payward

According to CoinDesk, Kraken's parent company Payward is laying off about 150 employees. This move is part of the company's optimization adjustments in preparation for its IPO, according to two insiders. A Kraken spokesperson stated in a statement: "We continuously evaluate and adjust our organizational structure to ensure we have the right structure and talent to achieve growth objectives and better serve our customers."Meanwhile, Payward is seeking a new round of financing at a valuation of $20 billion to support its pre-IPO expansion strategy. Recently, the company completed a $600 million acquisition of stablecoin payment company Reap and a $550 million acquisition of digital asset derivatives platform Bitnomial. The previous largest acquisition occurred in 2025, when Payward acquired the U.S. retail futures platform NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion, which also holds a CFTC futures broker license.Payward submitted a confidential S-1 registration statement draft to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on November 19, 2025, taking the initial steps toward going public. In March of this year, CoinDesk reported that the company had postponed its IPO plans due to a sluggish market environment, but insiders indicated that the company still plans to move forward with the IPO once market conditions improve. At the Consensus Miami conference, Payward and Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi stated that the exchange's IPO preparations are "80%" complete.

According to Decrypt, Kraken's parent company Payward has announced a strategic partnership with asset management giant Franklin Templeton to bring some traditional financial products (including tokenized stocks and yield products) to the blockchain network. The two parties will integrate Franklin Templeton's tokenized money market fund BENJI into the Kraken platform as collateral and cash management tools for institutional clients.Payward's xStocks framework (which has processed over $30 billion in transaction volume since its launch last year) will collaborate with Franklin Templeton to explore new on-chain actively managed products, making its investment strategies available to institutions and some retail investors in specific jurisdictions. Franklin Templeton has also recently advanced its crypto business division, Franklin Crypto, by acquiring the crypto investment firm 250 Digital.

According to informed sources, Payward, the parent company of the cryptocurrency platform Kraken, is conducting a new round of capital financing at a valuation of $20 billion, to which Kraken declined to comment.The company has recently significantly increased its merger and acquisition spending—acquiring the stablecoin-focused payment company Reap for $600 million and the digital asset derivatives platform Bitnomial for $550 million, both transactions conducted at a $20 billion valuation.Its largest transaction was the $1.5 billion acquisition of the U.S. retail futures platform and CFTC-registered futures commission merchant NinjaTrader in 2025, which provided Kraken with a significant foothold in the U.S. derivatives market.Regarding IPO progress, Payward secretly submitted an S-1 registration statement draft to the U.S. SEC on November 19, 2025. Although reports in March 2026 indicated that the company paused its IPO plans due to unfavorable market conditions, sources stated that the company still intends to go public, but may wait for market improvements.At last week's Consensus conference in Miami, Payward co-CEO Arjun Sethi stated that the trading platform is "80% ready" for an IPO.Additionally, Deutsche Börse (DB1) purchased approximately 1.5% of Payward's shares for $200 million through a secondary share sale in April 2026, valuing Payward at $13.3 billion (lower than the previous financing round's valuation of about $20 billion).In November 2025, Kraken completed an $800 million financing in two tranches to push traditional financial products onto the blockchain, with investors including Jane Street, DRW Venture Capital, and Tribe Capital. Subsequently, Citadel Securities also made a strategic investment of $200 million at a $20 billion valuation.

Payward (the parent company of Kraken) has applied to the OCC for a national trust company license, planning to establish Payward National Trust Company (PNTC). This entity will provide regulated, bank-like digital asset custody and trust services to institutional and individual clients.Previously, Coinbase and Ripple have received conditional approvals for similar licenses, indicating that crypto institutions are accelerating their alignment with the compliant financial system.

