Luno is a multi-market cryptocurrency investment and exchange platform founded in 2013. The business began under the BitX name and adopted the Luno brand in 2017. Rather than operating through one legal entity worldwide, Luno’s terms list assigns customers to a group company according to the country in which their account is verified. The group is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group.
The platform combines a custodial crypto wallet and instant buy-and-sell service with an order-book exchange for spot trading. It supports Bitcoin, Ether and a broader selection of crypto assets, while fiat funding is market-specific; the UK service supports GBP. Depending on jurisdiction, Luno also offers portfolio bundles, tokenised stocks, staking, USDC Earn, crypto payments through Luno Pay, prediction markets, an API, professional trading tools, an OTC desk and services for institutional customers.
Luno’s regulatory status varies by local entity. Its official licence and registration disclosures state that Luno Malaysia is licensed by the Securities Commission Malaysia as a Recognized Market Operator for a digital asset exchange, while PT Luno Indonesia is licensed by the OJK as a Digital Financial Asset Trader. Luno (Pty) Ltd is an authorised financial services provider in South Africa, and Luno Australia is registered with AUSTRAC as a digital currency exchange provider. In Nigeria, the local entity has Approval-in-Principle for admission to the SEC’s regulatory incubation programme. In the UK, Luno Money Limited is registered as a reporting entity with the UK Financial Intelligence Unit; the official page does not identify this as an exchange licence or FCA authorisation.
According to Luno’s security disclosures, customer crypto is held on a 1:1 basis and most is stored offline and offsite in “deep freeze” arrangements managed by BitGo Custody and Fireblocks. The company publishes monthly proof-of-reserves reports prepared under agreed-upon procedures by Moore Johannesburg using Merkle-tree verification; Luno states that these are not full financial audits. Other disclosed controls include multisignature wallets, two-factor authentication and ISO/IEC 27001:2022-certified security processes.
For detailed fees, available markets, trading features, security analysis, usability, deposits, withdrawals and other review-specific information, see our full Luno exchange review.
Ownership History
Luno was established as BitX in 2013 and rebranded in early 2017. Digital Currency Group acquired the company in 2020. Luno’s current company page continues to describe it as an independent operating subsidiary of DCG.