Currency Exchange Platform Break-Even Analysis: $91K Monthly Revenue

Fixed costs $78.4K/mo Base overhead

Contribution margin 86% After variable costs

Break-even revenue $91.1K/mo Needed sales

Break-even timing Month 39 Model crossover

Break-even calculator

Use this calculator to test monthly revenue, variable expenses, and fixed costs against break-even.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue sets the pool that covers direct costs and then fixed overhead. $ Low sales High sales Variable expenses These rise with each transfer and can include processing, compliance, support, and hedging costs. $ Low direct costs High direct costs

Money available to cover fixed costs $136,000 $160,000 revenue - $24,000 variable expenses

Margin ratio

85%

Covers fixed costs

Yes

Fixed monthly costs This is the monthly overhead base that contribution margin must cover. $ Lean overhead Heavy overhead

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which currency exchange platform expenses are fixed, and which move with sales volume?

Cost classification

Break-even gets reliable only when fixed overhead stays separate from transaction-driven spend. In the first year, payment processing is 4.0% of revenue, liquidity and hedging is 3.0%, compliance verification is 3.0%, and volume-based support is 4.0%.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Office Rent, $3,000/month	Fixed	Include in monthly overhead before calculating break-even volume.	Spreading rent across orders and hiding true overhead.
General Software Licenses, $1,500/month	Fixed	Include as fixed operating overhead from Month 1 to Month 60.	Treating baseline software as transaction spend.
Legal & Regulatory Retainer, $2,000/month	Fixed	Include in overhead because the retainer runs regardless of order count.	Leaving compliance overhead out of break-even math.
Cybersecurity Subscriptions, $1,000/month	Fixed	Include as required platform overhead across the planning range.	Assuming security spend can wait until scale.
Payment Processing Fees, 4.0% in first year	Variable	Subtract from revenue before contribution margin.	Using gross revenue as if processing were free.
Liquidity Provision & Hedging Costs, 3.0% in first year	Variable	Subtract from revenue because it moves with exchange activity.	Modeling spread risk as fixed overhead.
Compliance Verification Costs, 3.0% in first year	Variable	Subtract from revenue as users and transactions are verified.	Treating KYC/AML verification as fixed and overstating contribution margin.
Support Representatives, Engineers, and Compliance Staffing	Semi-fixed	Step up staffing when volume exceeds team capacity.	Adding headcount smoothly instead of in real hiring steps.

How does break-even shift from lean launch to base growth to full scale?

Scenario table

Lean stays in launch-loss mode, base is still below break-even, and full is the first case with profit cushion. The trade-off is simple: more marketing and support spend raise the revenue bar before volume catches up.

Planning assumptions only; actual results will move with volume, mix, fees, and fixed spend.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean launch case	$911K	$127K	$784K	86%	-$937K	Still below break-even, so keep spend tight.
Base growth case	$1.84M	$221K	$1.62M	88%	-$542K	Near break-even, but the model still runs short.
Full scale case	$2.38M	$257K	$2.13M	89.2%	$846K	Above break-even, with the first real cushion.

What pressures break even for this currency exchange platform?

Stress test

The plan breaks fast if revenue slips, compliance and processor costs rise, or fixed payroll keeps creeping up. Base break-even is about $912K a year, and Month 39 only holds if CAC stays near $50 for buyers and $250 for sellers.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change.	$912K	$0 gap	Month 39 is the base case.
Revenue shortfall	Monthly revenue runs 15% below plan.	$912K	$137K gap	Contribution dollars fall below the $784K fixed-cost base.
Fixed-cost increase	Fixed payroll, software, and legal costs rise 10%.	$1.00M	$91K gap	A small overhead creep adds almost $91K to break-even.
Margin pressure	Variable expenses rise from 14% to 18%.	$956K	$44K gap	Processor, liquidity, verification, and support drag lift the hurdle.
Combined pressure	Revenue runs 15% below plan, fixed costs rise 10%, and variable expenses rise to 18%.	$1.05M	$140K gap	CAC above $50 for buyers or $250 for sellers makes Month 39 hard to hold.

What should you verify before you commit to a currency exchange platform launch?

Founder checklist

Don't commit until the KYC/AML flow, liquidity access, rails, and unit math work together. In this model, break-even lands in Month 39, so you need the cash and staff to survive the ramp first.

1KYC FlowPre-launch

Map know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money-laundering (AML) checks before paid traffic, or you will buy signups that never convert.

2LiquidityLaunch-ready

Secure liquidity provider access and a hedging process before launch so you can settle conversions without spread shocks.

3RailsMonth 1

Verify payment rails, settlement timing, and reconciliation at launch so cash movements match the ledger.

4Demand Proof$150K Y1

Test the Year 1 split of $100K buyer spend and $50K seller spend against $50 buyer CAC and $250 seller CAC to prove demand at a workable cost.

5Cost Load$790.4K/yr

Check that commissions, subscriptions, and extras clear the 14% Year 1 variable load and support the $790.4K fixed load, with the $330K capex funded separately.

6RunwayMonth 38

Keep cash alive through the $1.959M trough in Month 38 and staff compliance, engineering, and support before scale, because first modeled break-even is Month 39.