Luno cuts 20% of staff amid automation push and retail trading slumps, the company said. The reduction follows investments in automation and other operational improvements over the past year that changed the resources needed to run the business. The restructuring also followed Luno’s decision to stop serving customers in some markets from Sept. 1 and to concentrate on Africa and Southeast Asia as retail trading weakened across the crypto industry.
Luno is cutting about 20% of its global workforce, marking its second major reduction in three and a half years after a 35% cut in January 2023. CEO James Lanigan confirmed the cuts to Bloomberg but declined to disclose the number of employees affected. The company said investments in automation and other operational improvements over the past year had changed the resources needed to run the business.
The restructuring followed Luno’s decision to stop serving customers in some markets from Sept. 1 and to concentrate on Africa and Southeast Asia. Luno’s new structure combines its 16 million-user retail exchange with a white-label service for banks, fintechs and telecommunications companies, while supplying liquidity, wallets and compliance infrastructure. Luno will continue investing in its retail products, infrastructure and regulatory compliance, and expand its business-to-business offering. The weaker retail trading business reflects broader crypto-industry trends.
Luno’s new structure combines its 16 million‑user retail exchange with a white‑label service for banks, fintechs and telecommunications companies. The company supplies liquidity, wallets and compliance infrastructure to support those offerings. Luno said it will continue investing in its retail products, infrastructure and regulatory compliance, while expanding its business‑to‑business offering to serve institutional partners. The firm’s product set therefore spans consumer trading services and B2B integrations under a single operational model.
The restructuring followed Luno’s decision to stop serving customers in some markets from Sept. 1 and to concentrate on Africa and Southeast Asia. Investments in automation and other operational improvements over the past year changed the resources needed to run the business. The company presents the combined retail and white‑label arrangement alongside plans to grow its B2B services for banks, fintechs and telecommunications companies. Luno also continues to supply core capabilities such as liquidity, wallets and compliance infrastructure as part of its ongoing operations.
Retail trading volumes at Luno weakened, reflecting broader crypto-industry trends that have been noted in coverage of the company’s changes. Examples cited include BitMEX and BitMart winding down operations. Market conditions were described as an “incredibly tough year” affecting the market. These developments were referenced alongside Luno’s workforce cut and restructuring.
Discovery Bank began offering access to more than 50 cryptocurrencies through Luno in December 2025, with the integration announced the previous month. Digital Currency Group acquired Luno in 2020. Luno said investments in automation and other operational improvements over the past year “had changed the resources needed to run the business.” The company also followed a decision to stop serving customers in some markets from Sept. 1 and to concentrate on Africa and Southeast Asia.
Together these developments form the market context documented alongside Luno’s organisational changes. Coverage lists both industry-level shifts and company-level actions without a detailed causal breakdown.
Luno has implemented a workforce reduction amid investments in automation and weakened retail trading, which the company said altered its operational needs. As part of its restructuring, the firm is concentrating resources on select regions, notably Africa and Southeast Asia, and reshaping operations to combine its retail exchange with B2B and white-label services. The company is maintaining investment in retail products, infrastructure, and regulatory compliance while diversifying into business-to-business offerings that supply liquidity, wallets, and compliance infrastructure.
