A crypto exchange built around who holds the licence.
- Client
- Confidential fintech, Nigeria
- Sector
- Digital assets, payments
- Platform
- iOS and Android
- What we did
- Product strategy, design and the full mobile build
- Year
- 2026
The founders wanted people in Nigeria to buy and sell crypto against naira on their phone. Nigeria's Investments and Securities Act 2025 brings digital assets under securities regulation, so this is regulated activity. Apple adds its own requirements for exchange apps: licensing, a legal entity and supporting documents, which depend on how the business is set up and where the app is distributed. Miss either one and the app doesn't launch, however good it looks. This is how we approached the project, not legal advice, and each client confirms the requirements with its own advisers.
Three questions we answered before drawing a screen.
Who holds the licence?
We mapped which parts of the flow sit with the licensed partner and which sit with the client, so the client could see where its own responsibilities start.
Which entity goes on the App Store listing?
Apple reviews exchange apps against the licences and legal entity behind the listing. We planned the publishing set-up around that from the start and flagged it for the client to confirm with its advisers.
What does the partner's API cover?
Plugging into a licensed provider's API doesn't automatically hand you their licence. We drew a clear line between what the API handles and what the business still has to own.
A partner's API gives you their rails. It doesn't always come with their licence.
Sign-up to first trade in a few short steps.
Verification first
BVN and ID checks happen before the first trade, with clear progress at each step.
Live price and rate lock
The rate holds for a short window, so the price on screen is the price you get.
Naira payouts
Sales are paid straight to a verified bank account.
Receipts and history
Every trade has a receipt and sits in a history you can search.
Licensed routing
Every trade runs through the licensed partner.
Publishing set-up
Planned around the licensed entity's own developer account, subject to Apple's review.
Built with
- React Native
- TypeScript
- Node.js
- Licensed partner API