What ChainEX does

ChainEX (legally ChainEX (Pty) Ltd) is a privately held South African cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2017 and headquartered in South Africa (with Cape Town and Johannesburg cited as locations). It operates a spot-trading digital asset platform serving retail and active/volume cryptocurrency traders in South Africa and, secondarily, international users, positioning itself as an affordable, locally-licensed exchange with native ZAR (South African Rand) fiat on-ramps. The company is a licensed financial services provider (FSP number 53799), operating within South Africa's crypto-asset service provider regulatory framework.

The core offering is a web- and mobile-first exchange supporting spot trading of over 20 cryptocurrencies across more than 30 trading pairs, with ZAR as the primary fiat currency and USDT as a secondary quote asset. The platform provides wallet generation, order-book trading with multiple order types (market, limit, stop/stop-limit, scaled, and accumulation/distribution), Quick Buy/Sell, a Maker Program for liquidity providers, an Earn portal for interest on holdings, and REST API access for algorithmic trading. Notable proprietary elements include CZAR, a ZAR-pegged stablecoin issued on BEP20 (Binance Smart Chain), and security features such as 2FA and a Fund PIN. Access is delivered entirely through digital self-serve channels: the web platform, native iOS and Android apps, and API.

The business model is product-led and transaction-centric. Primary revenue derives from tiered maker/taker trading fees (Scaling Fees) that decline with 30-day trading volume, supplemented by Earn portal interest spreads, referral program economics, and new coin listing fees. Go-to-market is self-serve, driven by a referral/partner program, content marketing (blog.chainex.io), organic social media, a Telegram community, and organic discovery via listings on aggregators (CoinGecko, CoinLore, CoinStats, CryptoWisser). Customers onboard online with FICA verification, fund via EFT in ZAR, and trade from a minimum of R10. Specific fee percentages and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

ChainEX

Legal name

ChainEX (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://chainex.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ChainEX is a South African, FSP-licensed cryptocurrency exchange offering spot trading of 20+ coins across 30+ pairs with native ZAR fiat on-ramps, serving retail and active crypto traders locally and internationally via web, mobile, and API.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Trading Fees (Maker/Taker): ChainEX charges maker and taker fees on all spot trades executed on its exchange. Fees are tiered based on 30-day trading volume — higher volume users pay lower fees through the Scaling Fees structure. Makers (users placing limit orders that add liquidity) typically receive lower fees than takers (users executing against existing orders). This is the primary revenue stream.
2. Earn Portal Interest: Users earn interest on held cryptocurrency assets deposited into the Earn portal. ChainEX likely earns a spread between the interest paid to users and the yield generated from lending or staking activities.
3. Referral Program Rewards: Users earn Bitcoin rewards for referring new users to the platform through the referral program. ChainEX may retain a portion of referred users' trading fees as the cost of acquisition.
4. New Coin Listing Fees: ChainEX accepts requests for new coin listings and evaluates submissions based on team visibility, community backing, listing fees, market-making commitment, and ZAR liquidity. Listing fees contribute to revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ChainEX operates a South African-licensed cryptocurrency exchange (FSP 53799) that lets users buy, sell, and trade over 20 cryptocurrencies across more than 30 ZAR and USDT trading pairs via web, iOS, Android, and REST API. The platform supports advanced order types, an Earn portal for interest on holdings, a Maker liquidity programme, and a proprietary ZAR-pegged stablecoin (CZAR on BEP20), with direct ZAR deposits and withdrawals via EFT.

Product overview

ChainEX is a South African cryptocurrency exchange (ChainEX (Pty) Ltd, FSP number 53799) positioning itself as the most affordable exchange in Africa. The core offering is the ChainEX Exchange platform, which provides a unified trading environment for buying, selling, and trading cryptocurrency with ZAR (South African Rand) and USDT pairs. The product portfolio consists of the core Exchange platform, a native Mobile App for iOS and Android, the Earn module for earning interest on holdings, the Maker Program for liquidity providers, and an API for programmatic trading access. Users can trade across over 30 markets spanning more than 20 supported coins, with the platform supporting desktop, mobile, and API-based trading.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CZAR: ChainEX ZAR (CZAR) is a ZAR-pegged stablecoin issued by ChainEX on the BEP20 (Binance Smart Chain) blockchain, tradable against ZAR on the ChainEX platform (CZAR/ZAR trading pair).

