About Kraken

What's Kraken?

Kraken is a U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange that allows users to buy, sell and trade a wide range of digital assets on the platform for relatively low fees, as well as earn revenue by pledging tokens. The platform is known for its industry-leading position in euro trading volume and liquidity, and supports trading between seven fiat currencies and more than 100 cryptocurrencies, including the U.S. Dollar, Canadian Dollar, Euro, Pound Sterling, Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc, and the Australian Dollar.Kraken offers both a web version and a mobile app for easy operation.

Founded in 2011, Kraken was one of the first cryptocurrency exchanges in the industry to support spot trading, derivatives and index products. Kraken has more than 8 million individual and institutional customers, and its investors include Digital Currency Group, Blockchain Capital, Tribe Capital, and Hummingbird Ventures. Kraken has over 8 million individual and institutional clients, and its investors include Digital Currency Group, Blockchain Capital, Tribe Capital, and Hummingbird Ventures.

Who founded Kraken?

Kraken was founded by Jesse Powell and is owned by his operation, Payward Inc. Powell was an early participant in the crypto space and has been active in the digital finance industry since 2001. A graduate of California State University with a degree in philosophy, he founded Verge Gallery, Studio Project, and Internet Ventures & Holdings.

When did Kraken go live?

Kraken was founded in 2011 and launched in September 2013, initially supporting Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Euro pairs.

Where is Kraken headquartered?

Kraken is located in San Francisco, California, USA.

Which countries can't use Kraken?

Kraken is available in more than 200 countries worldwide, but some services are limited or unavailable to users in the following countries:
- U.S. restrictions: not available to residents of New York and Washington; futures trading (Kraken Futures) is not available to U.S. users as a whole
- Globally restricted countries (some or all services restricted): Afghanistan, Central Africa, Congo (DRC)/Brazzaville, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Cuba, Lebanon, Iran, Mali, Iraq, Namibia, Libya, Somalia, DPRK, South Sudan, Syria, Sudan, Tajikistan, Yemen

What cryptocurrencies does Kraken support?

Kraken supports more than 120 cryptocurrencies, including mainstream coins such as:
- BTC (Bitcoin)
- ETH (Ether)
- LTC (Litecoin)
- XRP (Ripple)
- ETC, ZEC, USDT, etc.

What are Kraken's fees?

Kraken has a variety of products that correspond to different rate structures:
- Instant Buy:
- Stablecoin: Fee of 0.9%
- Other crypto assets: 1.5% fee
- Additional fees may apply for different payment methods
- Kraken Pro (Professional Trading):
- Adoption of the Maker/Taker model
- Maker Rate: 0.00% - 0.16%
- Taker Rate: 0.10% - 0.26%
- Handling fees are graduated according to the volume of transactions made by the user in the last 30 days.

Does Kraken support leveraged or margin trading?

Yes, Kraken Pro supports margin and futures trading with up to 5x leverage. The exact leverage limit depends on the currency and market type being traded.