Kraken Review 2026 – One of the Best Crypto Exchanges

Buy crypto on Kraken

Kraken is one of the most established and secure crypto exchanges in the world, and it remains one of my favorites heading into 2026.

It still holds the title of the largest Euro-based crypto trading exchange globally, and it’s a solid competitor to my other favorite exchange Binance.

A lot has changed since the last time I updated this review. Kraken went on a major acquisition spree in 2025, pulling in $2.2 billion in revenue, filing confidentially for an IPO, and securing a full MiCA license to serve all 30 countries in the European Economic Area. If anything, Kraken has become a more serious platform — not just a crypto exchange, but a full-blown financial services company.

In this post, I’ll walk through what Kraken looks like today: the features I use and recommend, what’s new, and where it still stands out.

Leadership Changes Worth Knowing

Jesse Powell, the founder who built Kraken’s reputation for security and principle, stepped down as CEO back in September 2022 and moved to Chairman of the Board. COO Dave Ripley took over as CEO in April 2023. Then in October 2024, Kraken brought in Arjun Sethi as co-CEO to accelerate its product expansion. So as of 2026, the company operates with a co-CEO model under Ripley and Sethi.

Powell’s reputation was a big part of why Kraken commanded trust in its early years. The platform has continued to build on that foundation under new leadership — earning multiple regulatory licenses, completing over 16 acquisitions, and growing from a few hundred staff to several thousand.

Step-By-Step: Buying Your First Bitcoin

Signing up to Kraken is straightforward. It’s a regulated exchange, which means you’ll need to pass the standard KYC/AML checks — the same as any regulated investment platform.

You’ll be asked to enter some personal information:

• Full Name
• Country of Residence
• Date of Birth
• Registered Address
• Email Address
• Phone Number

You’ll also need to choose a username and create a strong password.

Once your account is open, Kraken needs to verify your identity. This means uploading:

• A valid government-issued ID
• Proof of residency (a utility bill or bank statement works)

Depending on your country of residence, you may also be asked about your occupation, estimated net worth, and tax identification number. This is standard AML compliance — not optional for any regulated platform.

The good news is that in most cases, Kraken validates your documents in under 10 minutes via automated verification.

There are three verification levels:

• Starter
• Intermediate
• Pro

If you’re taking crypto trading seriously, I’d recommend going all the way to Pro. You’ll unlock access to the dark pool, the OTC desk, and higher deposit and withdrawal limits. Starter is fine for dipping your toes in.

Both individuals and corporate entities can sign up for a Kraken account. Corporate accounts require additional documentation and are only available at the Pro level.

Deposits and Withdrawals

Before you can buy or trade, you’ll need to fund your Kraken account.

Unlike the old days when Kraken only accepted bank transfers, you can now also fund your account using a debit or credit card, or a digital wallet (like Apple Pay or Google Pay). That’s a meaningful improvement for new users who want to get started quickly without setting up a bank wire.

If you use InstantSEPA, your deposit lands in minutes. Standard SEPA takes 0–3 business days. Wire transfers typically take 1–5 business days.

See also: Best Crypto-friendly banks in Europe

Supported deposit currencies:

• USD
• EUR
• CAD
• GBP
• CHF
• JPY

The European banking system remains more efficient and cheaper to use here. If you’re based in Europe and operating in Euros, Kraken is one of the best-placed exchanges for you.

One thing to be aware of: first-time card or digital wallet purchases trigger a 72-hour security hold on withdrawals. It’s a minor inconvenience but worth knowing upfront so it doesn’t catch you off guard.

Kraken has multiple fiat banking partners — including InCore, Bank Frick, Fidor, and Etana — which reduces the risk of your bank blocking the transfer. Having several onramp options matters more than it might seem.

Making Your First Trade (Buying Bitcoin)

As soon as your deposit clears, you can buy Bitcoin:

• Go to your account dashboard and click the ‘Buy’ button under the ‘Buy Cryptocurrency’ tab.
• Select ‘Bitcoin’ and enter the amount you want to spend in your currency.
• The equivalent Bitcoin amount will update in real time.
• Make sure ‘Market’ is selected (not ‘Limit’) for an instant fill at the current price.
• Click ‘Submit Order’ to complete the purchase.