Products and services

• ChainEX Exchange The primary cryptocurrency exchange platform enabling users to buy, sell, and trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, and over 20 other altcoins across more than 30 trading markets, including ZAR and USDT pairs, via a web-based order book. It is targeted at retail and active-volume crypto traders in South Africa and selected international markets.
• ChainEX Mobile App Native mobile applications for iOS and Android that allow users to trade cryptocurrencies, manage wallets, deposit ZAR or digital currency, switch themes, manage push notifications, and access all core exchange features on the go.
• ChainEX Earn An interest-earning product that lets users earn yield on cryptocurrency holdings deposited on the ChainEX platform.
• ChainEX Maker Program A liquidity-provider programme that incentivises users who place maker (limit) orders to add depth to ChainEX order books, with preferential fee structures for participating makers.
• ChainEX API A REST API that enables software programmes to communicate with the ChainEX exchange for trading, wallet management, and market data, with 2FA required to add or edit API keys.
• CZAR Stablecoin A ZAR-pegged stablecoin issued by ChainEX on BEP20 (Binance Smart Chain), enabling ZAR-denominated trading within the broader DeFi ecosystem and listed on ChainEX as the CZAR/ZAR market.

Quantifiable outcome

• Minimum starting investment of R10 in Bitcoin, Ethereum, or altcoins
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• OKEXminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChainEX is listed on the OKEX partner/join page (okex.com/join/1939211), likely as a referral or liquidity partner, enabling cross-platform user discovery and trading.
• CoinGeckominorGTM or Marketing PartnerChainEX is listed on CoinGecko's exchange listings page (coingecko.com/en/exchanges/chainex), providing market data visibility and organic user acquisition through one of the most widely used cryptocurrency data aggregators.
• CoinLoreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChainEX is listed on CoinLore (coinlore.com/exchange/chainex), a cryptocurrency data aggregator providing market data, pricing, and exchange information for user discovery.
• CoinStatsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChainEX is listed on CoinStats (coinstats.app/exchanges/chainex), a cryptocurrency portfolio tracker and exchange aggregator providing visibility and cross-platform portfolio management for users.
• CryptoWisserminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChainEX is listed on CryptoWisser (cryptowisser.com/exchange/chainex), a cryptocurrency exchange comparison and data platform aiding user discovery and visibility.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Yellow Card: Yellow Card is a Pan-African cryptocurrency exchange and on/off-ramp platform operating across multiple African countries. Comparable to ChainEX in serving African retail crypto demand with fiat rails, but with broader geographic focus beyond South Africa.

Broad incumbents

• Kraken: Kraken is a US-based global cryptocurrency exchange with spot trading, staking, and institutional services. Comparable as a broad incumbent exchange but operates at a vastly larger scale and does not focus on South African ZAR retail.
• Bybit: Bybit is a global cryptocurrency exchange known for derivatives and increasingly spot markets, with active emerging-markets user acquisition. Comparable as a broad incumbent exchange but does not specialize in South African ZAR retail.
• Coinbase: Coinbase is a US-listed global cryptocurrency exchange offering spot trading, custody, and staking. It competes indirectly with ChainEX by serving international users and expanding into emerging markets, but lacks ZAR-native rails.
• Binance: Binance is the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume and offers ZAR pairs via P2P and local partners. Competes with ChainEX on liquidity depth, coin selection, and brand, but does not specialize in the South African retail niche.
• KuCoin: KuCoin is a global cryptocurrency exchange serving retail traders in emerging markets with extensive altcoin listings and earning products. Comparable to ChainEX in retail-crypto focus but competes as a broader, higher-liquidity global platform.

Direct peers

• VALR: VALR is a Johannesburg-based cryptocurrency exchange offering ZAR spot and derivatives trading, with a regulated CASP license and institutional services. Directly comparable to ChainEX as a South African-licensed competitor targeting retail and active traders with ZAR on-ramps.
• Luno: Originally founded in Cape Town in 2013, Luno is a South African-headquartered cryptocurrency exchange offering ZAR trading pairs, mobile apps, and an Earn product. It is ChainEX's closest direct competitor by geography, customer base (South African retail), and product set.
• AltCoinTrader: AltCoinTrader is one of the longest-running South African cryptocurrency exchanges, offering ZAR trading pairs and a self-serve retail platform. Directly comparable as a domestic ZAR-fiat exchange serving South African retail traders.
• OVEX: OVEX is a South African licensed cryptocurrency exchange offering ZAR trading and over-the-counter services. Directly comparable to ChainEX as a regulated domestic exchange targeting South African retail and high-volume traders.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChainEXIO
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_3FaLikqQU46qLNr9HPoFw
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChainEXIO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chainexio
• Instagraminstagram.com/chainexio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 ChainEX