Luno named James Lanigan chief executive on March 22, 2023. Lanigan had run the exchange's operations, product and marketing as chief operating officer for five years1. Co-founder Marcus Swanepoel, who had held the top job for ten years, moved into a new role as executive chairman. On March 22, Luno also said it had hired Canaccord Genuity Group to court institutional investors and prepare for a future public listing2.
Three leadership moves at Luno on the record since 2023
Every move CryptoLately has verified there, by the day it became public
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Jan. 25, 2023 | Layoffs. Layoffs at Luno became public |
| March 22, 2023 | Swanepoel left as CEO. Marcus Swanepoel left as Chief Executive Officer of Luno |
| March 22, 2023 | Lanigan became CEO. James Lanigan was named Chief Executive Officer of Luno |
17 CEO appointments on the record in 2023
CEO appointments CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2023: 17
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 18 |
| 2023 | 17 |
| 2024 | 26 |
| 2025 | 35 |
| 2026 | 18 |
The move
Swanepoel framed the handoff as a continuation. “Co-founding and serving as the CEO of Luno for the past ten years has been the greatest honour of my career and I'm excited for our next chapter as we continue to put the power of crypto in everyone's hands,” he said in the company's own post1. He called Lanigan “a seasoned operator and an outstanding leader with a track record of success across all aspects of running a truly global fintech business”.
Lanigan answered with a tribute of his own. “It has been a privilege to serve alongside a founder and leader as strong as Marcus, who cares so deeply about making a positive impact for our customers and employees,” he said1. He added that he intended to keep "maintaining our dedication to trust, security and compliance". CoinDesk reported that Luno's majority owner, Digital Currency Group, had invested in Luno's 2014 seed round. DCG bought the company outright in 20202. Its founder and chief executive, Barry Silbert, said in the same release that the firm looked "forward to supporting Luno in its ambitious and continued growth journey" with Lanigan "at the helm".
Before and after the hire
Lanigan joined Luno in 2018. He had served before that as chief marketing officer at Bookatable, a restaurant reservation platform later acquired by Michelin1. As chief operating officer, he built Luno's local teams across Africa, Europe and Asia Pacific. He oversaw its operations, commercial, countries, product, marketing and customer success departments. CoinDesk also reported that Luno's co-founder and chief technology officer, Timothy Stranex, had left the company in December 2022 to "pursue personal projects"2. That departure preceded Swanepoel's own change in title by three months.
What came next
Luno cut about 20 percent of its global workforce in a restructuring that BitKE reported on July 30, 2026. The cuts landed more than three years into Lanigan's tenure as chief executive3. Lanigan tied them to a shift toward institutional clients over retail trading. BitKE reported that trading volume on South Africa's exchanges had fallen from about 1,000 bitcoins a day in 2021 and 2022 to roughly 50 bitcoins a day by mid-2026. “Luno has made material investments in automation and broader operational improvements over the last year and is continuing to integrate and develop tools that are rapidly changing the resource model required to run the business effectively,” Lanigan said. “These factors mean that a leaner and adapted structure is both necessary and appropriate.” The same report said Luno, now headquartered in London, served more than 16 million users. Luno had opened its infrastructure to institutional partners including Johannesburg-based Discovery Bank.
Sources
- Team Luno, "Luno announces leadership transition," Luno, Mar. 22, 2023, https://web.archive.org/web/20260710074414/https://discover.luno.com/luno-announces-leadership-transition/
- Sam Reynolds, "Crypto Exchange Luno Rejiggers Leadership Roles as It Seeks to Boost Investor Base, Eyes Public Listing," CoinDesk, Mar. 22, 2023, https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/03/22/luno-crypto-exchange-elevates-top-execs-as-it-seeks-to-boost-investor-base-for-new-growth-future-public-listing
- BitKE, "REALITY CHECK | South African Crypto Exchange, Luno, to Cut 20% Workforce in Strategic Institutional Pivot," BitKE, Jul. 30, 2026, https://bitcoinke.io/2026/07/luno-strategic-restructure/