Stealth Money

Overview

Stealth Money gives users a secure, self-custodial way into Bitcoin: instant purchase, dollar-cost averaging, and Bitcoin gifting, all backed by hardware wallets rather than a custodial exchange. The whole premise rests on "not your keys, not your coins": at no point does Stealth Money hold Bitcoin on a user's behalf.

The problem

In an era of currency devaluation across Africa, Nigeria especially, holding Bitcoin is a real advantage, but most people access it through custodial wallets. That means trusting a third party to safeguard their coins, which brings real risk: exposure to hacks and fraud, dependency that contradicts what makes Bitcoin decentralized in the first place, and the possibility of losing funds entirely if the custodian runs into trouble. That risk breeds justified skepticism about Bitcoin adoption overall.

The solution

Stealth Money automates saving into Bitcoin, sent straight to a user's own hardware or non-custodial wallet. Users sign up, add their wallet, deposit local currency, and it converts to BTC, either as a one-time purchase or on a recurring schedule. The platform also handles delivery of hardware wallets for users who don't have one yet.

Research

I ran a competitive analysis against Binance, Quidax, and BUSHA, all custodial platforms serving the Nigerian market, and mapped their strengths and gaps. The clear opening: Stealth Money's users don't have to trust, only verify. From there I built two user personas (a Bitcoin enthusiast and a Bitcoin newcomer) and an empathy map to ground the design in what each group actually needed.

Design

The visual identity leans into a deep shade of Bitcoin orange, paired with Satoshi as the header typeface, a deliberate nod to the project's roots. The dashboard is organized into five clear zones: a sidebar for navigation, a top bar for profile and notifications, a quick-action area for "Buy Now" and "Generate Payment Link," a Bitcoin market summary, and recent transactions at a glance.

Impact

Stealth Money placed 3rd out of 38 teams at the Africa Bitcoin Conference Hackathon in Kenya, sponsored by BTrust Builders, and the prototype I built was central to that pitch. That result opened up ongoing conversations with potential investors as the project works toward an official launch.

Lessons

• Thorough research into Bitcoin's mechanics paid off in every downstream design decision
• Educating users mattered as much as the interface itself: most people are still new to how Bitcoin works
• Security and regulatory compliance aren't optional in fintech: they're load-bearing
• Designing for scale early prevents bottlenecks as the user base grows