Koinexpert was one of South Africa’s earliest and most successful crypto arbitrage platforms, operating during a time when cross-border price differences in Bitcoin and other digital assets created substantial trading opportunities. Over its 2.5 years of operation, it executed 3.3 billion ZAR worth of trades without a single incident.

All trading was handled entirely by the company on behalf of clients, with users able to choose between batch and hedge trading strategies and set their own minimum profit targets. The platform featured a wide range of integrations — from multiple local and international exchanges to compliance and verification solutions — allowing it to operate efficiently in a volatile and fast-moving market.

Remaining compliant was a constant challenge. In the early days of crypto, South Africa had no clear legal framework for crypto asset service providers, making regulatory interpretation and reporting a significant part of the operational load.

Despite its success, Koinexpert eventually closed its doors, likely due to the crypto arbitrage opportunity itself disappearing — a trend that had been in decline for a while and has shown little sign of returning.

“Koinexpert taught us that fintech innovation moves in cycles. Sometimes you’re building for a wave that lasts years, sometimes for one that lasts months — and the real skill lies in moving fast enough to catch it while ensuring the system is strong enough to run at full scale.”

— Ardi Coetzee, CTO, Teruza