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Add a spread (markup) on trades

When you fetch a quote via /api/trading/quotes, you receive:
You can offer the user a slightly lower rate than what you receive. Example:
  • Bitnob rate: 1 BTC = 83,125 USDT, so 100 USDT buys 120,301 sats
  • You offer: 1 BTC = 85,000 USDT, so the user receives 117,647 sats
  • Effective spread: 2.2%, or 2,654 sats on this trade
When executing the trade:
  • You still use the Bitnob quote (locked or live)
  • You record the actual execution amount vs. user-facing rate
  • The difference = your profit, in the output asset
This model works even at high volume and is invisible to the user if the rate is still competitive.

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Bundle trading into a service offering

For platforms where trading is a backend function (e.g., remittances, merchant payouts): Offer a fixed USD (or NGN) rate to your users (e.g., “Send $100 to Nigeria”) On the backend, you:
  • Accept bitcoin
  • Convert to USDT using Bitnob
  • Lock in a margin inside the conversion logic (e.g., build 1-2% spread into rates)
This gives you:
  • Price control
  • Earnings from FX/timing edge
  • Revenue on every trade, whether the user is aware of the backend asset movement or not
Naira rails: the same model works with NGN. Accept naira from a Nigerian user, convert to USDT, USDC, or Bitcoin (or the reverse to pay out in naira), and build your spread into the NGN rate.

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Charge a platform or execution fee

Some apps transparently monetize via fees on each trade:
  • Trade Value: $250.00
  • Network Fee: $0.00
  • Execution Fee: $2.50 (1%)
  • Total Charged: $252.50
You can:
  • Show this in the UI
  • Bake it into the output value (user receives slightly less)
  • Track this via internal metadata on each reference and order id
Bitnob doesn’t charge trading fees by default, so this gives you room to add your own layer.

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Tiered access for sub-Accounts (B2B2C)

If you run a platform serving other businesses or teams:
  • Offer white-labeled trading access
  • Mark up rates
  • Charge monthly platform fees
  • Offer volume-based discounts or rewards
You become the merchant of record, and Bitnob is your infrastructure layer.

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Offer instant swap with delayed fulfillment

This is an advanced strategy.
  • Let users “Buy bitcoin Now” at a given rate
  • Delay execution a few minutes while batching trades
  • Capture timing or price efficiency using backend logic
  • Fulfill with Bitnob once execution terms are favorable
This is similar to how Cash App and Revolut optimize behind the scenes. Only do this if you have treasury experience or strong controls.

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Incentivized spread: Subsidize rate on buy, earn on sell

For customer acquisition:
  • Offer best-in-market rate for BTC purchases (maybe break even)
  • Make money on the sell side when user exits to stablecoin
This is common in wallets, trading apps, and even DeFi platforms.

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Best practices for monetizing

  • Track every trade’s input/output/spread/fees in your internal ledger
  • Use the reference field to link trades to users or business units
  • Record fee revenue separately for accounting, analytics, and tiering
  • Consider limits per user per day to protect against abuse