Fintech / Exchange
Nomad Exchange
Crypto exchange platform with bank-grade security.
The situation
The client had launched a crypto exchange with a previous agency that failed to deliver. Milestones were missed, the codebase was incomplete, and the platform broke under real trading load. They needed a senior engineering partner to take ownership, stabilize the platform, and rebuild it into something that could actually serve retail traders at scale.
The work
Took over the existing codebase and led an 8-month engagement covering architecture, rebuild, and production rollout. Three technical decisions defined the project:
Custom queue system for trade processing
Off-the-shelf message brokers couldn't handle the throughput patterns of the exchange's order matching. Built a custom queue tuned to the specific trade volume and latency requirements, which let the platform handle order flow that the previous implementation collapsed under.
WebSocket layer for real-time price and order updates
The legacy system used HTTP polling for market data, which created both performance and cost problems at scale. Migrated to a WebSocket architecture that delivered sub-second price updates and dramatically reduced infrastructure load.
Full migration to AWS for elasticity
Moved the platform from its previous infrastructure to AWS, using Lambda for stateless workloads and S3 for asset storage. This eliminated capacity constraints during volume spikes and reduced operational overhead.
Technical stack
The hardest part
Migrating from the previous agency's codebase. The existing code was incomplete and didn't follow consistent standards, which meant we couldn't just refactor — we had to carefully extract what was salvageable, document undocumented behavior from observed runtime, and rebuild around it without breaking the live platform. This took longer than building from scratch would have, but kept the platform running for existing users throughout.
Compliance and security
Implemented end-to-end security infrastructure including 2FA for all user accounts, comprehensive audit logging for regulatory traceability, and standard fintech security controls.
Results
- Platform handles 10x the trade volume the legacy system could process
- Trade execution latency reduced from ~800ms to ~120ms
- Onboarding flow reduced from 20 minutes to 4 minutes
- In production today, under technical retainer with Tumba Web
Role
Led the engagement end-to-end — architecture, technical direction, implementation, and production rollout.
