Luno acquires GTXN to run cross-border business payments between developed and emerging markets

Luno acquires GTXN to run cross-border business payments between developed and emerging markets

22 September 2026 — Luno, the digital-asset platform authorised in South Africa as a financial services provider, said in its newsroom on 22 September 2026 that it has acquired GTXN, a cross-border payments business founded in Nairobi. Neither company has disclosed a price. GTXN's chief executive, Dan Kleinbaum, continues to lead the business, which Luno says now operates as the group's cross-border payments capability across its markets.

What Luno says changes

Luno describes GTXN as a licensed cross-border payments provider that brings collection and payout infrastructure inside Luno's existing footprint. For a business client, Luno says, money moves in and out through one provider, over rails Luno owns, and settles against Luno's own liquidity, instead of passing through a chain of correspondent banks. Luno lists the practical changes as fewer intermediaries, clearer pricing with fewer hidden markups, and quicker settlement through one regulated provider.

Luno's post places the deal against South Africa's draft Capital Flow Management Regulations framework and a Draft Crypto Asset Manual for Cross-Border Activities, published by National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank and open for consultation. Luno says the final rules should preserve access to licensed, regulated services of this kind; the rules are not final.

Licensing, as each source describes it

GTXN's own site says it either holds the licence or works with licensed partners for every service, and that collections and pay-outs operate under group registrations and licences held in South Africa, with some Kenyan services marked as live through a licensed partner. Launch Base Africa and TechMoran describe GTXN as a licensed fund manager, and Launch Base Africa reports that Kenya's Capital Markets Authority licensed it in that capacity in May 2024. Neither company's statement read for this item mentions that licence.

Kleinbaum previously co-founded Beyonic, a mobile-money platform acquired by Onafriq in 2020, which Luno's post confirms.

Who is affected

Businesses that collect or pay out between developed markets and African or other emerging markets, and that already use Luno or are comparing cross-border payment providers. Existing GTXN clients now deal with a company inside the Luno group.

What to do

• If you use GTXN, ask for written confirmation of which entity now contracts with you, which licences cover your payment flows in each country, and whether terms, fees or data-processing arrangements change.
• If you are comparing providers, ask Luno for the corridors actually live, settlement times and the full fee and exchange-rate markup, and check the licences named against the relevant regulator's register.
• South African businesses using crypto-based cross-border routes should follow the Treasury and Reserve Bank consultation, since the final rules may change what is allowed.

Not yet independently verified. That GTXN holds a Capital Markets Authority fund-manager licence in Kenya rests on press reports; neither Luno's announcement nor GTXN's own site says so, and the regulator's register has not been checked. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

Sources

• Luno Newsroom: What Luno's acquisition of GTXN means for cross-border payments — 22 September 2026
• GTXN: Same-day Settlement (company site, regulation section) — 28 September 2026
• Launch Base Africa: Two Exits in Six Years: Dan Kleinbaum's GTXN Acquired by Luno — 22 September 2026
• TechMoran: Luno Acquires Kenya's GTXN to Expand Into Cross-Border Payments — 27 September 2026