Luno
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
Luno firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Luno
- Legal name
- Luno (Pty) Ltd
- Website
- https://luno.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Luno industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cryptocurrency Exchange
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Exchanges (52321), Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231)
- SIC
- Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Spot Crypto Exchanges (Order-Book & Matching Engine) (FSADAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Crypto Custody & Exchange Wallet Services (Integrated) (FSADAAAG), Digital Asset/Crypto Trade Execution Platforms (FSAFANAO), Crypto Payments & Stablecoin Settlement Platforms (BPAMAFAL), Active Crypto Asset Managers (Discretionary) (FSADAHAA)
Keywords
Where Luno is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Luno business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Trading Fees: Transaction fees charged on buy/sell orders executed on the platform. Fee structure varies by trading volume and market.
- Staking Services: Rewards earned from staking cryptocurrency positions on behalf of users, with Luno taking a share of staking rewards.
- Tokenized Stocks: Custody and trading fees for tokenized stock products including Tesla, Apple, and Bitcoin ETFs via Backed Finance.
- Prediction Markets: Trading fees from prediction market contracts via Limitless partnership.
- Luno Pay Merchant Services: Payment processing for merchants via Ezeebit infrastructure, Zapper, Stitch, and MoneyBadger integrations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Retail Trading |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | OTC Desk |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Luno product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Luno operates a global cryptocurrency exchange and digital asset platform serving 15+ million customers across 40+ countries. Its core offering is a mobile and web app for buying, selling, and managing Bitcoin and 40+ cryptocurrencies, complemented by professional exchange tools, an OTC desk for institutional trades, staking, tokenized US stocks (xStocks), crypto payment acceptance via Luno Pay, and a public trading API.
Product overview
Luno is a comprehensive cryptocurrency and digital asset platform offering a unified app-plus-modules architecture. The core Luno App provides individuals access to buy, sell, and manage crypto alongside professional trading through the Luno Exchange. The product portfolio spans investment products (Bundles, xStocks, Blue Chip+), earning features (Staking up to 11%, USDC Earn at 3.5%), payment solutions (Luno Pay), prediction markets, and institutional services (OTC Desk, API). The platform integrates with Discovery Bank, powers charts via TradingView, enables payments through MoneyBadger/Zapper/Stitch, and offers tokenized stocks via Kraken xStocks/Backed Finance. Operating since 2013 with 15+ million customers across 40+ countries, Luno serves retail investors, professional traders, and institutional clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Luno Pay: Crypto payment service allowing users to pay at merchants across South Africa using cryptocurrency
- Prediction Markets
- xStocks
- Luno Bundles
Products and services
- Luno App Mobile and web application for buying, selling, and managing cryptocurrency and tokenized stocks, used by 15+ million individual customers across 40+ countries.
- Luno Exchange Professional-grade exchange platform with deep liquidity, high-speed execution, TradingView-powered charts, and advanced order types for spot trading across multiple crypto pairs, aimed at professional traders.
- Prediction Markets Structured financial product allowing users to predict short-term cryptocurrency price movements by staking USDC on whether specific assets finish above or below target prices within 24 hours. Available in South Africa and Nigeria.
- Luno Pay Crypto payment feature enabling users to spend cryptocurrency at nearly a million merchants across South Africa. Supports ZARU, USDT, and other crypto assets with no transaction fees and rewards up to 15% back in Tether Gold (XAUT).
- Staking Cryptocurrency staking service allowing users to earn up to 11% p.a. in crypto rewards with no fixed terms, no hidden fees, and automatic weekly payouts.
- USDC Earn Interest-earning product for USDC holdings offering up to 3.5% p.a. with daily interest compounding and no lockups. Funds are invested into regulated sources like US Treasuries and cash equivalents.
- Price Predict Free AI-powered market prediction game where users guess Bitcoin prices to win Bitcoin prizes (up to $10,000 monthly), using AI-driven market forecasts and sentiment data.
- Bundles Curated crypto portfolios for diversified investing with a single purchase, including Blue Chip+ (75% BTC, 15% XRP, 5% SOL, 3% BNB, 2% other) and Large Cap (tracks CoinDesk 5 Index), automatically rebalanced.
- xStocks (Tokenized Stocks) Investment product allowing users to buy fractional shares of 60+ US stocks and ETFs with South African Rands, backed by real shares held via Kraken's xStocks and Backed Finance.
- OTC Desk Over-the-counter trading service for high-value trades ($50,000+ minimum) with private desk execution, firm pricing, and flexible settlement options, supporting any asset listed on Luno including xStocks.
- Luno API Public API enabling programmatic trading, account management, and market data access with WebSocket feeds for real-time data, multi-currency wallets, official SDKs in Go, Python, and PHP, plus MCP Server for AI integration.
- Blue Chip+ Bundle South Africa's first combined crypto and tokenized stocks bundle, offering 20% Bitcoin, 10% Ethereum, and 70% US blue-chip stocks (Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Meta, Google, Tesla, Amazon) in one investment product.
