Kraken exchange
Overview
Kraken is a US cryptocurrency exchange operated by parent company Payward, Inc., founded in July 2011 by Thanh Luu, Michael Gronager and Jesse Powell in San Francisco and publicly launched in September 2013. It remains privately held and offers trading in more than 560 cryptocurrencies alongside stocks and ETFs. In September 2020 it became the first crypto exchange to obtain a US bank charter, a Wyoming special purpose depository institution charter. By early 2025 Kraken reported $207 billion of quarterly trading volume, roughly 15 million users, and ranked as the fourteenth-largest crypto exchange globally. In May 2025 it closed a $1.5 billion acquisition of futures brokerage NinjaTrader, extending it into traditional derivatives, and as of March 2025 it was planning an initial public offering for early 2026. Kraken was founded in 2011 and launched trading in 2013. It obtained a Wyoming bank charter in September 2020. In February 2023 it settled SEC allegations over its staking-as-a-service programme for $30 million without admitting or denying the claims, and in March 2025 the SEC agreed to drop its separate lawsuit alleging Kraken operated as an unregistered securities exchange. It acquired NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion in May 2025.
Within the DeFi Intel graph, Kraken connects to 29 tracked entities, most strongly to Securities and Exchange Commission, Pantera Capital Pushes Satsuma to Liquidate $50M Bitcoin Holdings: Report, Kraken Confirms Confidential IPO Filing as Deutsche Börse Takes $200M Stake.
Relations
Top connections in the DeFi Intel knowledge graph (confidence-weighted, 10 of 29 total).
| Relation | Connected entity | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
regulated_by | Securities and Exchange Commission | 95% |
mentions | Pantera Capital Pushes Satsuma to Liquidate $50M Bitcoin Holdings: Report | 95% |
mentions | Kraken Confirms Confidential IPO Filing as Deutsche Börse Takes $200M Stake | 95% |
mentions | CEX.IO Selects OpenPayd to Power Real-Time Settlements for Institutional Clients | 95% |
mentions | 3,000,000 PI in 24 Hours: Is Pi Network’s Price Headed for Another Crash? | 95% |
mentions | Deutsche Börse invests $200m in Kraken crypto exchange group - Ledger Insights - blockchain for enterprise | 95% |
mentions | Kraken's Parent Firm to Acquire US Derivatives Exchange Bitnomial | 95% |
mentions | Democrats quiz Kansas City Fed on Kraken skinny account - Ledger Insights - blockchain for enterprise | 95% |
mentions | Does Kraken's skinny account signal tokenization needs central bank access? - Ledger Insights - blockchain for enterprise | 95% |
mentions | Kraken Refuses to Pay Extortionists After Insider Breaches Expose Client Data | 95% |
Company intelligence
Kraken is a global cryptocurrency exchange that offers spot, futures, margin, and institutional trading services.
Investors
- Andreessen Horowitz VC
- Sequoia Capital VC
- General Catalyst VC
Partners
- BitGo Custody
- Binance Liquidity
Products
- Kraken Spot spot
- Kraken Futures futures
- Kraken Margin margin
- Kraken OTC OTC
- Kraken Wallet wallet
Funding
Key people
- Jesse Powell Founder & CEO
- Greg Shapiro COO
Timeline & market context
Amber line: BTC price over the last year. Dots: dated events (hack/incident red, fundraise green, partnership blue, launch purple, regulatory amber, news grey).
Frequently asked questions
What is Kraken?
Kraken is an exchange-cex tracked in the DeFi Intel knowledge graph. It is connected to 29 other tracked entities, most strongly to Securities and Exchange Commission, Pantera Capital Pushes Satsuma to Liquidate $50M Bitcoin Holdings: Report, Kraken Confirms Confidential IPO Filing as Deutsche Börse Takes $200M Stake.
What type of entity is Kraken?
Kraken is classified as an exchange-cex (exchange) in the DeFi Intel knowledge graph.
What is Kraken connected to?
In the DeFi Intel knowledge graph, Kraken is linked to 29 other tracked entities, most strongly to Securities and Exchange Commission, Pantera Capital Pushes Satsuma to Liquidate $50M Bitcoin Holdings: Report, Kraken Confirms Confidential IPO Filing as Deutsche Börse Takes $200M Stake.
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