News linked to both this project and an event.
U.S. prosecutors have recently filed criminal charges against a man currently serving a prison sentence, accusing him of transferring and laundering approximately $290,000 in crypto assets that had been ordered confiscated by a court.According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bulgarian national Rossen Iossifov is charged with, in January 2024, conspiring with others to withdraw and transfer a batch of cryptocurrency assets from his Kraken-registered account that had previously been ordered forfeited by a federal court. Prosecutors allege that these funds were subsequently funneled through cryptocurrency mixing services and trading platforms in an attempt to conceal the source and destination of the funds before the U.S. government could complete the seizure.The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky stated that these crypto assets were held in a Kraken account under Iossifov's name and had been restricted by judicial authorities during the related investigation. The DOJ has not yet disclosed how the account was accessed or whether the involved funds have been recovered.Iossifov was previously convicted of conspiracy to commit extortion and conspiracy to commit money laundering for his involvement in an online auction fraud ring. Prosecutors allege that his cryptocurrency exchange platform, RG Coins, helped the criminal network convert illicit proceeds into cryptocurrencies and cash, with the network defrauding at least 900 U.S. victims. Previous investigations showed that Iossifov processed nearly $5 million in crypto asset money laundering transactions in less than three years.A court had previously ordered Iossifov to pay over $2.6 million in restitution and to forfeit the related crypto assets. The new charges include obstruction of property seizure, aiding and abetting, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 25 years in prison.The U.S. Department of Justice emphasized that the indictment represents only charges and that Iossifov is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. (Cointelegraph)
Kraken parent company Payward has asked the Delaware Court of Chancery to enter a final judgment against Mazars USA after an arbitrator ruled in its favor, awarding $22 million in damages. Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi stated that the case involves debanking, regulatory pressure, and the need for clear rules in the U.S. crypto market, and called on Congress to pass the CLARITY Act. (Bitcoin.com News).
cryptocurrency exchange Kraken is seeking to obtain a full banking license in Europe, with Lithuania as the key jurisdiction for its application. If approved, Kraken would become the first cryptocurrency exchange to receive a full European banking license. Reports indicate this move is part of its parent company Payward's global licensing strategy. Previously, Kraken Financial connected to the U.S. Federal Reserve's payment infrastructure in March this year, and Payward also obtained regulatory approval from the UAE's VARA in May.
Payward, the parent company of Kraken, has won its arbitration against former auditor Mazars USA, with the arbitrator ruling that Mazars must pay Payward $22 million. Payward is now seeking confirmation of the arbitration award and a final judgment from the Delaware Court of Chancery.The dispute originated during the peak of the so-called "Operation Choke Point 2.0" in 2022. Payward claimed that Mazars abruptly withdrew from a nearly completed audit of Kraken without finding any issues with the company. However, the move caused reputational damage to Kraken and forced the company to spend years and incur significant legal fees to clarify its position.Arjun Sethi, co-CEO of Payward, stated that audits are not a "favor" for crypto companies but rather critical infrastructure necessary for maintaining banking relationships, licenses, counterparty trust, and regulatory confidence. When an auditor withdraws without negative findings, it unfairly leaves a cloud of suspicion over the company."Operation Choke Point 2.0" is the crypto industry's term for regulatory pressure during the Biden administration, referring to the period after the FTX collapse when US regulators informally pressured banks to limit services to crypto companies. Sethi noted that the US FDIC sent at least 25 letters to 24 banks, requesting them to pause or avoid expanding crypto-related business. This ruling is also seen as a legal countermeasure by the crypto industry against such regulatory pressure.
Kraken has begun allowing eligible users to use select tokenized stocks and ETFs as collateral for futures and margin trading, enabling them to open leveraged positions without selling their existing holdings.The initial offering includes 10 tokenized stocks and ETFs, featuring Apple, Nvidia, Tesla, Strategy, SPDR S&P 500 ETF, and Invesco QQQ Trust. This feature is currently only available to eligible users outside the United States.Kraken has also set collateral limits for different assets, with a maximum collateral value of $1 million for large-cap ETFs, $250,000 for most individual stocks, and $100,000 for tokenized gold and Circle stock. The platform stated that collateral limits and haircut rates will be reviewed periodically and may be adjusted based on market conditions. (Cointelegraph)
Kraken's parent company Payward has filed a request with the U.S. federal court, seeking evidence disclosure from multiple U.S. financial institutions related to crypto derivatives company PowerTrade and its co-founders. Kraken stated in the announcement that the requested evidence disclosure will help Payward identify additional assets that can be frozen, ensuring that relevant parties such as PowerTrade cannot continue to cause harm to other industry participants. (CoinDesk)
The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on Wednesday to discuss the changing roles of banks and fintech companies, with a key focus being the "skinny master account" option under consideration by the Federal Reserve, which would allow certain crypto banks and fintech companies limited direct access to the Fed's payment system.A Federal Reserve master account allows financial institutions to directly use the Fed’s payment network and gain the most direct access to the U.S. dollar monetary system. Institutions without such an account typically rely on partner banks that hold master accounts to provide services. The so-called "skinny account" is a version with limited functionality, intended to provide restricted access for new types of financial institutions.Republican Representative Dan Meuser stated during the hearing that access to the Fed’s payment system is no small matter, and the core issue is which institutions should be permitted to directly use these critical payment rails. Traditional institutions like community banks worry that crypto and fintech companies are not subject to the same stringent regulations, and granting them direct access could pose safety and soundness risks.The crypto industry generally supports the proposal, arguing that direct access to the Fed’s payment system is long overdue, as it would help reduce reliance on intermediary banks and foster innovation. In May, former President Trump signed an executive order requiring the Federal Reserve to evaluate policies for opening central bank payment rails to fintech companies, including crypto firms.Previously, in March, the Kansas City Fed approved Kraken’s parent company, Payward, for a "limited purpose account," sparking discussions about the extent to which crypto and fintech companies should have direct access to Fed services. A representative from Anchorage Digital stated during the hearing that if the U.S. is to remain the global financial center, it must allow for innovative federal and state-level regulatory frameworks.
