UAChanger — June Market Driver According to Kursoff

Kursoff readers are certainly familiar with the UAChanger team. Since then, the service has continued to develop its internal processes, automation, and approach to operational security, while some of the changes remained invisible to users. We correct this in our interview.

In June, UAChanger received the "June Market Driver" award according to Kursoff. This month was the result of the service's work on new directions, automation, and the team's readiness for increased workload.

We spoke again with a representative of UAChanger about changes over the past year, screw-ups, AML, team development, and how they see the future of the Ukrainian exchange market.

— Hi! Last year we already talked with you, so let's start with the main thing: what has changed the most in UAChanger during this time?

Hi! Quite a lot has changed over the year, although externally it may not always be noticeable.

We have become more tech-savvy — rewritten part of the internal processes that were previously performed manually. This freed up time for the team to focus on clients and development rather than routine.

We have also become stricter and more transparent in AML matters. This is no longer an optional feature, but part of how we operate altogether.

And, perhaps, the main thing: we grew not only in volume, but also in trust. People started coming to us more often through recommendations rather than advertising. For an exchange service, this is one of the best metrics.

— This time you received the Kursoff "June Market Driver" award. Why was this particular month so productive for you?

Thank you for the award — it's pleasant.

June coincided with the launch of new directions, and this gave a noticeable surge in both the number of orders and the average check. Plus, by that time we had already managed to refine the order processing speed, so when demand rose, we didn't choke, but handled the load without a drop in service quality.

Often the result of a month is not a single isolated event, but a combination of preparatory work from the previous few months with a good moment in the market.

— Looking back at the last year, what decision or change gave the biggest boost to the development of the service?

The biggest effect came from the decision to invest in process and order processing automation instead of simply expanding the support staff.

At first, this decision seemed risky, because automation costs money and takes time to develop, and the result doesn't appear instantly. But after a few months, it became clear that the average processing time decreased, human errors dropped, and the support team was able to handle complex cases instead of routinely processing standard operations.

— What new directions, products, or capabilities have appeared in UAChanger in recent months?

I won't reveal all the cards just yet. We consciously refrain from advertising some directions publicly until we establish ourselves in them enough to make it unprofitable for competitors to catch up with us.

Overall, I can say that in recent months we have been actively expanding our line of exchange directions and adding functionality that makes the process faster and clearer for the client.

Some of this is already noticeable to users, while some works under the hood and will result in public announcements a bit later.

— How has your client changed? Do you see new use cases for exchange services?

The client has definitely matured in terms of financial literacy. People ask about fees, exchange rates, and service reputation more often than a year or two ago, when speed was often the main criterion.

Among new scenarios, we see more and more requests for regular, recurring operations rather than one-time exchanges. People are starting to treat the exchange service as a permanent financial tool rather than a quick fix to a temporary problem.

Also, the share of clients coming not only with private but also with small business needs has grown noticeably.

— What user requests occur most frequently today, and how do they affect the development of the service?

Most often, users are interested in exchange rates, order processing speed, fees, and operation security. They also pay increasing attention to the reputation of the service itself.

We constantly analyze such requests because they show where the process can be made clearer or faster. Often, service development starts not with a grand idea, but with a recurring question from clients that simply needs to be properly solved.

— Have you had to abandon any ideas or directions, even though they initially seemed promising?

Yes, repeatedly. It happens so often that it's hard to recall a specific idea right away.

At the start, everything looked logical, but in practice, demand turned out to be much lower than expected, and supporting that direction consumed a disproportionate amount of team resources.

The ability to admit in time that a hypothesis didn't work is also part of business growth.

— Speaking of the internal team, what is your biggest challenge today? Scaling, support, automation, or something else?

Honestly, it's the balance between scaling and maintaining quality.

When volumes grow, it's very easy to start diluting service standards for the sake of speed. Our challenge is to grow in a way that every new client receives the same level of service as the first client six years ago.

The second most important thing is hiring and retaining people who understand the specifics of the exchange business. There aren't many ready-made specialists on the market here, so some competencies have to be grown inside the team.

— What metric or achievement over the last year do you consider the most important for the team?

For us, the main metric is our regular clients who stay with us for several years in a row, proving to our team and me that we are moving in the right direction.

For me, this is more important than any one-off ad campaign, because it shows the health of the business from the inside.

— Let's talk about screw-ups: was there a day that became a real test for the team? What happened then and how did you get out of that situation?

Screw-ups happen often, and in most cases, they rarely repeat in the same way. Something new almost always comes up.

The main thing for us in such situations is to properly distribute roles. Someone handles the technical side, while someone continuously keeps in touch with clients and honestly explains what is happening.

The lesson we learned: it's better to admit the problem right away and show progress on its resolution than to try and quietly wait it out.

— And if you recall a case you are most proud of over the last year, what story was that?

I don't even know which specific case to highlight. This is our daily work, and achievements happen practically every day.

Perhaps, what matters more to us is not a single story, but the stability of results and the fact that the team copes with new tasks every day.

— How has your approach to AML and risk management changed today? Have users started to better understand why checks are needed?

Our approach has become significantly more systemic. These are no longer one-off manual checks, but rules and scoring built into the process that work at every stage, not just at entry.

As for users, yes, understanding has definitely grown. Especially over the last few years, as the topic of regulations and transparency in the crypto market has become more public.

People increasingly perceive checks not as distrust toward them personally, but as a guarantee that the service they use operates honestly and won't become a problem for them in the future.

— What script do you use for your exchange office?

We chose Lara Script for ourselves and made no mistake whatsoever. It is a top-tier script available on the market.

— What do you see as the benefit of our private Kursoff P2P group on Telegram?

In being able to make arrangements and having direct contact with representatives of different exchange services.

— Looking at the market as a whole, what changes do you think await Ukrainian exchange services in the near future?

I think the trend toward stricter regulatory requirements and transparency will continue. Those services that are already building processes around AML and compliance will be in a winning position.

I also expect further automation and reduced order processing times as a market standard. Clients are already used to speed and are not ready to put up with its absence.

And consolidation will likely continue. Small services without a clear reputation and resources for compliance will find it increasingly difficult to compete.

— What would you wish for Kursoff readers and your market colleagues?

To the readers, I wish not to blindly chase the best exchange rate, but to look at the reputation and transparency of the service. Long-term trust always pays off better than a one-time saving of a few hryvnias.

And to my market colleagues — don't be afraid to invest in boring, invisible things: processes, automation, compliance. They, rather than flashy promotions, determine who will remain in this market five and ten years from now.