Bitstocks
Web // Software // Security Consulting // Compliance
Overview

The Bitstocks platform brings together leading security concepts from different domains, including traditional banking security, to provide a secure and reliable platform for investors to transact on.

Creating a secure environment involved carefully documenting each process, and identifying the cascading risks depending on which element got compromised. Our solution aimed to provide a fail-safe way of limiting any un-intended financial loss, even in the face of a severe systems breach.

Aeguana modelled different scenarios, and put in place extensive tests to provide the comfort our clients required.

Visit Website
https://www.bitstocks.com
Brief

Bitstocks approached us looking to launch the world's first Bitcoin Advisory Brokerage. This coincided with a turbulent period in the Bitcoin industry, where leading companies (from 'mining' groups to exchanges) were being compromised, and millions of dollars worth of bitcoins were being misplaced.

Security was of paramount importance for investors, and the platform had to incorporate and facilitate both leading digital and physical security processes. The project needed to deliver:

  • A user-friendly online platform, for investors to transact with
  • An 'offline' verification system for validating each client request and transaction
  • Comprehensive documentation, outlining processes and protocols for every day use and disaster mitigation
Branding
Bitstocks facilitates traditional investments in a new-age currency. It stands for integrity and reliability in an industry faced with constant security challenges. Perhaps more important, it aimed to reflect the global nature of Bitcoin.

Corporate Identity

When Bitstocks approached Aeguana, they had already been let down by another consultancy, and their brand didn't reflect their true values, nor did it cater to their target market.

Our designers worked closely with Bitstocks to dig down and understand the values behind the brand, and established a new and more familiar identity that resonated with their existing clients.

The Bitstocks brand needed to appeal to corporate, institutional investors, whilst retaining a contemporary edge that personified the digital medium it was centred on.

Printing

View Brochure
Security Consulting

The security challenges were some of the greatest we had faced. Designing a system that provided such a prominent incentive for cyber crime, needed to be built to fail, and never compromise any client's holdings. This involved an iterative process of security modelling, and continuous disaster simulations, to arrive at a solution that eliminated financial risk, and yet didn't compromise transaction velocity.

We leveraged a unique transaction signing procedure, to ensure every transaction is authentic.
We implemented traditional security measures including SSL encryption and two factor authentication.
Compliance

Bitcoin companies faced increasing pressure from UK regulators to comply with AML (Anti Money Laundering) and KYC (Know Your Client) regulations. This presented a challenge as we needed to create a streamlined user registration process, that at the same time enabled Bitstocks to be pre-emptively compliant.

  • We capture the necessary user information in key stages, that minimise 'information overload'
  • We automated the AML Identity checks, either approving or referring an account for further checks automatically

User Experience

We opted for a minimalist design, focusing on a few key elements and operations, and letting the platform speak for itself. The call to action was primarily to register for a new account, though there were two barriers for users to do so:

  • Concerns about security
  • Questions regarding payments and transaction velocity

To address these, a straightforward FAQ was created, that could be searched instantly, on the go.

Mobile Responsive

By opting for a fully responsive design in the first instance, rather than creating native mobile applications, our client was able to minimise upfront costs and still deliver a fantastic user experience across devices.

This enabled a consistent and familar experience to be translated across different device types, and screen sizes, enabling users to quickly view their portfolio and transact from their mobile.

SLIDE TO CHANGE VIEW

Digitally-generated statements, straight from the web application

To enable clients to view their financial statements at any time, the Bitstocks application generates statements dynamically, reflecting the current position of a client, and enabling them to accurately monitor their expenses and portfolio profitability.

Statements are automatically generated, and every transaction is digitally reconciled, ensuring the statement is accurate. Reconciliation takes place as an aggregate, factoring in all completed transactions, voided transactions, and even the Blockchain balance.

Other Recent Work
Digital Vend
Reuters
Kellogg's