diff --git a/backend/src/app.module.ts b/backend/src/app.module.ts
index 2ed7fd65b..8a8db8fcc 100644
--- a/backend/src/app.module.ts
+++ b/backend/src/app.module.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 import { Module } from '@nestjs/common';
 import { ConfigModule, ConfigService } from '@nestjs/config';
-import { ThrottlerGuard, ThrottlerModule } from '@nestjs/throttler';
+import { ThrottlerModule } from '@nestjs/throttler';
 import { APP_GUARD, APP_INTERCEPTOR } from '@nestjs/core';
 import { CorrelationIdInterceptor } from './common/interceptors/correlation-id.interceptor';
 import { AuditLogInterceptor } from './common/interceptors/audit-log.interceptor';
+import { TieredThrottlerGuard } from './common/guards/tiered-throttler.guard';
+import { CommonModule } from './common/common.module';
 import { EventEmitterModule } from '@nestjs/event-emitter';
 import { LoggerModule } from 'nestjs-pino';
 import * as Joi from 'joi';
@@ -29,7 +31,6 @@ import { NotificationsModule } from './modules/notifications/notifications.modul
 import { TransactionsModule } from './modules/transactions/transactions.module';
 import { TestRbacModule } from './test-rbac/test-rbac.module';
 import { TestThrottlingModule } from './test-throttling/test-throttling.module';
-import { CustomThrottlerGuard } from './common/guards/custom-throttler.guard';
 
 const envValidationSchema = Joi.object({
   NODE_ENV: Joi.string().valid('development', 'production', 'test').required(),
@@ -165,6 +166,7 @@ const envValidationSchema = Joi.object({
     TransactionsModule,
     TestRbacModule,
     TestThrottlingModule,
+    CommonModule,
     ThrottlerModule.forRoot([
       {
         name: 'default',
@@ -188,7 +190,7 @@ const envValidationSchema = Joi.object({
     AppService,
     {
       provide: APP_GUARD,
-      useClass: ThrottlerGuard,
+      useClass: TieredThrottlerGuard,
     },
     {
       provide: APP_INTERCEPTOR,
diff --git a/backend/src/auth/auth.service.ts b/backend/src/auth/auth.service.ts
index c26b016f9..d76e8542e 100644
--- a/backend/src/auth/auth.service.ts
+++ b/backend/src/auth/auth.service.ts
@@ -51,7 +51,12 @@ export class AuthService {
     }
 
     return {
-      accessToken: this.generateToken(user.id, user.email, user.role),
+      accessToken: this.generateToken(
+        user.id,
+        user.email,
+        user.role,
+        user.kycStatus,
+      ),
     };
   }
 
@@ -64,8 +69,13 @@ export class AuthService {
     return null;
   }
 
-  private generateToken(userId: string, email: string, role = 'USER') {
-    return this.jwtService.sign({ sub: userId, email, role });
+  private generateToken(
+    userId: string,
+    email: string,
+    role = 'USER',
+    kycStatus = 'NOT_SUBMITTED',
+  ) {
+    return this.jwtService.sign({ sub: userId, email, role, kycStatus });
   }
 
   async generateNonce(publicKey: string): Promise<{ nonce: string }> {
diff --git a/backend/src/auth/strategies/jwt.strategy.ts b/backend/src/auth/strategies/jwt.strategy.ts
index 5ec26e10c..3698eaec6 100644
--- a/backend/src/auth/strategies/jwt.strategy.ts
+++ b/backend/src/auth/strategies/jwt.strategy.ts
@@ -18,11 +18,17 @@ export class JwtStrategy extends PassportStrategy(Strategy) {
     });
   }
 