Ink, an Ethereum Layer 2 network incubated by Kraken, has reached a multi-year infrastructure agreement with Optimism, upgrading to OP Enterprise Fully Managed.Under the agreement, Optimism will be responsible for running Ink's production infrastructure, while the Ink Foundation will focus on ecosystem growth and new financial products. Additionally, Ink will serve as a deep design partner for OP Enterprise, jointly advancing roadmap plans including programmable block construction, one-day Ethereum withdrawals, and sequencer-level compliance tools.Currently, applications built on the Ink network generate nearly $40 million in annual revenue. This partnership makes Ink another exchange-related blockchain network to join the fully managed layer service, following Bitpanda's Vision Chain. (The Block)
According to CryptoSlate, the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) sent a letter to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City requesting a reassessment of Kraken Financial’s compliance ahead of the renewal of its one-year limited-purpose charter, and urging consideration of additional restrictions, suspension, non-renewal, or termination.
Odaily Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and its Chairman Michael Selig in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, concerning the agency's routine approval of cryptocurrency perpetual futures. The lawsuit stems from the CFTC’s May 29 approval of a perpetual futures contract linked to the spot price of Bitcoin by prediction market platform Kalshi, and the issuance of a no-action position for a similar product on the Coinbase exchange. In the filing, CME argues that the CFTC's treatment of "futures" with expiration dates as "swaps" violates directives from the U.S. Congress and the Commodity Exchange Act, and requests the court to invalidate the relevant perpetual futures actions. CME also claims that Selig acted unilaterally without a full panel of five commissioners. A CFTC spokesperson stated that CME is waging a "legal battle" against the agency and the government’s crypto policy, calling the lawsuit "frivolous." Kraken has also announced the launch of perpetual futures trading for U.S. users via the CFTC-regulated platform Bitnomial.
Avalanche announced the launch of the Avalanche Payments Collective, with 28 organizations already joining the coalition to build payment infrastructure on the Avalanche network. The coalition aims to integrate multiple domains, including settlement, stablecoins, capital infrastructure, foreign exchange, asset management, compliance, and global payments. Members include Franklin Templeton, VanEck, WisdomTree, Paxos, Kraken, Anchorage Digital, Ethena, and the Wyoming Stablecoin Committee.
According to The Block, Kraken has launched cryptocurrency perpetual futures trading in the U.S., with the related products available via Kraken Pro. This launch follows Kraken’s acquisition of Bitnomial—a CFTC-licensed exchange, clearinghouse, and broker—in May.
cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has announced the launch of a perpetual futures product regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), officially opening it to U.S. traders. This product marks a significant expansion of the compliant crypto derivatives market in the United States, enabling traders to participate in perpetual contract trading within a regulatory framework for the first time.
the Bitcoin treasury company Nakamoto officially announced that it generated approximately $48 million in net proceeds by selling about 600 BTC and related derivative positions, thereby repaying approximately $45 million in outstanding debt to Kraken. This move is expected to reduce annual financing costs by approximately $4 million.Following the transaction, the company signed a new loan term sheet with Kraken for the remaining 165 million USDT, with a principal of 105 million USDT deferred to June 30, 2027, and an annual interest rate that can be reduced to 7.75% upon meeting the Bitwise custodied wallet collateral threshold. Additionally, the company’s board of directors has authorized a share repurchase program of up to $25 million. Currently, the company still holds approximately 4,467 BTC on its balance sheet. Furthermore, according to a notice from Nasdaq, the company has regained compliance with listing requirements.
