01 Two ways to build
Same app. Different foundation.
Kudi has three layers. The top two are identical in both routes. Only the foundation, the regulated layer, changes.
Layer 3Kudi appKudi brand · iOS and Android · Arabic and English
LedgerOrchestrationCardsPayoutsOps consoleSecurity
Layer 2Kudi platformBuilt and run by Luup
AccountsLicensed partnerHolds and safeguards customer money
CardsVisa issuerIssues the Kudi Visa card
Accounts and cardsKudi's own licenceCanadian licence covering fiat and crypto
Kudi appWhat customers see and touch. Same in both routes.
Kudi platformThe ledger, money flows and tools behind the app. Same in both routes.
Regulated layerProvided by licensed partners. Kudi launches without its own licence.
02 Route one
Launch on partner infrastructure.
Kudi launches on an established licensed partner. The partner holds customer money and runs the regulated checks, and a Visa principal issuer issues the cards. Luup builds everything customers see and the platform that ties it together.
Customer
Kudi app
Kudi platform
Licensed partneraccountsVisa issuercardsPayout partnersabroad
What it gives Kudi
- Live in 2 to 3 months
- Accounts in AED, USD, GBP and EUR with local details
- Visa cards with Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Money abroad, and instant Kudi to Kudi transfers
- No licence application or regulatory build-up front
What to know
- If the partner or its bank has an issue, Kudi is exposed in the middle
- Some partner steps are manual, so bank transfers settle in set windows during the day
- Accounts are provided under the partner's licence, so the customer structure is confirmed with UAE counsel before launch
- Kudi relies on the partner's banking relationships
2 to 3months to launch
4currencies at launch
0licences Kudi needs to hold
03 Route two
Kudi's own licence.
Kudi becomes a regulated company in its own right, licensed in Canada for both fiat and crypto, with its own banking relationships and card programme. Luup's platform runs on top, exactly as in route one.
What it unlocks
- No partner in the middle: Kudi holds its own regulated relationships
- Fiat and crypto under one licence, so corridors can settle through stablecoins behind the scenes while customers only ever see their own currencies
- Lower cost per transfer, to beat exchange houses on rate and speed
- Full control of product, risk appetite and roadmap
- Room to add bills, school fees and more over time
What it takes
- A licence application in Canada, covering fiat and crypto
- Opening Kudi's own banking relationships
- A compliance team and automated screening, so checks scale from a few a day to hundreds
- Running costs carried before the first transaction
- Ongoing audits and regulatory reporting
4 to 5months to Kudi's own licence
2under one licence: fiat and crypto
100%control of the regulated layer
04 Side by side
The trade-off, plainly.
Partner infrastructureKudi's own licence
Time to launch2 to 3 months4 to 5 months
Who is regulatedLicensed partnerKudi
Multi-currency accountsYesYes
Visa card, Apple Pay, Google PayYesYes
Kudi to Kudi transfersInstantInstant
Exposed to a partner's bankYesNo
Crypto rails behind the scenesThrough the partnerDirect
Up-front regulatory workLightModerate
Control of the roadmapShared with the partnerFull
The app customers useSameSame
05 Our recommendation
Start on a partner. Grow into a licence.
Launch on partner infrastructure to reach customers quickly and prove demand. Start the licence application once the pilot shows the numbers. Luup builds the platform so the regulated layer is a plug, not a foundation: when Kudi's licence lands, accounts and cards move across and customers keep the same app.
PrototypeToday. The app you just used.
Structure and partnersLegal structure, partner onboarding, card programme.
BuildPlatform, apps, ops console, integrations.
Closed pilotInvited customers, real money, tight limits.
Public launchOpen sign-up in the UAE.
Kudi's own licenceApplication runs alongside. Switch over when approved.
06 Who does what
Clear lines, from day one.
Kudi
Owns the brand and the customer.
- Brand, marketing and growth
- Customer relationship and support policy
- Partnerships and corridors
- The licence, when the time comes
Luup
Builds and runs the technology.
- iOS and Android apps, Arabic and English
- Ledger, money flows and reconciliation
- Ops console, compliance tooling, security
- Card, account and payout integrations
Licensed partners
Hold the money and the permissions.
- Accounts and safeguarding
- Identity and money laundering checks
- Card issuing on Visa
- Payouts abroad
07 Next steps
Five decisions to get moving.
- Choose the routePartner infrastructure now, with the licence to follow, or straight to Kudi's own licence.
- Confirm the legal structureUAE counsel confirms how accounts are offered to UAE residents, and who signs with whom.
- Agree the pilot scopeCurrencies, card type, limits and the size of the first customer group.
- Partner introductionsOnboarding with the accounts partner and the card issuer starts in parallel with the build.
- Kick off the buildPlatform, apps and ops console, working from this prototype.