-  async validate(payload: { sub: string; email: string; role?: string }) {
+  async validate(payload: {
+    sub: string;
+    email: string;
+    role?: string;
+    kycStatus?: string;
+  }) {
     return {
       id: payload.sub,
       email: payload.email,
       role: payload.role ?? 'USER',
+      kycStatus: payload.kycStatus ?? 'NOT_SUBMITTED',
     };
   }
 }
diff --git a/backend/src/common/common.module.ts b/backend/src/common/common.module.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..679958000
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/common/common.module.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import { Global, Module } from '@nestjs/common';
+import { RateLimitMonitorService } from './services/rate-limit-monitor.service';
+
+@Global()
+@Module({
+  providers: [RateLimitMonitorService],
+  exports: [RateLimitMonitorService],
+})
+export class CommonModule {}
diff --git a/backend/src/common/guards/tiered-throttler.guard.ts b/backend/src/common/guards/tiered-throttler.guard.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d715c792b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/common/guards/tiered-throttler.guard.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,193 @@
+import {
+  Injectable,
+  ExecutionContext,
+  Inject,
+  Logger,
+  Optional,
+} from '@nestjs/common';
+import { ThrottlerGuard, ThrottlerException } from '@nestjs/throttler';
+import { Request, Response } from 'express';
+import { RateLimitMonitorService } from '../services/rate-limit-monitor.service';
+
+/**
+ * User tiers for rate limiting.
+ * Tier is derived from user role + KYC status.
+ */
+export enum UserTier {
+  FREE = 'free',
+  VERIFIED = 'verified', // KYC approved
+  PREMIUM = 'premium', // Future: paid plan
+  ENTERPRISE = 'enterprise', // Future: enterprise plan
+  ADMIN = 'admin',
+}
+
+/**
+ * Rate limit configuration per tier.
+ * Each tier defines limits for each named throttler.
+ */
+const TIER_LIMITS: Record<
+  UserTier,
+  Record<string, { limit: number; ttl: number }>
+> = {
+  [UserTier.FREE]: {
+    default: { limit: 60, ttl: 60000 },
+    auth: { limit: 5, ttl: 15 * 60 * 1000 },
+    rpc: { limit: 5, ttl: 60000 },
+  },
+  [UserTier.VERIFIED]: {
+    default: { limit: 150, ttl: 60000 },
+    auth: { limit: 10, ttl: 15 * 60 * 1000 },
+    rpc: { limit: 15, ttl: 60000 },
+  },
+  [UserTier.PREMIUM]: {
+    default: { limit: 300, ttl: 60000 },
+    auth: { limit: 15, ttl: 15 * 60 * 1000 },
+    rpc: { limit: 30, ttl: 60000 },
+  },
+  [UserTier.ENTERPRISE]: {
+    default: { limit: 1000, ttl: 60000 },
+    auth: { limit: 30, ttl: 15 * 60 * 1000 },
+    rpc: { limit: 100, ttl: 60000 },
+  },
+  [UserTier.ADMIN]: {
+    default: { limit: 1000, ttl: 60000 },
+    auth: { limit: 50, ttl: 15 * 60 * 1000 },
+    rpc: { limit: 100, ttl: 60000 },
+  },
+};
+
+/**
+ * TieredThrottlerGuard - Rate limiting based on user tier.
+ *
+ * Determines user tier from JWT payload (role + kycStatus)
+ * and applies appropriate rate limits. Injects standard
+ * rate limit headers into every response.
+ */
+@Injectable()
+export class TieredThrottlerGuard extends ThrottlerGuard {
+  private readonly logger = new Logger(TieredThrottlerGuard.name);
+
+  @Optional()
+  @Inject(RateLimitMonitorService)
+  private readonly monitorService?: RateLimitMonitorService;
+
+  /**
+   * Resolve the user's tier from the request context.
+   */
+  static resolveUserTier(user?: {
+    role?: string;
+    kycStatus?: string;
+    tier?: string;
+  }): UserTier {
+    if (!user) return UserTier.FREE;
+
+    // Explicit tier override (for future paid plans)
+    if (user.tier === 'enterprise') return UserTier.ENTERPRISE;
+    if (user.tier === 'premium') return UserTier.PREMIUM;
+
+    // Admin always gets highest limits
+    if (user.role === 'ADMIN') return UserTier.ADMIN;
+
+    // KYC-verified users get higher limits
+    if (user.kycStatus === 'APPROVED') return UserTier.VERIFIED;
+
+    return UserTier.FREE;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Get the rate limit config for a user tier and throttler name.
+   */
+  static getLimitsForTier(
+    tier: UserTier,
+    throttlerName: string,
+  ): { limit: number; ttl: number } {
+    const tierConfig = TIER_LIMITS[tier];
+    return tierConfig[throttlerName] || tierConfig['default'];
+  }
+
+  protected async getTracker(req: Record<string, any>): Promise<string> {
+    const user = req.user;
+    if (user?.id) {
+      return `tiered-throttle:${user.id}`;
+    }
+    const ip = req.ip || req.connection?.remoteAddress || 'unknown';
+    return `tiered-throttle:${ip}`;
+  }
+
+  protected async handleRequest(
+    requestProps: {
+      context: ExecutionContext;
+      limit: number;
+      ttl: number;
+      throttler: { name: string; limit: number; ttl: number };
+      blockDuration: number;
+      getTracker: (req: Record<string, any>) => Promise<string>;
+      generateKey: (
+        context: ExecutionContext,
+        tracker: string,
+        throttlerName: string,
+      ) => string;
+    },
+  ): Promise<boolean> {
+    const { context, throttler } = requestProps;
+    const request = context.switchToHttp().getRequest<Request>();
+    const response = context.switchToHttp().getResponse<Response>();
+    const user = (request as any).user;
+
+    const tier = TieredThrottlerGuard.resolveUserTier(user);
+    const tierLimits = TieredThrottlerGuard.getLimitsForTier(
+      tier,
+      throttler.name,
+    );
+
+    // Override the limit and ttl with tier-based values
+    requestProps.limit = tierLimits.limit;
+    requestProps.ttl = tierLimits.ttl;
