Luno

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

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

• Cryptocurrency exchange
• Digital asset trading
• Tokenized stocks
• Crypto staking services
• Crypto payment processing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Trading Fees: Transaction fees charged on buy/sell orders executed on the platform. Fee structure varies by trading volume and market.
2. Staking Services: Rewards earned from staking cryptocurrency positions on behalf of users, with Luno taking a share of staking rewards.
3. Tokenized Stocks: Custody and trading fees for tokenized stock products including Tesla, Apple, and Bitcoin ETFs via Backed Finance.
4. Prediction Markets: Trading fees from prediction market contracts via Limitless partnership.
5. Luno Pay Merchant Services: Payment processing for merchants via Ezeebit infrastructure, Zapper, Stitch, and MoneyBadger integrations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Discovery BankcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration 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 CustodycoreTechnology or IntegrationInstitutional-grade cryptocurrency custody solution integrated into Luno's platform, providing multi-signature security for customer funds.
• FireblockscoreTechnology or IntegrationEnterprise blockchain payments platform providing custody infrastructure and security for Luno's cryptocurrency operations.
• Backed FinancecoreTechnology or IntegrationTokenized stock custody infrastructure enabling Luno users to trade tokenized assets including Tesla, Apple, and Bitcoin ETFs.
• Kraken (xStocks)coreTechnology or IntegrationTokenized stock custody partnership providing infrastructure for trading traditional securities as blockchain tokens.
• LimitlessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrediction markets integration allowing Luno users to trade on future events and outcomes through decentralized protocols.
• ZARU (ZAR Universal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStablecoin initiative in partnership with Sanlam, EasyEquities, and Lesaka for South African rand-pegged digital currency.
• AltSchool AfricaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCrypto education program partnership developing talent and growing the African cryptocurrency ecosystem through training initiatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/lunomoney
• GitHubgithub.com/luno
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@luno
• Facebookfacebook.com/luno
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lunomoney
• Instagraminstagram.com/lunoworldwide

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors8 records

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

M&A1 record

Investments6 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Luno