Kraken Unveils Kraken Prime: Full-Service Crypto Brokerage Aimed at Institutional Investors
Global crypto exchange Kraken has launched Kraken Prime, a comprehensive prime brokerage platform designed to meet the specific needs of institutional investors entering the digital asset space. The offering integrates trading, custody, and financing solutions into a unified service built for performance, reliability, and compliance.
With institutional adoption of crypto steadily rising, Kraken is aiming to fill a critical gap: high-quality, end-to-end infrastructure that matches the standards of traditional financial markets. Kraken Prime delivers access to deep liquidity across more than 20 trading venues, covering over 90% of the digital asset market. Clients can execute trades directly from secure, qualified custody provided by Kraken Financial, a U.S. state-chartered bank.
“Kraken Prime is built to meet the execution quality and service expectations of today’s institutional investors,” said Kraken co-CEO David Ripley. “We’re leveraging years of operational resilience to offer a premium, institution-grade experience.”
The platform also includes features such as asset-backed lending, T+1 credit facilities, and proprietary order-routing technology that connects clients to both on- and off-platform liquidity. Around-the-clock “white-glove” client support rounds out the offering.
As the regulatory environment around crypto continues to mature, Kraken sees increasing demand from hedge funds, asset managers, and corporate treasuries. These firms, the company says, require more than just access—they need sophisticated tools, enterprise-grade compliance, and reliable support to operate at scale.
With this launch, Kraken steps into a competitive space alongside other institutional-focused platforms like Coinbase Prime and FalconX. But Ripley believes Kraken Prime offers a differentiated value:
"We may not be the first to market, but we’re setting the bar for institutional crypto—prioritizing quality, reliability, and consistency, especially in volatile conditions."
Kraken’s expansion into institutional services is part of a broader push to diversify its offerings. Recent moves include incubating its own Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain (Ink), expanding regulated derivatives in Europe, entering commission-free stock trading in the U.S., and preparing to offer tokenized stock trades for companies like Apple and Nvidia outside the U.S.
Earlier this year, Kraken made headlines by acquiring trading platform NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion—the largest merger to date between a crypto company and a traditional finance firm. The deal signals Kraken’s ambitions to become a major player across asset classes.
In Q1 2025, Kraken reported $472 million in revenue, marking a 19% increase year-over-year. The company is also reportedly eyeing an initial public offering as early as Q1 next year.
Reinforcing its position in the market, new rankings from crypto data firm Kaiko placed Kraken second among all exchanges globally for Q2—just behind Coinbase and ahead of Binance—highlighting Kraken’s strong governance, liquidity, and technology metrics.