ARKEFI
Product Design, Fintech
A blockchain-enabled fractional investment platform for high-value art and luxury assets, designed end-to-end in eight months.
Making high-value art investable, for people who couldn't previously get near it.
The Problem
Arkefi, a subsidiary of ARTBANX AG started as a B2B collection management tool for art professionals. Early UX research I conducted flagged that the product wasn't connecting with real user needs, and when the initial launch reflected that, the business needed to pivot, fast.
The underlying opportunity was real though. High-value art and luxury assets had a liquidity problem on both sides. For investors, the entry cost was prohibitive and fractional ownership didn't exist in any accessible form. For asset owners, the only way to release value was to sell outright, losing the asset entirely. The gap between the wealth locked in these objects and the tools available to access it was the actual brief.
The Solution
Arkefi was a blockchain-enabled B2C investment platform that let asset owners release liquidity against their holdings without a permanent sale. Owners could liquidate a portion of an asset's value with the option to buy back within a defined timeframe. Investors received secured returns backed by the asset itself. The blockchain layer provided the transparency and immutability that made the model viable for both sides.
My job was making that mechanism feel trustworthy and navigable to users who were not financial experts. Blockchain ownership structures, return mechanics, buy-back windows, these are not concepts most people walk in knowing. The entire interface had to translate that complexity into something a non-specialist could act on with confidence.
I led the product design end-to-end alongside a new brand identity built specifically for Arkefi, distinct from the original collection management product, and delivered both within eight months. The platform launched. The business subsequently closed following a sharp contraction in the high-end art market across 2023 and 2024.
ARTBANX was backed solely by Francesco Fernandez, former CEO of Avaloq, one of the world's leading wealth management software firms.
Impact
New Product Pivot
In 8 months
Platforms Designed
2
