Luno, the London-headquartered cryptocurrency exchange formerly known as Bitx, has officially added Bitcoin Cash (BCH) trading to its platform, expanding its asset offering beyond Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). Starting September 23, users in over 40 countries can store, buy, and sell BCH on Luno. The move comes in response to strong demand from clients in developing markets, where cryptocurrency adoption is surging.
BCH Becomes Luno's Third Listed Asset
With approximately 3 million customers worldwide and offices in South Africa, Indonesia, Nigeria, Singapore, and Malaysia, Luno is a key player in emerging-market crypto services. Marcus Swanepoel, CEO of Luno, stated: “We are in a new and exciting financial era. Developing economies are leading the large-scale adoption and application of cryptocurrencies. Luno has listened to and always worked hard to understand the needs of these economies. That’s why we have moved to expand our offering of secure and legitimate digital currencies.”
Bitcoin Cash, which split from Bitcoin in 2017 to enable faster and cheaper transactions, has gained a loyal following in regions where low fees are critical. Luno’s decision to list BCH aligns with its strategy to serve unbanked and underbanked populations across Africa and Southeast Asia.
Security First: Cautious Coin Selection Process
While promising to add more crypto assets in the future, Luno emphasized that safety remains its top priority. Marius Reitz, General Manager for Africa, noted: “There are over 2,000 cryptocurrencies in the market, and we take our role as a trusted platform very seriously. We only add new coins once we are confident of their security, credibility, and market traction.” The company stated that any potential new listing must be monitored for several years before being deemed credible enough for the exchange. This cautious approach aims to protect users from scams and unstable projects.
Global Reach and Future Plans
Luno operates in 40 countries and employs over 300 people. The addition of BCH is seen as a step toward meeting the growing demand for diverse digital assets in emerging economies. For users on platforms that do not yet support BCH, alternatives such as buy.Bitcoin.com, local peer-to-peer trading, or exchange.Bitcoin.com remain available. Luno’s expansion reflects a broader trend among regulated exchanges to broaden their offerings while maintaining rigorous compliance standards. As the crypto market matures, the battle for user trust and asset availability will only intensify.
By adding Bitcoin Cash, Luno not only responds to community feedback but also strengthens its foothold in regions where crypto can have the greatest impact.