NY-DIGITAL-CURRENCY
9.9.2020 12:02:09 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Digital Currency Group (DCG), a global enterprise that builds, buys, and invests in blockchain companies, today announced the acquisition of Luno , a leading cryptocurrency exchange. Based in London and with regional hubs in Singapore and Cape Town, Luno has grown significantly in recent years, with nearly 400 employees and more than five million global customers spanning over 40 countries. New York-based DCG will be making a significant financial commitment to help Luno expand globally, both in geographies where Luno currently operates and beyond. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Led by co-founder and CEO Marcus Swanepoel, Luno has become a digital asset powerhouse in many emerging and frontier markets, providing digital asset education, knowledge, and investment tools for individuals in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Luno has helped broaden the global crypto investment community and the company has seen record growth of its customer base in 2020. Luno is a leading exchange in several countries that have the highest percentage of cryptocurrency ownership, including South Africa (third-highest percentage of its citizens owning digital currencies), Nigeria (fifth-highest), Indonesia (sixth-highest), and Malaysia (tenth-highest).1
DCG is an investment firm that has backed more than 160 blockchain companies around the world. In addition to its venture portfolio, DCG is the parent company of several wholly-owned subsidiaries, including Grayscale Investments (the world’s largest digital currency asset manager), Genesis (a leading digital asset prime brokerage), CoinDesk (the preeminent media and events company in the industry), and the recently-launched Foundry , which provides institutional expertise, capital, and market intelligence to bitcoin miners and manufacturers.
DCG first invested in Luno in its seed round in 2014.
“We are proud to have supported Luno as an early investor, and we recognize a shared commitment to building mission-driven companies that can help transform traditional financial services and improve economic freedom for people all over the world,” said DCG Founder and CEO Barry Silbert. “Luno is a high growth, global business and there is a massive opportunity to expand organically and through acquisitions.”
DCG enables its subsidiaries to operate as independent companies, providing leadership, partnership, and investment capital to help scale the businesses. The Luno leadership team will remain entirely intact and Swanepoel will lead acquisition efforts in his role as CEO.
“The past seven years have been an incredibly exciting journey for Luno – helping millions of our customers get access to crypto for the first time,” said Swanepoel. “DCG has been an integral part of the Luno story during all of this time, and we’ve been fully aligned on our vision and culture since day one. Having the full backing of DCG just as we’re experiencing such a pivotal moment of growth in the industry is not just an exciting and important milestone for Luno, but more importantly it will significantly accelerate our ability to reach our goal to help upgrade 1 billion people to a better financial system by 2030.”
“We have been extremely impressed with Marcus and the Luno team since we made our initial investment,” added Silbert. “Marcus understands our culture and appreciates how well Luno fits into the DCG family. He is a focused, high integrity leader and exactly the kind of person we want running one of our companies at this critical moment when the crypto industry is at an inflection point.”
Founded in 2013, Luno has been backed by global tech giant the Naspers Group and Balderton Capital amongst others. During these last seven years, Luno has maintained its commitment to upgrading the world to a better financial system. The company believes that the legacy system was built for a non-digital age, ignoring the needs of modern individuals and adding unnecessary inefficiencies and gatekeepers. The world now has access to new technologies like Bitcoin and Ethereum that will fundamentally change how the world views and uses money. Like communication evolving from landlines to mobile phones, money is finally catching up with other information revolutions.
Luno maintains regional offices in Kuala Lumpur, Lagos, Jakarta, and Johannesburg, and will continue to focus on the existing geographies where it operates across Europe, Africa, and Asia. The Luno team has also developed an aggressive road map for future growth and will ultimately compete with financial services firms globally. Luno is actively hiring for positions all over the world.
About Digital Currency Group
DCG is a global enterprise that builds, buys, and invests in blockchain companies all over the world. Founded in 2015 by CEO Barry Silbert, DCG is the most active investor in the blockchain sector, with a mission to accelerate the development of a better financial system through the proliferation of digital assets and blockchain technology.
Today, DCG sits at the epicenter of the industry, backing more than 160 companies in 35 countries. DCG also invests directly in digital currencies and other digital assets.
In addition to its investment portfolio, DCG is the parent company of Grayscale Investments, Genesis, CoinDesk, and Foundry.
About Luno
Luno is a leading global cryptocurrency company on a mission to upgrade the world to a better financial system.
