Designing AstroXtrade's Cross-Border Money Transfer MVP
Tomilola Shitta
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Posted Jan 5, 2026
Designed MVP for cross-border money transfer app with fiat and crypto support.
AstroXtrade
Cross-Border Money Transfer App (Fiat & Crypto) Product Design Case Study
Role
Product Designer
Platform
Mobile (iOS & Android)
Timeline
MVP Design Phase
Project Overview
AstroXtrade is a cross-border money transfer app designed to help users send and receive money across Africa and restricted regions such as Eastern Europe. The app supports fiat transfers, card payments, and crypto top-ups (USDT & USDC), with automatic conversion into local currencies.
I joined the project at an early, bootstrapped stage to design the MVP experience end-to-end, focusing on usability, trust, and regulatory-aware flows.
The Problem
Cross-border payments for Africans often come with multiple challenges:
High fees and poor exchange rates
Slow settlement times
Limited country coverage
Fragmented experiences across banks, cards, and crypto
Low trust in crypto P2P transactions due to scams
Existing solutions either failed to support key corridors like Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa ↔ Russia, or introduced unnecessary complexity that made users uncomfortable handling money.
The challenge was to design a product that felt simple for everyday users, while still handling complex financial logic in the background.
Design Goals
From the beginning, I aligned with the team on a few non-negotiables:
Make cross-border transfers feel as easy as local transfers
Be transparent about rates, fees, and transaction status
Support multiple funding methods without confusing users
Build trust, especially around crypto usage
Design for scalability, but stay MVP-focused
My Design Process
1. Understanding the User
I spoke with potential users including freelancers, students, and small business owners who regularly move money across borders. Key insights stood out:
Users care more about clarity and reliability than flashy features
Most users prefer holding balances in local currency, even when funding via crypto
Hidden fees are a major trust breaker
Users want confirmation at every step when money is involved
These insights heavily influenced how I structured flows and confirmation screens.
2. Defining the Core Experience
Rather than designing everything at once, I narrowed the MVP around three core actions:
Top up wallet (Bank transfer, Card, or Crypto)
Send money (Local, International, or AstroTag)
Track transactions clearly and in real time
Crypto was intentionally positioned as a top-up method, not a speculative feature. Users could only receive USDT or USDC, which would then be automatically converted into their local currency. This removed volatility and reduced user anxiety.
3. Key Features Designed
Wallet & Home Dashboard
Local currency balance as the primary focus
Quick actions for Send, Top-Up, and Transaction History
Recent transactions surfaced immediately
Onboarding & KYC
Simple step-by-step flow: Email → Phone → Personal Details → KYC
Clear explanations for why verification was required
Designed to feel compliant, not intimidating
Sending Money
Multiple send options:
Local bank transfer
International bank transfer
AstroTag (P2P via username)
Transparent confirmation screen showing:
Exchange rate
Fees
Amount recipient will receive
Rates & Fees Transparency
Users see live rates before confirming
Fees are broken down clearly
No hidden deductions after confirmation
Notifications & Receipts
In-app and push notifications for every transaction update
Downloadable transaction receipts
Clear status indicators (Pending, Completed, Failed)
Final Outcome
The final MVP design delivered:
A clear, intuitive cross-border payment experience
Support for Africa ↔ Eastern Europe corridors
Multiple funding methods without overwhelming users
A product that feels trustworthy, even when handling crypto
The design system and flows were structured to support future expansion into more countries and currencies without needing a full redesign.