Launching South Africa's first staking product

Enabling customers to passively grow their crypto holdings with a clear, trusted experience. Scaled from South Africa to Nigeria and Malaysia.

Role

Senior Product Designer

Industry

Fintech

Duration

3 months

I collaborated closely with the Product Manager, Legal, UX Writer, Engineers

Snapshots of app designs shown on mobile devices
Snapshots of app designs shown on mobile devices
Snapshots of app designs shown on mobile devices

Customers are earning rewards with confidence

Over 90,000 customers staked crypto in South Africa, with $69M+ in assets under management and an average stake of $357 per customer. Customers were able to participate confidently, without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed.

When rewards feel out of reach

Customers wanted a way to grow their crypto without constant trading. Staking offered that opportunity, letting people put crypto aside and earn rewards over time. When I spoke to average investors, those without prior knowledge found staking intimidating – full of jargon, perceived as risky by some, and designed for experienced crypto users rather than everyday people.

In South Africa, many people have previously experienced some type of crypto scam, often get-rich-quick schemes. Trust drives adoption, and if staking didn’t feel safe and easy, we risked losing the very customers who wanted it most. With Nigeria and Malaysia on the roadmap, scalability across markets was critical to serve both beginners and experienced investors.

Customers are earning rewards with confidence

Over 90,000 customers staked crypto in South Africa, with $69M+ in assets under management and an average stake of $357 per customer. Customers were able to participate confidently, without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed.

When rewards feel out of reach

Customers wanted a way to grow their crypto without constant trading. Staking offered that opportunity, letting people put crypto aside and earn rewards over time. When I spoke to average investors, those without prior knowledge found staking intimidating – full of jargon, perceived as risky by some, and designed for experienced crypto users rather than everyday people.

In South Africa, many people have previously experienced some type of crypto scam, often get-rich-quick schemes. Trust drives adoption, and if staking didn’t feel safe and easy, we risked losing the very customers who wanted it most. With Nigeria and Malaysia on the roadmap, scalability across markets was critical to serve both beginners and experienced investors.

A digital whiteboard with sticky notes, key points, and summaries
A digital whiteboard with sticky notes, key points, and summaries
A digital whiteboard with sticky notes, key points, and summaries
Survey results displayed as charts and graphs
Survey results displayed as charts and graphs
Survey results displayed as charts and graphs

Turning complexity into confidence

As Senior Product Designer, I owned the staking experience end-to-end. I partnered with the Product Manager and legal teams to balance clarity with regulation.

Through interviews in South Africa and Malaysia, I identified two main barriers: fear of losing money and confusion about rewards. I focused on understanding customers’ short- and long-term goals, how they approach investing, and their knowledge of crypto. Despite different levels of understanding, each region had distinct needs. The key challenge became balancing essential information while avoiding overwhelm.

A trusted, simple staking journey

We removed complexity and made staking feel approachable and intuitive:

  • Simple explanations of what staking is, how it works, and expected rewards

  • Clear, simple explanations instead of dense, intimidating text

  • Transparent fees and reward breakdowns shown at the right moments

I refined layouts and reward displays through multiple design iterations and A/B tests, continuously improving usability and confidence. After launch, I kept experimenting with A/B tests, further refining the experience and observing increased uptake.

By refining the experience and launching in Malaysia, the key growth region, uptake increased significantly, followed by expansion to Nigeria.

From hesitation to action

  • 90K+ customers staking in South Africa

  • $69M+ assets staked

  • $357 average stake per customer

Key takeaway: In fintech, trust is the product. Designing in human language and reducing unnecessary friction transformed an intimidating product into one customers were excited to use.

What I took away from this

Watching customers interact with staking showed me that even complex financial products can be approachable when designed with clarity, empathy, and attention to real user needs. Owning the experience end-to-end highlighted how thoughtful design directly drives trust, confidence, and adoption.

From hesitation to action

  • 90K+ customers staking in South Africa

  • $69M+ assets staked

  • $357 average stake per customer

Key takeaway: In fintech, trust is the product. Designing in human language and reducing unnecessary friction transformed an intimidating product into one customers were excited to use.

What I took away from this

Watching customers interact with staking showed me that even complex financial products can be approachable when designed with clarity, empathy, and attention to real user needs. Owning the experience end-to-end highlighted how thoughtful design directly drives trust, confidence, and adoption.

Other projects

Copyright 2025 by Natali Jones

Copyright 2025 by Natali Jones

Copyright 2025 by Natali Jones

Copyright 2025 by Natali Jones