Bitvavo: DORA & MiCA Compliance for 1.5M Users

Executive Summary

Bitvavo, one of Europe's leading cryptocurrency trading platforms, serves over 1.5 million users with a secure and intuitive user experience. As their customer base grew, their Confluent Cloud infrastructure expanded to handle thousands of Kafka topics and partitions.

Scaling wasn't just about handling more data—it meant navigating complex operational and regulatory challenges. Conduktor enabled Bitvavo to streamline workflows, enhance oversight, and meet strict security standards while staying ahead of evolving regulatory demands.

Challenge

Bitvavo's engineers knew the high stakes: Kafka served as the backbone of their platform, powering real-time trading, customer interactions, and critical data exchanges. As the platform scaled, several challenges emerged:

• Limited visibility — Developers often struggled to locate existing Kafka topics, leading to inefficiencies and unnecessary data duplication
• Compliance risks — Sensitive information could flow through the cluster in non-compliant ways, making GDPR compliance a daunting task
• Mounting regulatory requirements — DORA and MiCA regulations added new layers of operational and security demands with severe financial penalties for violations

For Bitvavo, addressing these challenges was vital to maintaining operational resilience and safeguarding their business in an increasingly regulated market.

Solution

The search led them to Conduktor. From the first conversation, it was clear: this wasn't just a tool; it was a framework for resilience and growth.

• Enhanced compliance — Conduktor's granular Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and detailed audit trails offered the compliance backbone they needed. For the first time, they could enforce access rules aligned with GDPR's strict requirements.
• Data security — Field-level data masking protected sensitive information, even in development environments. Engineers could collaborate securely without exposing unnecessary data—critical for DORA requirements.
• Discoverability — Teams gained visibility into existing topics, eliminating data duplication and cutting costs.

Results

With compliance frameworks established and operational challenges resolved, Bitvavo is now focusing on future-proofing its infrastructure.

A critical priority is meeting DORA's stringent failover requirements. Current manual processes during incidents can result in extended downtime—a risk that's untenable in a market where trust and uptime are paramount. Conduktor's automated cluster switching and failover capabilities allow for significantly faster Recovery Time Objectives (RTO).

With over 100 team members actively using Conduktor, Bitvavo has achieved more than just compliance—they have established a resilient, efficient, and scalable foundation for sustained growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Conduktor help with DORA compliance?

Conduktor provides automated cluster switching and failover capabilities for faster Recovery Time Objectives (RTO), meeting DORA's stringent operational resilience requirements for financial institutions.

What security features does Conduktor offer for cryptocurrency platforms?

Conduktor offers granular Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), field-level data masking, detailed audit trails, and strict access rules—all essential for GDPR, DORA, and MiCA compliance.

How does data masking work in Conduktor?

Field-level data masking protects sensitive information even in development environments, allowing engineers to collaborate securely without exposing unnecessary data.