In the early days of crypto integrations, exchanges were seen primarily as sources of liquidity. However, over the past two years, this perception has shifted. Today, exchanges serve as marketing channels, monetization layers, and product growth accelerators—especially for globally oriented B2B platforms.
As developers and product teams seek scalable monetization frameworks, broker models have emerged as a practical and powerful approach. This article outlines why these models are gaining traction and how infrastructure players like WhiteBIT are setting the standard.
Understanding the Broker Model
A broker model allows developers and businesses to integrate a trading platform directly into their product—whether it's a terminal, wallet, aggregator, or fintech app. In return, they earn a percentage of trading activity driven by their user base.
This approach offers three primary benefits:
- Monetize existing traffic
- Increase user engagement
- Scale into new markets without building proprietary trading infrastructure
According to KPMG's Q1 2024 Venture Pulse Report, over 38% of European fintech platforms now use broker or white-label setups to offer crypto trading. This is no longer an emerging tactic—it’s an established growth strategy.
Case Study: WhiteBIT Broker Program
WhiteBIT, one of Europe’s leading exchanges with $2.7 trillion in annual trading volume, offers a broker program that highlights the evolution of B2B integration models. Their ecosystem includes:
- Up to 40% revenue share from trades conducted via the broker
- 20% share even on previously referred users
- Customizable terms for aggregators, terminals, and fintech apps
- Accelerated integration with full documentation and technical support
-
Marketing support, including:
- Co-branded campaigns
- AMAs and feature placement
- Trading competitions tailored for broker users
From a developer or startup perspective, these features deliver operational flexibility and fast time-to-value. With clear monetization logic and built-in exposure support, developers can launch and scale faster while ensuring compliance and tracking.
Why It Works: Developer Perspective
From an engineering standpoint, broker APIs reduce operational overhead by:
- Eliminating the need to build and maintain order book infrastructure
- Providing sandbox environments and versioned endpoints for safe development
- Offering transparent revenue dashboards and analytics
- Simplifying user onboarding via OAuth or secure token mechanisms
This matters for startups and enterprise teams alike, especially when testing go-to-market strategies in new regions or within regulated sectors.
Comparative Benchmark: Atani x Kraken
A notable example of this model in practice is the Atani x Kraken integration:
- Users executed trades from within the Atani UI, improving UX and retention
- Kraken expanded its reach via partner-facing terminals
- Atani deployed tracking and analytics tools, increasing user LTV and enabling performance optimization
Reports indicated that up to 18% of new European Kraken users originated through this broker channel. More importantly, these users engaged more frequently and stayed longer—fueled by better design and embedded analytics.
What We See Now: Broker Integration as a Standard
Based on recent projects and client inquiries, broker models are becoming standard among:
- API-first startups
- Wallets expanding into trading
- Fintech apps localizing offerings for multiple jurisdictions
Especially for developer-led teams operating across currencies and regulatory zones, a broker integration provides a low-friction path to monetization.
Final Recommendation
For any product team building crypto functionality into their platform, a broker model should be part of the architecture from day one.
When evaluating partners, prioritize those who offer:
- Strong documentation
- Transparent and high-yield revenue models
- Go-to-market support, not just API keys
- Track record with institutional or regional clients
The broker model is more than a technical integration. It’s a strategic growth lever that aligns monetization, engagement, and user acquisition in a single scalable stack.
Top comments (1)
Some comments may only be visible to logged-in visitors. Sign in to view all comments.