Kraken’s parent Payward is betting billions on becoming financial infrastructure, not just a crypto exchange
Why now
Thesis: Crypto exchanges pivot from trading to full financial infrastructure
Catalyst to watch: Regulatory clarity or new institutional partnerships
Main risk: Regulatory pushback on crypto firms acting like banks
Why it matters
A major exchange expanding into payments and asset management signals crypto firms competing with traditional finance rails, which could pressure incumbent intermediaries but also invites regulatory scrutiny.
Details
Kraken parent Payward is unifying trading, payments, asset management and institutional services on common rails, co-CEO Arjun Sethi said.
Sources
- coindesk · 2026-09-26 14:00 UTC