Your Bitcoin will appear in your Kraken wallet immediately after the order executes.

Congratulations — you now own Bitcoin.

Currency Pairs and Supported Assets

Kraken now supports over 530 cryptocurrencies and more than 1,270 trading pairs as of early 2026. That includes Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and a wide range of altcoins, DeFi tokens, and Layer-2 assets.

Not every asset can be traded directly against every other — but the selection is comprehensive. It’s best to check Kraken’s website for the current list, since new pairs are added regularly.

Security

Kraken has never been hacked in its 14-year history. That’s an exceptional track record in an industry that has seen exchange after exchange get compromised.

The overwhelming majority of client assets are held in offline cold storage, with minimal exposure through hot wallets. Cold storage facilities run under 24/7 surveillance.

Kraken also operates a Proof of Reserves program. Users can verify their own balances through a Merkle tree check inside their account. The most recent attestation was as of June 30, 2025, confirming that all in-scope assets are backed one-to-one.

I’m comfortable leaving part of my holdings on Kraken — particularly for assets I’m staking. That said, for long-term holdings I’m not actively using, I still recommend cold storage via a Ledger Nano X or Trezor, with seed words stored in metal using Billfodl or similar.

Regulation: Kraken’s MiCA License Is a Big Deal

In June 2025, Kraken obtained its MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) license from the Central Bank of Ireland. By August 2025, all 30 EEA countries were live under this single license.

That’s significant. MiCA is the EU’s comprehensive crypto regulatory framework that came into full effect in 2024 — the most rigorous crypto regulation in the world. Getting licensed under it means Kraken can operate across the entire European Economic Area as a regulated entity, not just through national VASP registrations.

Kraken’s European entity — Payward Europe Solutions Limited — is authorized as a Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) under MiCA to provide custody, exchange, order execution, and order transmission services. The company also holds an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license (March 2025) and a MiFID license (February 2025).

For European users, this is the best possible regulatory outcome: you’re dealing with a properly licensed exchange, not one operating in a grey zone.

Trading Fees

Kraken’s fee structure depends on which interface you use.

The standard Buy/Sell interface (instant purchase) charges up to 1.5% per transaction — convenient but expensive if you’re trading in any meaningful size.

The real value is in Kraken Pro, which uses a maker-taker model based on your 30-day rolling volume:

• Under $50,000/month: 0.16% maker / 0.26% taker
• $50,000–$100,000: 0.14% maker / 0.24% taker
• $100,000–$250,000: 0.12% maker / 0.22% taker
• Top tier (above $10M): 0.00% maker / 0.10% taker

If you’re placing limit orders (maker side), your fees are already competitive at the base tier. As volume grows, they drop further. For anyone doing more than casual trading, using Kraken Pro instead of the standard interface is a straightforward win.

How Maker and Taker Fees Work

Selling: To get the lower maker fee, your sell limit price must be higher than the current market price. If you set it below market, the order executes immediately as a market order and you pay the taker fee.

Buying: For the maker fee when buying, your limit price must be lower than the current market price. If it’s set above market, it fills immediately as a taker order.

The margin trading fee structure is separate and layered on top of standard trading fees — covered in the next section.

Margin Trading

Kraken supports margin trading across a range of currency pairs. As of 2026, Kraken Pro offers up to 10x leverage, with dynamic margin rates that adjust during volatile markets.

A few examples of pairs and their maximum leverage:

• XBT/EUR — 2, 3, 4, 5x
• XBT/USD — 2, 3, 4, 5x
• XBT/GBP — 2, 3x
• XBT/CAD — 2, 3x
• XBT/USDT — 2, 3x

EUR and USD remain the strongest base currencies for leverage on Kraken, given they have access to the widest range of multipliers.

Margin trading adds fees on top of standard trading fees. There’s no fee for settling a margin position, though — you can settle at the original opening price with no additional trading fee. Margin fees are charged on the total value of the order (not just your collateral).

For long positions, margin fees are charged in the quote currency. For short positions, in the base currency.

