custody wallet
• Cryptocurrency exchange
• Bitcoin savings plan
• Corporate bitcoin treasury

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Transaction Fees (Service Fee): Relai charges a service fee on Bitcoin purchase and sale transactions. For the standard app, the base fee is 1.0% per transaction (reduced to 0.9% with an invite/referral code). Volume-based discounts apply for larger transactions, with fees decreasing from 1.0% (EUR 50-99,999) down to 0.50% (EUR 900,000-1,000,000) for standard users. Relai Private offers even lower tiers down to 0.20% for transactions above EUR 50 million. Business clients pay 2.0% to 0.40% depending on volume.
2. Credit Card Payment Processing Fee: An additional 3.0% fee is charged on all credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay transactions to cover payment provider fees. This is a pass-through cost that varies between 1.5% and 3.0% from the provider, with Relai retaining any gap to reach 3.0%.
3. Referral Commission: Relai operates a referral program where referrers receive 10% of the service fee from referred clients' transactions for an unlimited period. This incentivizes existing users to bring new customers to the platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Relai offers a self-custodial Bitcoin-only mobile and web application that lets users buy, sell, and store Bitcoin with full control of their private keys. It is delivered through three tiers: Relai (retail consumer app with auto-invest/DCA savings), Relai Private (high-volume individual traders above 100,000 CHF/EUR), and Relai Business (corporate Bitcoin treasury for SMBs). The platform uses a proprietary pricing methodology aggregating five exchanges and is regulated under MiCA in the EU and VQF in Switzerland.

Product overview

Relai offers a unified Bitcoin-only investment platform with three distinct product tiers: the core Relai app for retail savings and investments via recurring purchases, Relai Private for high-volume individual traders requiring higher limits and personalized service, and Relai Business for corporate treasury management. All tiers leverage a self-custodial wallet architecture with Lightning Network integration, allowing users to maintain full control of their Bitcoin while accessing layer-2 payment capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Relai: Core Bitcoin-only savings app for retail users to buy and sell Bitcoin with self-custody, supporting amounts starting from 50 EUR/CHF.
• Relai Private
• Relai Business

Products and services

• Relai App Bitcoin-only mobile application that enables retail consumers to buy, sell, and store Bitcoin with a self-custodial wallet. Includes auto-invest (DCA) savings plans, hardware wallet integration, multi-factor authentication, and 12-word recovery phrase managed entirely on the user's device. Available on iOS and Android with multi-language support (English, German, French, Italian). Minimum transaction 50 EUR/CHF, base service fee 1.0% (0.9% with invite code).
• Relai Private Exclusive service tier for individual investors trading Bitcoin volumes above 100,000 CHF/EUR, providing a dedicated Private account team, Web App interface with enhanced verification and transaction traceability, volume-tiered fees from 1.00% down to 0.20% at EUR 50M+, and a -10% discount with a referral code.
• Relai Business Corporate Bitcoin purchase solution for small and medium-sized businesses that want to add Bitcoin to their corporate balance sheet. Includes KYB onboarding, dedicated sales and account management, audit-friendly transaction traceability via the Web App, and volume-tiered fees from 2.00% down to 0.40% at EUR 50M+, with a -10% referral-code discount. Minimum transaction 50 EUR.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300% growth in 2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VQF (Verein zur Qualitätssicherung von Finanzdienstleistungen)coreOthersSwiss Self-Regulatory Organisation for financial services. Relai AG is a VQF member, which enables the company to operate as a financial intermediary under Swiss anti-money laundering regulations.
• Regulated Service ProviderscoreTechnology or IntegrationRelai partners with regulated service providers for payment processing, banking, and infrastructure. These partnerships support credit card processing (Visa/Mastercard), Apple Pay, Google Pay, and SEPA bank transfers.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Bitstack: French Bitcoin-only savings app focused on DCA-style recurring purchases and self-custody. Bitstack is one of Relai's closest direct competitors in the European Bitcoin-only savings niche, targeting similar retail customers with similar mobile-first UX.
• Pocket Bitcoin: European Bitcoin-only non-custodial app offering recurring purchases and self-custody. Closely aligned with Relai's Bitcoin-only, self-custody, mobile-first proposition serving European retail users.
• Bison (Boerse Stuttgart): German crypto app from Boerse Stuttgart Group offering regulated Bitcoin and crypto trading to retail users. Comparable mobile-first, regulated European crypto investing experience targeting similar DACH retail customers.
• Nuri: German crypto banking platform (formerly Bitwala) offering Bitcoin and Ethereum trading alongside banking services. Targets similar European retail customers with mobile-first crypto investing experience.

Broad incumbents

• Bitpanda: Austria-headquartered multi-asset broker offering crypto, stocks, and ETFs to European retail users. Broader platform than Relai but competes for the same EU retail crypto-investor customer base with deeper liquidity and more asset classes.
• Bitcoin Suisse: Swiss-licensed crypto financial services provider offering brokerage, custody, and staking. Shares Relai's Swiss base and regulated posture but serves a more institutional and high-net-worth client base across a broader asset set.
• Kraken: Large global crypto exchange with significant European presence and MiCA licensing efforts. Competes for European retail Bitcoin buyers with deeper liquidity, more trading pairs, and established brand recognition.
• Coinbase: Largest US-listed crypto exchange expanding aggressively in Europe. Pursuing MiCA licensing and offering a broad multi-asset platform that competes with Relai for European retail crypto investors.
• Bitstamp: Luxembourg-headquartered crypto exchange with EU regulatory licensing, owned by Robinhood. Offers Bitcoin and other crypto trading to European retail and institutional customers with established compliance framework.

Regional players

• Swan Bitcoin: US-focused Bitcoin-only platform specializing in DCA-style recurring purchases and self-custody. Operates in a similar Bitcoin-only savings niche as Relai but focused exclusively on the US market, making it a regional rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Relai_app
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/relai-app
• Instagraminstagram.com/relai.app
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors15 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Relai