Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Updated Aug 5, 2026
Kraken (operated by Payward) is a globally distributed, regulated financial-technology platform that began as a crypto exchange and has expanded into spot and derivatives trading, staking, custody, payments, equities/ETFs, tokenized assets and institutional services. It serves consumers, professional traders and institutions in 190+ countries.
Primary product
Kraken’s consumer and professional digital-asset trading platform: buy, sell, hold, stake and transfer crypto, with Kraken Pro for advanced spot/margin/derivatives trading; the broader platform also includes stocks/ETFs, payments, custody and institutional products.
Founded
2011
Headquarters
United States; founded in San Francisco. Current public materials also identify Cheyenne, Wyoming as a corporate location.
Team size
Approximately 2,000–3,000+ globally; Kraken stated 3,000+ Krakenites across 70 countries in September 2024, while third-party workforce data reported approximately 2,122 in March 2026. Counts may differ by employing entity and methodology.
Work style
Remote
Industry
Financial services / financial technology
Sub-industry
Cryptocurrency exchange, digital assets, trading infrastructure and multi-asset brokerage
Offices
Business model
Stage
Late-stage private / pre-IPO; Kraken filed a confidential draft S-1 in 2025 according to secondary reporting
Total raised
$867M
Latest round
Late-stage venture / strategic financing, two tranches · Nov 2025
Latest amount
$800M
Late-stage venture / strategic financing, two tranches
Nov 2025 · Jane Street, DRW Venture Capital, HSG, Oppenheimer Alternative Investment Management, Tribe Capital; Citadel Securities invested $200M in the second tranche
Leadership
Co-CEO
David Ripley
Co-CEO
Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board
Gilles BianRosa
Chief Operating and Product Officer
Ben Gray
Chief Legal Officer
Marcus Hughes
Global Head of Regulatory Strategy
Curtis Ting
Mission-driven, crypto-native and strongly remote-first. Kraken emphasizes autonomy, ownership, written/asynchronous communication, merit and outcomes over credentials or physical proximity. Employees are expected to keep learning rapidly, communicate proactively and operate with a security-conscious, 'productively paranoid' mindset.
Work style
Remote
Visa sponsorship
Limited
Compensation
Kraken advertises globally competitive, location-independent compensation, equity for most roles and optional crypto pay. Public sources do not establish a universal compensation band or sponsorship policy; third-party job-posting analysis shows sponsorship signals for some roles only.
Benefits
Pricing
Primarily percentage-based trading fees, generally tiered by 30-day volume, product and account type; additional spreads, withdrawal/network, custody, staking, financing and payment-related fees may apply. Some U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs were announced as commission-free, subject to product and jurisdictional terms.
Differentiators
Estimated revenue
Approximately $1.5B–$2.2B annual adjusted revenue based on company-reported 2024 revenue of about $1.5B and 2025 adjusted revenue of $2.2B; figures are for Payward/Kraken ecosystem and may not represent the Kraken exchange alone.
Estimated monthly visits
8.4M
Traffic estimate as of Jun 2026
Kraken announced organizational restructuring to remove layers and become leaner and faster; contemporaneous reporting described a substantial workforce reduction, though the company announcement did not state a precise headcount.
SourceCompleted the approximately $1.5 billion acquisition of NinjaTrader, adding a major U.S. retail futures platform and integration complexity.
SourceKraken Blog · Feb 2026
Payward reported $2.2 billion of adjusted 2025 revenue, $531 million adjusted EBITDA, $2.0 trillion platform transaction volume and 5.7 million funded accounts.
Reuters · Nov 2025
Kraken announced an $800 million two-tranche financing, including a $200 million strategic investment from Citadel Securities, at a reported $20 billion valuation.
Kraken Blog · Oct 2025
Kraken acquired the CFTC-regulated Small Exchange for $100 million to support a U.S.-native derivatives suite.
Business Wire / Kraken · May 2025
Kraken completed its approximately $1.5 billion acquisition of U.S. retail futures platform NinjaTrader, expanding beyond crypto into traditional derivatives.
69 jobs at Kraken
Sep 2025 · Jane Street, DRW Venture Capital, HSG, Oppenheimer Alternative Investment Management and Tribe Capital
Strategic / secondary financing
Jan 2021 · Tribe Capital
Series C / crowdfunding tranche
Jun 2019 · BnkToTheFuture
Jan 2016 · SBI Group; MoneyPartners Group
Mar 2014 · Hummingbird Ventures
Dec 2013 · Crypto Currency Partners
Chief Operating Officer
Founders
Thanh Luu
Co-Founder
Investors
Technology
Customers
Competitors
Business Wire / Kraken · Oct 2024
Arjun Sethi joined David Ripley as co-CEO, with Jesse Powell continuing as board chair.
Acquired the CFTC-regulated Small Exchange from IG Group for $100 million to build a U.S.-native derivatives venue.
Large pre-IPO financing at a reported $20 billion valuation and subsequent multi-business expansion increase execution, integration and regulatory exposure.
Source