a joint letter initiated by Stand With Crypto, in collaboration with the Blockchain Association, the Crypto Council for Innovation, and The Digital Chamber, has been submitted to U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, urging a full floor vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (the "CLARITY Act") as soon as possible.Over 200 crypto enterprises, industry associations, and community organizations, including Coinbase, Ripple, Kraken, a16z, Circle, and Binance.US, have participated in signing the letter. The joint letter points out that the CLARITY Act would establish a comprehensive federal regulatory framework for the digital asset market, clearly delineate regulatory responsibilities, provide feasible registration pathways, protect software developer innovation, and simultaneously promote the return of more digital asset businesses to the U.S. market.The signatories stated that the bill would help retain innovation, jobs, investment, and market activity within the United States, further solidifying America's leading position in the global digital asset innovation sector.It is understood that the CLARITY Act received bipartisan support and passed committee review in the Senate Banking Committee last month. Senator Cynthia Lummis subsequently stated that the next step for the bill is to enter the full Senate deliberation stage.Additionally, 160 former national security and law enforcement officials have previously signed a letter supporting the bill. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House Crypto Advisor Patrick Witt have also publicly called for advancing the legislative process. However, the issue of conflicts of interest between the Trump family and the crypto industry is still regarded as one of the main obstacles to the bill's progress. (The Block)
According to The Block, Payward—the parent company of Kraken—announced that it will open up access to IPO offering-price subscriptions for U.S. publicly traded companies to Kraken users and select partner platform users via the xStocks framework in the coming weeks. Users may submit non-binding subscription indications prior to listing; Payward will aggregate demand and coordinate with underwriting syndicates to allocate tokenized shares at the offering price on the listing day. These stock tokens are fully backed 1:1 by the underlying equities held in custody by regulated entities and are tradable across blockchains including Ethereum, Solana, and TON. Payward stated that it plans to expand into additional markets and onboard more partners to the xStocks Alliance in the future.
xStocks, a framework under Kraken parent company Payward, will launch services allowing users on Kraken and partner platforms to participate in US stock IPOs at the offering price. Users will receive on-chain tokenized shares with a 1:1 correspondence to the underlying stock, which will be held by regulated custodians.Users can submit non-binding subscription intentions via partner platforms weeks before the IPO. Payward aggregates demand, coordinates with the underwriting syndicate for share allocation, and completes pricing, allocation, and token issuance on the listing date. xStocks tokens will be tradable across multiple blockchains including Ethereum, Solana, and TON, and can be integrated with DeFi protocols. (The Block)
Ink, an Ethereum Layer 2 network incubated by Kraken, announced last night that the network is experiencing a full-chain outage. Current network availability is intermittent, and services have not yet stabilized.According to the official statement, user transactions and cross-chain bridge operations may be unstable until the chain resumes normal operation. Ink is collaborating with its infrastructure partner Gelato to investigate the root cause of the failure and facilitate network recovery.As of press time, Ink has not yet disclosed further progress or a timeline for restoration.
Binance's US stock business adopts a dual-core structure of "introducing broker + clearing broker," with Nest Trading responsible for order referral, and US fintech company Alpaca Securities handling the entire process of trade execution, clearing, settlement, and asset custody.Nest Trading, formerly known as BCI Limited, obtained a broker-dealer license from the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) FSRA at the end of 2025 and officially began operations on January 5, 2026. Together with Nest Exchange and Nest Clearing and Custody, it forms Binance's compliance "troika" in ADGM. Registered on Reem Island in Abu Dhabi, Nest Trading handles key Binance services such as OTC, Convert, and Earn.Alpaca is an SEC-registered broker-dealer and a member of FINRA and SIPC, commanding a 94% market share of tokenized US stocks and ETFs, facilitating 1:1 on-chain asset conversion for platforms like Ondo Finance. In January 2026, Alpaca completed a $150 million Series D funding round at a valuation of $1.15 billion, achieving unicorn status with investments from Citadel Securities, Kraken, MUFG, and others. As of early 2026, Alpaca serves over 300 institutions, covering 9 million brokerage accounts. By the end of 2025, it held total assets of $1.386 billion and net capital exceeding $100 million.Public information indicates that Binance and its core team had no prior connection with Alpaca. This collaboration establishes a cross-border US stock trading loop characterized by "ADGM licensed connectivity + US compliant clearing."
According to CoinTelegraph, Kraken announced on May 30 that it plans to launch CFTC-regulated Bitcoin perpetual futures contracts via its subsidiary Bitnomial exchange within the next 30 days, targeting U.S. institutional clients. Earlier the same day, the CFTC formally approved perpetual futures contracts linked to the Bitcoin spot price, with KalshiEX becoming the first exchange to receive approval for listing such products. Meanwhile, Coinbase Financial Markets swiftly followed suit, leveraging Deribit—the world’s largest crypto options exchange, which it acquired in August 2025—to provide U.S. institutional clients with access to global crypto options and perpetual futures markets.