If you’re new to margin trading and not actively looking to use it, skip this section and stick to spot for now.

Staking

Kraken offers on-chain staking for a solid range of assets — including Ethereum, Solana, Polkadot, and Cardano — with both flexible and bonded options depending on the asset.

This is a good alternative to crypto interest accounts offered by lending platforms like Nexo and YouHodler.

US users: Kraken brought back on-chain staking for US clients in January 2025 after a period of regulatory disruption. Coverage has been expanding state by state.

What’s New in 2025–2026

Kraken has moved well beyond being just a crypto exchange. Here’s a summary of what’s changed:

NinjaTrader acquisition ($1.5 billion): In March 2025, Kraken announced the acquisition of NinjaTrader — the leading US retail futures trading platform — for $1.5 billion. This is the largest-ever deal bridging traditional finance and crypto. NinjaTrader’s CFTC-registered FCM license gives Kraken the ability to offer crypto futures and derivatives in the US. NinjaTrader users also get a path into Kraken’s global crypto markets.

Additional acquisitions: Kraken also acquired Breakout (a prop trading firm), Small Exchange (a derivatives platform), and Capitalise.ai (trading automation software) in 2025.

Kraken Pro — Unified Wallet: Kraken Pro now offers a Unified Wallet that consolidates spot, margin, and futures balances for cross-margining. Practically, this means your capital works harder across positions.

Krak debit card: Kraken is rolling out a Mastercard-powered debit card with 1% cashback, multi-asset spending, and salary deposit functionality across the UK and EU. The goal is to make Kraken a primary account, not just a trading platform.

IPO plans: Kraken filed confidentially with the SEC for an IPO in November 2024 and raised $800 million at a $20 billion valuation. As of early 2026, no listing date has been confirmed, but the company reported $2.2 billion in 2025 revenue (up 33%) and $531 million in EBITDA.

MiCA licensing: As covered above — Kraken is now fully licensed across all 30 EEA countries. For EU-based users, that’s the strongest regulatory foundation any crypto exchange currently offers in the region.

Support

Kraken offers 24/7 live chat support. The agents I’ve dealt with have been knowledgeable and responsive — most queries resolved within a few minutes. For complex issues, the quality has held up over the years.

Account Manager for VIP Clients

For Kraken clients who trade significant volumes, you can access a dedicated account manager at no cost. My own experience with this has been excellent — detailed walkthroughs of margin trading via Zoom, quick questions over WhatsApp, and general availability when I’ve needed to think through a position or a funding question.

Having an industry expert in your corner who understands your situation is genuinely useful. It’s one of the things that sets Kraken apart from exchanges that treat everyone as an anonymous retail user.

OTC Desk

For traders who want to move large amounts without affecting the order book — or who simply want more privacy — Kraken’s OTC desk is available to Pro-level accounts.

Once you have access, you connect with Kraken’s OTC traders via Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp. Request a trading pair, get a quote, confirm, and the trade executes. OTC trades don’t appear in your regular account history, but Kraken can produce a full report of all OTC transactions on request — useful for banks and audit firms.

Conclusion

Kraken has always been one of the top exchanges in the world, and in 2026 it’s in stronger shape than ever. Never hacked. Fully MiCA-licensed across Europe. 530+ coins. Competitive pro fees. And now a growing suite of financial products via its 2025 acquisitions.

If you’re based in Europe, Kraken is the standout choice for a regulated, secure, full-featured exchange. The MiCA license alone sets it apart from most competitors still navigating fragmented national registrations.

I still recommend keeping the bulk of long-term holdings in cold storage — hardware wallets like the Ledger Nano X or Trezor with metal seed backup. But for active trading, staking, and fiat on/off ramps, Kraken is hard to beat.

Trade crypto on Kraken

Related

How to Buy Bitcoin in Europe – The Best Exchanges

Padel Progress Report – Year 4 (2020)

The Best European P2P Lending Platforms in 2026

Why Use a Crypto OTC Desk and Why Kraken’s Is Worth Considering

Koinly Review – Automatic Tax Reports for Your Crypto Transactions

InRento Review 2026 – Invest in European Rental Properties