VALR is a South African cryptocurrency exchange that was founded in 2018 by Farzam Ehsani, Badi Sudhakaran, and James Preston. Ehsani, who is the CEO of VALR, is a former blockchain lead at Rand Merchant Bank and a former fintech lead at RMB Solutionist. Sudhakaran, who is the COO of VALR, is a former investment banker at Barclays and a former management consultant at McKinsey & Company. Preston, who is the CTO of VALR, is a former software engineer at Amazon and a former CTO at iNNOHEALTH.

VALR launched in March 2019 with the aim of making it easy for South Africans to buy, sell, and store cryptocurrencies. The exchange supports a wide range of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Ripple, as well as a number of South African rand-based stablecoins. VALR also offers a number of trading pairs, including BTC/ZAR, ETH/ZAR, and XRP/ZAR. In addition to its trading platform, VALR also offers a mobile app that allows users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies on the go.

VALR is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, and has quickly become one of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges in the country. The exchange has received backing from a number of high-profile investors, including Michael Jordaan, the former CEO of First National Bank, and US-based venture capital firm 100x Ventures. VALR has also partnered with Bittrex, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, to provide liquidity and access to a wider range of cryptocurrencies. With its experienced team, user-friendly platform, and strong backing, VALR is well-positioned to continue growing and expanding its reach in the South African cryptocurrency market.