+
+    // Set rate limit headers on every response
+    response.setHeader('X-RateLimit-Limit', tierLimits.limit);
+    response.setHeader('X-RateLimit-Tier', tier);
+
+    try {
+      const result = await super.handleRequest(requestProps);
+      return result;
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (error instanceof ThrottlerException) {
+        this.logger.warn(
+          `[Rate Limit] Tier: ${tier} | User: ${user?.id || 'anon'} | ` +
+            `Route: ${request.method} ${request.path} | ` +
+            `Throttler: ${throttler.name} | ` +
+            `Limit: ${tierLimits.limit}/${Math.round(tierLimits.ttl / 1000)}s`,
+        );
+
+        this.monitorService?.recordViolation({
+          userId: user?.id || null,
+          ip: request.ip || 'unknown',
+          tier,
+          route: request.path,
+          method: request.method,
+          throttlerName: throttler.name,
+          limit: tierLimits.limit,
+          ttl: tierLimits.ttl,
+          timestamp: new Date(),
+        });
+
+        response.setHeader(
+          'Retry-After',
+          Math.ceil(tierLimits.ttl / 1000),
+        );
+        response.setHeader('X-RateLimit-Remaining', 0);
+        response.setHeader(
+          'X-RateLimit-Reset',
+          new Date(Date.now() + tierLimits.ttl).toISOString(),
+        );
+
+        throw new ThrottlerException(
+          `Rate limit exceeded for ${tier} tier. ` +
+            `Maximum ${tierLimits.limit} requests per ${Math.round(tierLimits.ttl / 1000)} seconds.`,
+        );
+      }
+      throw error;
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/backend/src/common/services/rate-limit-monitor.service.ts b/backend/src/common/services/rate-limit-monitor.service.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5e33396b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/common/services/rate-limit-monitor.service.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+import { Injectable, Logger } from '@nestjs/common';
+import { OnEvent } from '@nestjs/event-emitter';
+import { EventEmitter2 } from '@nestjs/event-emitter';
+
+export interface RateLimitViolation {
+  userId: string | null;
+  ip: string;
+  tier: string;
+  route: string;
+  method: string;
+  throttlerName: string;
+  limit: number;
+  ttl: number;
+  timestamp: Date;
+}
+
+/**
+ * In-memory rate limit violation tracker for admin monitoring.
+ * Stores the last 1000 violations in a circular buffer.
+ */
+@Injectable()
+export class RateLimitMonitorService {
+  private readonly logger = new Logger(RateLimitMonitorService.name);
+  private readonly violations: RateLimitViolation[] = [];
+  private readonly MAX_VIOLATIONS = 1000;
+
+  constructor(private readonly eventEmitter: EventEmitter2) {}
+
+  recordViolation(violation: RateLimitViolation): void {
+    if (this.violations.length >= this.MAX_VIOLATIONS) {
+      this.violations.shift();
+    }
+    this.violations.push(violation);
+    this.eventEmitter.emit('ratelimit.violation', violation);
+  }
+
+  getRecentViolations(limit = 50): RateLimitViolation[] {
+    return this.violations.slice(-limit).reverse();
+  }
+
+  getViolationsByUser(userId: string, limit = 50): RateLimitViolation[] {
+    return this.violations
+      .filter((v) => v.userId === userId)
+      .slice(-limit)
+      .reverse();
+  }
+
+  getViolationSummary(): {
+    total: number;
+    last24h: number;
+    topOffenders: { userId: string; count: number }[];
+    byTier: Record<string, number>;
+    byRoute: Record<string, number>;
+  } {
+    const now = Date.now();
+    const dayAgo = now - 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
+
+    const last24h = this.violations.filter(
+      (v) => v.timestamp.getTime() >= dayAgo,
+    );
+
+    // Count by user
+    const userCounts: Record<string, number> = {};
+    for (const v of last24h) {
+      const key = v.userId || v.ip;
+      userCounts[key] = (userCounts[key] || 0) + 1;
+    }
+    const topOffenders = Object.entries(userCounts)
+      .map(([userId, count]) => ({ userId, count }))
+      .sort((a, b) => b.count - a.count)
+      .slice(0, 10);
+
+    // Count by tier
+    const byTier: Record<string, number> = {};
+    for (const v of last24h) {
+      byTier[v.tier] = (byTier[v.tier] || 0) + 1;
+    }
+
+    // Count by route
+    const byRoute: Record<string, number> = {};
+    for (const v of last24h) {
+      const key = `${v.method} ${v.route}`;
+      byRoute[key] = (byRoute[key] || 0) + 1;
+    }
+
+    return {
+      total: this.violations.length,
+      last24h: last24h.length,
+      topOffenders,
+      byTier,
+      byRoute,
+    };
+  }
+}
diff --git a/backend/src/modules/admin/admin.controller.ts b/backend/src/modules/admin/admin.controller.ts
index 7976952ac..f836f2135 100644
--- a/backend/src/modules/admin/admin.controller.ts
+++ b/backend/src/modules/admin/admin.controller.ts
@@ -1,23 +1,32 @@
 import {
   Controller,
+  Get,
   Patch,
   Param,
   Body,
+  Query,
   UseGuards,
   BadRequestException,
 } from '@nestjs/common';
+import { ApiTags, ApiBearerAuth, ApiOperation, ApiResponse } from '@nestjs/swagger';
 import { UserService } from '../user/user.service';
 import { JwtAuthGuard } from '../../auth/guards/jwt-auth.guard';
 import { RolesGuard } from '../../common/guards/roles.guard';
 import { Roles } from '../../common/decorators/roles.decorator';
 import { Role } from '../../common/enums/role.enum';
+import { RateLimitMonitorService } from '../../common/services/rate-limit-monitor.service';
 import { ApproveKycDto, RejectKycDto } from '../user/dto/update-user.dto';
 