According to CoinDesk, Kraken's parent company Payward submitted a second amended complaint to the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, suing former custody partner Etana Custody and its CEO Dion Brandon Russell, accusing them of misappropriating over $25 million in customer funds and operating a "Ponzi scheme."Payward claims that Etana mixed custodial assets with its own funds to pay for operational expenses and high-risk investments, and covered up the funding gap with false account reports.In April 2025, when Kraken attempted to withdraw about $25 million in reserve funds, Etana delayed the process citing false reconciliation issues and relied on new deposits to fill the gap. Among these, at least $16 million was invested in a promissory note from Seabury Trade Capital, which later defaulted.Colorado regulators subsequently issued a cease and desist order against Etana, which entered liquidation proceedings in November 2025 and is currently managed by a court-appointed receiver. Kraken is seeking at least $25 million in damages and triple civil theft damages.

According to The Block, Kraken's parent company Payward has announced the completion of its acquisition of Bitnomial, marking its official compliance qualifications to provide cryptocurrency derivatives services in the United States.After the transaction is completed, Payward will hold a complete licensing system issued by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), including futures commission merchant (FCM), designated contract market (DCM), and derivatives clearing organization (DCO), allowing it to offer spot margin, perpetual contracts, and options trading services to eligible U.S. customers. Payward and Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi stated that the company will prioritize launching spot margin products on the Kraken platform, followed by a gradual rollout of perpetual contracts and options products.Bitnomial, headquartered in Chicago, is one of the few platforms in the U.S. with a complete cryptocurrency derivatives licensing system. After the acquisition, it will retain its original licenses and business structure and serve as the core vehicle for Payward's U.S. derivatives strategy.Additionally, Payward stated that this transaction will provide new access channels to the U.S. cryptocurrency derivatives market for partners such as banks, brokerages, and payment institutions. Previously, the company also received a $200 million investment from Deutsche Börse Group and has submitted a confidential listing application to the SEC.

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken's parent company Payward announced that it will acquire 100% of the digital asset derivatives platform Bitnomial for up to $550 million (cash + stock). The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026, pending regulatory approval.Bitnomial is the first crypto-native platform to obtain all three U.S. derivatives licenses (designated contract market, derivatives clearing organization, and futures commission merchant). This acquisition will help Payward quickly gain a complete compliant derivatives infrastructure, significantly accelerating its expansion in the U.S. market. After the transaction is completed, Bitnomial's clearing and trading capabilities will be integrated with platforms such as Kraken and NinjaTrader, offering products like spot margin, perpetual contracts, and options to U.S. customers, and will be regulated by the CFTC.This acquisition will also expand Payward Services, allowing banks, fintech companies, and brokerages to access the U.S. compliant derivatives market through a single API. Industry insiders believe that with the market warming up and valuations recovering, merger and acquisition activities in the crypto industry are on the rise, as leading institutions are accelerating their transformation into comprehensive trading platforms for institutional clients by acquiring key capabilities such as compliance, custody, and derivatives.

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken's parent company Payward announced the acquisition of the token management platform Magna, further enhancing its product matrix and paving the way for potential listing plans. The transaction amount was not disclosed. Magna primarily provides token vesting, claiming, and distribution management services for crypto project teams, currently serving over 160 clients, with a projected peak total value locked (TVL) of $60 billion by 2025.This acquisition continues Kraken's merger and acquisition strategy in recent years. Last year, the company acquired the U.S. futures platform NinjaTrader ($1.5 billion), the derivatives trading platform Small Exchange ($100 million), as well as the proprietary trading firm Breakout and the tokenized stock issuer Backed Finance. In November 2025, Kraken also completed a $800 million financing round, bringing the company's valuation to $20 billion. Magna will continue to operate independently, but its token lifecycle management tools will be integrated into Kraken's product system for institutional clients.

According to CoinDesk, Payward, the parent company of the crypto exchange Kraken, reported its performance for 2025, with adjusted revenue of $2.2 billion, a year-over-year increase of 33%. Of this, trading revenue accounted for 47% of total revenue, while the remaining income came from non-trading activities such as custody, payments, and financing.Payward stated that by the end of the year, its trading volume grew by 34% to $2 trillion; the total assets on the platform amounted to $48.5 billion, a 12% increase; and the number of funded customer accounts grew by 50%, reaching 5.7 million.