Nigerian crypto startup Roqqu draws 30,000 users to its futures product

Roqqu, a Nigerian cryptocurrency startup that allows users to buy and sell digital assets and access crypto-backed loans, drew more than 30,000 users to its futures derivatives product during beta testing, according to Emmanuel Peter, the company’s Head of Trading and Markets.

The locally-built futures contract, which launched in beta in December 2025 and is now out of beta, continues Roqqu’s push beyond its core buy, sell, and swap offering into a broader suite of advanced trading tools.

Peter said the beta numbers were a signal that products built within Roqqu’s own ecosystem could hold their own.

“We already have [over] 30,000 accounts that started testing and using it during the beta period,” he said. “It’s reassuring to us that things developed within our ecosystem are appealing to users.”

Roqqu is preparing to launch crypto cards and a locally-built prediction market, positioning itself against competitors like Luno and Busha, which are also widening their product stacks.

The startup is betting that lower fees and increased functionality will drive adoption among traders. During beta, futures trades were free, but Roqqu has since introduced a 0.1% fee after formally launching the product.

“Futures is a high-frequency market, so if the fee is not low, [users] end up paying a lot just to trade,” Peter said. “[Our users] are liking the experience, and it’s cheap to use.”

The renewed focus on cards marks a return to a product Roqqu previously shelved. The company launched virtual cards in 2022 but discontinued them amid reliability challenges, according to Peter.

“We needed cards that actually work everywhere,” Peter said. “Not cards that decline when you try to make payments. We’re coming back with something way better; cards you can use in any market, local or international.”

The new card product, expected within weeks, will be powered by crypto and built with multinational partners, according to Peter.

Roqqu’s product expansion reflects a broader shift in how crypto startups are positioning themselves in an industry that is evolving beyond simple trading.

Busha, a Nigerian crypto startup, is rebranding itself as a broader digital finance platform, adding loans and cards, while Luno has begun exploring products like prediction markets. Globally, exchanges like Bitget and Bybit, which operate in Nigeria, have evolved into “super apps,” offering everything from derivatives trading to payments and savings products, including a buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) feature.

“It’s like evolve or die,” Peter said. “If you’re not able to evolve fast, the industry may change so rapidly that you’ll be playing catch-up.”

That philosophy underpins Roqqu’s product roadmap. Beyond futures and cards, Roqqu is building a prediction market, a derivatives marketplace that allows users to take a view on real-world events and earn money. The startup is also exploring tokenisation and reward-based products, all developed in-house with a product-first ideology, said Peter.

In 2025, Roqqu acquired Flitaa, a Kenyan-based crypto exchange, as part of its expansion strategy, but the startup continues to run independently. Peter declined to comment on Flitaa’s operations, noting that “operationally, it’s not the same company,” though Roqqu retains ownership.

Roqqu’s aggressive product push comes as crypto firms in Nigeria navigate a changing regulatory landscape. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), the country’s tax authority, now oversee payment-based digital assets, while the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulates assets that behave like securities under the Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) framework introduced in February 2026.

Peter said the pace of innovation in crypto—from stablecoins to new trading instruments—is forcing companies to adapt quickly. Roqqu’s push is a response to that pace.