About Kraken

What is Kraken?

Kraken is a global crypto exchange established in 2011, providing comprehensive trading options to over 10 million users across 190 countries. It was founded by Jesse Powell, Thanh Luu, and Michael Gronager and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. The platform enables the buying, selling, and trading of 380+ cryptocurrencies. It maintains rigorous security standards, supported by robust liquidity, transparent proof-of-reserve audits, and 24/7 customer service.

Kraken accommodates both individual and institutional investors through specialized platforms like Kraken Pro for advanced traders and Kraken Institutional with professional-grade tools. Key features include margin trading with up to 5x leverage, futures trading, recurring buys, instant currency swaps, and staking services. 

Kraken Futures Fee Schedule

​​Kraken's futures trading fees use a maker-taker model based on 30-day trading volumes, rewarding higher activity with lower rates. Maker fees start at 0.02% and can decrease to negative rates, effectively giving rebates at higher volumes, while taker fees range from 0.05% down to 0.01%. 

Fees vary between single-collateral contracts (charged in the contract's crypto asset) and multi-collateral contracts (charged in USD with possible conversion fees).

Kraken Regulation & Licensing Explained

Kraken holds several global regulatory licenses and approvals from tier-1 jurisdictions, including VASP (Belgium), CySEC (Cyprus), DASP (France), BaFin (Germany), EMI (Ireland), VASP (Italy), VASP (Poland), CSP (Netherlands), VASP (Spain), FCA (UK), MSB (Canada), MSB (USA), DCE (Australia), and BMA (Bermuda).

Where is Kraken Available?

Kraken is currently available in over 180 countries worldwide. There are 14 countries on the Kraken restricted countries list. As a globally accessible platform, it accepts deposits in USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, CHF & JPY. 

Is Kraken Safe and Legit?

The exchange maintains rigorous security standards, holding both ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification and a completed SOC 2, Type 1 examination, demonstrating adherence to international best practices in information security management.

User funds are protected through advanced cold storage solutions housed within secure facilities featuring continuous armed guard surveillance, sophisticated alarm systems, and constant video monitoring. Kraken further enhances user security by regularly performing independent Proof of Reserves audits, allowing clients to transparently verify asset custody.

Additional protective features include robust encryption for sensitive data, FIDO2-compliant two-factor authentication (including Passkeys), customizable API permissions, real-time suspicious activity monitoring, and enforced email confirmations for critical account changes. A dedicated Security Labs team proactively tests Kraken’s own systems and third-party services.