Co-founded by CEO Marcus Swanepoel and CTO Timothy Stranex, Luno launched in 2013 and has built a team of nearly 400 with its headquarters in London with regional hubs in Singapore and Cape Town. With over 5 million customers spanning in over 40 countries, Luno’s products and services make it safe and easy to buy, sell, store and learn about cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
1 Source: Digital 2020: Global Digital Overview
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200909005262/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Invivoscribe® Expands IVDR Portfolio with IdentiClone® Dx IGH Assay Certification26.3.2026 06:13:00 CET | Press release
IdentiClone® Dx IGH is the first IVDR-certified assay for the detection of clonal immunoglobulin gene rearrangements in patients with suspected B-cell lymphoproliferative disease. Invivoscribe, a global leader in precision diagnostics and measurable residual disease (MRD) testing, is proud to announce that its IdentiClone Dx IGH Assay has received In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR) 2017/746 Class C certification in the European Union (EU). Commercial availability of the IVDR-certified assay is anticipated by early April 2026. The IVDR replaces the former In Vitro Diagnostics Directive (IVDD), introducing significantly more stringent requirements for clinical evidence, performance evaluation, traceability, and post-market surveillance. Under IVDR, in vitro diagnostic devices are classified according to risk from Class A (lowest risk) to Class D (highest risk). Class C devices, such as IdentiClone Dx IGH, are considered high-risk tests that play a critical role in disease diagnosis an
Dominican Republic Drives Modernization of Electronic Passports Under the Leadership of the Thales - MIDAS Consortium25.3.2026 23:22:00 CET | Press release
The General Directorate of Passports, together with the Presidency of the Dominican Republic, are leading the transformation of the country’s passport issuance system with a new, secure, efficient document aligned with international standards.In 2025, the Thales-MIDAS consortium was awarded the contract to develop, issue, and personalize a modern, secure, and highly reliable travel document for Dominican citizens, incorporating additional cybersecurity measures. The Presidency of the Dominican Republic, through the General Directorate of Passports, issued the country’s first electronic passport as part of its strategy to modernize and strengthen national security. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260324368065/en/ Passport of the Dominican Republic The new document was developed in partnership with Thales, world leader in advanced technologies for the Defense, Aerospace, Cybersecurity, and Digital sectors, and M
3D Systems Achieves Full-Scope EU MDR Certification, Accelerating European Launch of NextDent® Jetted Denture Solution Targeted for Summer 202625.3.2026 17:20:00 CET | Press release
Certification Marks Major Milestone in Strategic Dental Growth Initiative Addressing Straightening, Protection, Repair and Replacement of Teeth 3D Systems (NYSE: DDD) today announced it has received full-scope certification under the European Union Medical Device Regulation (EU MDR) 2017/745. The certification was attained on Monday, March 16, 2026. This milestone confirms that the Company’s quality system, technical documentation, and clinical evidence meet the most rigorous regulatory requirements in the medical device sector. With the MDR certificate in hand, 3D Systems will now introduce MDR-compliant product versions through a carefully coordinated, phased rollout across its dental product families and European markets. This approach ensures a smooth transition while maintaining uninterrupted product availability for customers and healthcare providers. The EU MDR certification immediately enables the introduction of innovative new materials and is a pivotal step for one of 3D Syst
Visa to Bring Privacy-Preserving Payments to Canton Network25.3.2026 17:00:00 CET | Press release
Visa is the first payments company selected to become a Super Validator on the Canton Network, where it will help banks and financial institutions bring new payment flows onchain Visa (NYSE:V), a global leader in digital payments, today announced it will join the Canton Network as the first major global payments company to serve as a Super Validator, to help extend privacy‑preserving blockchain infrastructure to banks and financial institutions around the world. Visa will be one of 40 Super Validators on Canton. That move goes straight to a core challenge for financial institutions: the same transparency that gives blockchains their appeal can clash with privacy expectations financial institutions operate under. Canton Network, a blockchain built for regulated finance, has privacy built in from the beginning, so organizations can use shared infrastructure without exposing sensitive information. As a Super Validator, Visa will help clients who choose to run and secure operations on the
ECU Worldwide Unveils XLERATE 2.0 Expansion to Bypass Asia–Europe Supply Chain Disruptions25.3.2026 14:30:00 CET | Press release
Strategic LAX gateway enables faster, predictable cargo movement through a reimagined sea–air logistics model ECU Worldwide, Allcargo Globals’ wholly-owned global subsidiary, has announced a strategic expansion of its transformative logistics solution, XLERATE 2.0, to provide a high-speed and resilient alternative to Asia-to-Europe trade lanes facing transit disruptions. Under this alternative routing, cargo is transported across the Pacific to the US West Coast, using Los Angeles (LAX) as a temporary hub. The solution leverages XLERATE 2.0’s premium, time-definite ocean services, ensuring greater transit agility and continuity. XLERATE 2.0 offers two distinct shipping solutions from China and Vietnam, providing shippers with flexibility as traditional trade arteries remain impacted by shifts in global logistics. These changes have led to reduced overall capacity and the disruption of standard sea–air services via conventional transit points. Commenting on the rollout, Simon Bajada, Re
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom