The August 2025 Price Gap Between LUNO and VALR

9 August 2025 7

Updates

24 AUGUST 2025: The price difference between LUNO and VALR persisted until 8:30 AM on Monday, 11 August 2025. It did not diverge again in the days that followed.
25 August 2025: Zarbitrage has launched a new comparison page tracking BTC prices across VALR, LUNO, and Binance in ZAR. The data highlights how closely aligned VALR and LUNO prices are at present.

Introduction

At Teruza, we track currencies, including cryptocurrencies, across multiple exchanges using market data sourced directly from each exchange’s official APIs, as well as from our own Teruza API. This enables us to identify and measure price differences between trading venues in real time.

In July and August 2025, we recorded three notable events during which BTC/ZAR prices on LUNO and VALR diverged for extended periods. The graph below shows the estimated percentage price difference between LUNO and VALR for BTC, with the spikes clearly indicating periods of significant divergence.

The summaries below outline what happened, how large the spreads became, and how long they persisted.

How to Read the Graphs

Each event is accompanied by a graph showing the estimated percentage difference between BTC/ZAR prices on VALR and LUNO during that period.

Positive values (for example, +2%) mean BTC was cheaper on LUNO than on VALR, creating an opportunity to buy on LUNO and sell on VALR. Negative values (for example, -2%) mean BTC was cheaper on VALR than on LUNO.

Across these events, the spread occasionally spiked dramatically, with one peak reaching 26.83%. However, it also remained at smaller but tradable levels for extended periods. While the events often lasted for hours or days, the largest spikes typically lasted only briefly, at around 30 minutes.

Event 1: 6:00 PM Thu 10 July → 9:00 AM Mon 14 July (SAST)

This was a four-day divergence, with the highest observed spread reaching 3.82% twice for short periods. For most of the event, the spread remained within the 0.7%–2% range, creating ongoing opportunities to capture small, consistent arbitrage gains.

Event 2: 7:00 PM Sat 19 July → 9:00 AM Mon 21 July (SAST)

This was the largest and most persistent weekend divergence. The spread peaked at 26.83%, later reached 15.42%, and then remained at around 7% for roughly a full day—meaning traders could have repeatedly executed an approximately 7% arbitrage during that time.

On 6 August 2025, Daily Maverick reported on the Saturday-night movement on LUNO:

“At 8pm on Saturday, 19 July 2025, every coin on LUNO's platform plummeted between 15% and 25% in perfect synchronisation… before mysteriously recovering just as quickly.”

While the article focuses on a short, dramatic drop, our measurements show that the surrounding divergence continued for nearly two days.

Event 3: 6:00 PM Fri 8 August → ongoing (SAST)

A renewed divergence began on the evening of Friday, 8 August, and was still active at the time of writing. Its magnitude varied, but the spread persisted long enough to offer multiple trading opportunities.

Data Sources

Price inputs are sourced from each exchange’s official API, including the LUNO API and VALR API, and are aggregated and processed using the Teruza API.

Why These Events Matter

Trading opportunities: Persistent spreads allow prepared traders to buy on the cheaper exchange and sell on the more expensive one, although fees, transfer times, and limits apply.
Market awareness: Monitoring spreads helps traders avoid overpaying or underselling relative to prevailing market prices.
Market structure insights: Extended gaps can reflect liquidity constraints, market behaviour, or timing and pricing differences between trading venues.

Closing Notes

These three events show that local BTC/ZAR prices can diverge significantly—sometimes for hours or even days. By tracking data directly from official exchange APIs and processing it through the Teruza API, we can accurately quantify and document these spreads, giving traders and businesses better insight into real market conditions.

Work with Teruza

Teruza builds custom monitoring and trading solutions for businesses and traders. Whether you operate in crypto, forex, or traditional fiat markets, our systems can:

Monitor multiple markets in real time
Track price discrepancies and generate alerts
Execute automated trading strategies based on your rules
Integrate directly with exchange APIs and financial platforms

If your business needs data-driven trading tools, price monitors, or automated market analysis, our team can design, build, and maintain a solution tailored to your needs.