Companies that use Luno
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Luno technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
AI capability5 records
Feature4 records
Luno partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Discovery BankcoreIntegration enabling Discovery Bank's South African customers to access cryptocurrency trading through Luno's infrastructure. Discovery Bank serves millions of retail banking customers who gain seamless access to crypto investing.
- BitGo CustodycoreInstitutional-grade cryptocurrency custody solution integrated into Luno's platform, providing multi-signature security for customer funds.
- FireblockscoreEnterprise blockchain payments platform providing custody infrastructure and security for Luno's cryptocurrency operations.
- Backed FinancecoreTokenized stock custody infrastructure enabling Luno users to trade tokenized assets including Tesla, Apple, and Bitcoin ETFs.
- Kraken (xStocks)coreTokenized stock custody partnership providing infrastructure for trading traditional securities as blockchain tokens.
- LimitlessminorPrediction markets integration allowing Luno users to trade on future events and outcomes through decentralized protocols.
- ZARU (ZAR Universal)coreStablecoin initiative in partnership with Sanlam, EasyEquities, and Lesaka for South African rand-pegged digital currency.
- AltSchool AfricaminorCrypto education program partnership developing talent and growing the African cryptocurrency ecosystem through training initiatives.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Luno competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Coinbase: Coinbase is a publicly listed centralized cryptocurrency exchange operating globally with retail and institutional trading, staking, and custody services. It directly competes with Luno across spot trading, staking, and institutional API access, though at significantly larger scale and US-centric brand recognition.
- Binance: Binance is the largest global centralized cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, offering spot trading, derivatives, staking, and a broad product suite. It competes with Luno on retail trading, staking yields, and emerging-market reach, though with deeper liquidity and a more controversial regulatory posture.
- Kraken: Kraken is a US-based global CEX offering spot trading, staking, and OTC services, and is also a direct infrastructure partner to Luno via the xStocks tokenized equity program. Kraken competes with Luno in institutional trading and API services while simultaneously powering a key product line.
- Crypto.com: Crypto.com is a centralized crypto exchange and payments platform offering trading, staking, a Visa card, and merchant services. It is comparable to Luno's combined exchange-plus-Luno Pay offering and competes for the same global retail and emerging-market user base.
- OKX: OKX is a global centralized crypto exchange offering spot and derivatives trading, staking, and a Web3 wallet. It competes with Luno on advanced trading features, API access for algorithmic traders, and increasingly on emerging-market penetration.
- Gemini: Gemini is a US-headquartered, regulation-focused centralized crypto exchange serving retail and institutional clients. It competes with Luno on regulated institutional services, custody, and OTC desk offerings, with similar emphasis on security certifications.
- Bitstamp: Bitstamp is a long-standing centralized crypto exchange serving retail and institutional clients globally with spot trading and API services. It competes with Luno for professional and institutional traders and has comparable regulatory positioning across multiple jurisdictions.
- Bybit: Bybit is a global centralized crypto exchange originally focused on derivatives, now expanding into spot trading, staking, and institutional services. It competes with Luno for professional traders and API-based algorithmic trading clients globally.
Regional players
- Yellow Card: Yellow Card is a leading African cryptocurrency exchange and payments platform operating across multiple African countries. It is a regional peer with overlapping African market focus and a comparable retail and merchant payments offering, though with smaller scale than Luno.
- VALR: VALR is a South Africa-headquartered centralized cryptocurrency exchange serving retail and institutional clients with spot trading, staking, and OTC services. It directly competes with Luno in the South African market and increasingly across broader Africa.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Luno social profiles
Digital presenceLuno compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Luno financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Luno leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Luno funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Luno M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments6 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Luno
What does Luno do?
Luno operates a global cryptocurrency exchange and digital asset platform serving 15+ million customers across 40+ countries. Its core offering is a mobile and web app for buying, selling, and managing Bitcoin and 40+ cryptocurrencies, complemented by professional exchange tools, an OTC desk for institutional trades, staking, tokenized US stocks (xStocks), crypto payment acceptance via Luno Pay, and a public trading API.
Is Luno a public or private company?
Luno is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Luno founded?
Luno was founded in 2013. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Luno based?
Luno is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Luno make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Trading Fees are the primary driver. The others are staking Services, tokenized Stocks, prediction Markets and luno Pay Merchant Services.
Who are Luno's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, Crypto.com, OKX, Gemini, Bitstamp and Bybit. Regional players are Yellow Card and VALR.
Does Luno have an API?
Yes. The Luno API enables programmatic trading, account management, and market data access. Features include WebSocket feed for real-time market data, programmatic trading bots, multi-signature hot wallets, multi-currency wallets, and API key permissions for customized access controls. The API is extensively used by enterprise clients and has facilitated over $5 billion in traded volume. Officially supported SDKs are available in Go, Python, and PHP. An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server is also available for AI agent integration. Developer documentation is at www.luno.com/en/developers/api.
What industry is Luno in?
Luno's product category is Cryptocurrency Exchange. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSADAAAA, Spot Crypto Exchanges (Order-Book & Matching Engine), with a secondary code of FSADAAAG, Crypto Custody & Exchange Wallet Services (Integrated). Its NAICS code is 52321 and its SIC code is 6200.