+@ApiTags('admin')
 @Controller('admin')
 @UseGuards(JwtAuthGuard, RolesGuard)
 @Roles(Role.ADMIN)
+@ApiBearerAuth()
 export class AdminController {
-  constructor(private readonly userService: UserService) {}
+  constructor(
+    private readonly userService: UserService,
+    private readonly rateLimitMonitor: RateLimitMonitorService,
+  ) {}
 
   @Patch('users/:id/kyc/approve')
   async approveKyc(@Param('id') userId: string) {
@@ -60,4 +69,33 @@ export class AdminController {
       );
     }
   }
+
+  @Get('rate-limits/summary')
+  @ApiOperation({ summary: 'Get rate limit violation summary' })
+  @ApiResponse({ status: 200, description: 'Rate limit violation summary' })
+  getRateLimitSummary() {
+    return this.rateLimitMonitor.getViolationSummary();
+  }
+
+  @Get('rate-limits/violations')
+  @ApiOperation({ summary: 'Get recent rate limit violations' })
+  @ApiResponse({ status: 200, description: 'Recent rate limit violations' })
+  getRecentViolations(@Query('limit') limit?: string) {
+    return this.rateLimitMonitor.getRecentViolations(
+      limit ? parseInt(limit, 10) : 50,
+    );
+  }
+
+  @Get('rate-limits/violations/:userId')
+  @ApiOperation({ summary: 'Get rate limit violations for a specific user' })
+  @ApiResponse({ status: 200, description: 'User rate limit violations' })
+  getUserViolations(
+    @Param('userId') userId: string,
+    @Query('limit') limit?: string,
+  ) {
+    return this.rateLimitMonitor.getViolationsByUser(
+      userId,
+      limit ? parseInt(limit, 10) : 50,
+    );
+  }
 }