News linked to both this project and an event.
According to an announcement on Payward's official website, Payward, the parent company of Kraken, has announced plans to deploy on-chain perpetual futures products to U.S. customers via the Hyperliquid HIP-3 market, becoming the first registered exchange or clearing agency to launch a market on the protocol for U.S. clients. Payward's CFTC-regulated entity Bitnomial will serve as the HIP-3 deployer, responsible for creating, managing, and clearing and settling contracts. NinjaTrader Clearing will take charge of client accounts, restricting participation exclusively to users who have completed the NinjaTrader account opening process and passed the whitelist review.
Odaily News: Kraken's parent company Payward has announced a $100 million investment from Nasdaq, with a post-investment valuation of $21 billion. Nasdaq stated that this investment will deepen collaboration between the two parties in digital asset custody and token infrastructure. Nasdaq has already established a digital assets division around related businesses. Kraken already operates a UK-regulated business overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority, and has completed its acquisition of NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion to expand its futures trading business. Payward's listing remains in the planning stage, with no application filed yet.
Odaily News, Ansem commented on X platform regarding "Kraken might become the first compliant CEX to deploy HIP-3," stating that if Hyperliquid aims to conduct compliant business in the US, it may need to find a partner that is both familiar with its product architecture and possesses complete regulatory qualifications. Kraken could be one of the potential choices.He pointed out that after Kraken's recent acquisitions of NinjaTrader and Bitnomial, its parent company Payward now holds FCM, DCM, and DCO licenses under the CFTC regulatory framework. Meanwhile, Hyperliquid has already established the corresponding infrastructure through HIP-3, meaning Kraken could theoretically serve as a new access point, offering related products in a manner similar to TradeXYZ. Arjun Sethi has consistently emphasized publicly that Kraken aims to play a "positive-sum game." Among existing US centralized exchanges, Kraken's potential may be severely underestimated. If this partnership actually materializes, it would be a major strategic move for Kraken to expand its market influence and add a significant business line.
Kraken has announced plans to launch its first perpetual futures product regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in the U.S. market within the next 30 days.Eligible U.S. clients will be able to trade perpetual futures on digital assets including BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, ADA, LINK, DOGE, LTC, and AVAX through Kraken Pro. Kraken stated that it will gradually expand contract types and product features in the future, as well as provide more collateral options.It is reported that the perpetual futures on Kraken Pro are provided by NinjaTrader Clearing, LLC (operating as Kraken Derivatives US), which is a CFTC-registered Futures Commission Merchant. The related spot margined and perpetual futures products will be available on the Bitnomial Exchange, a CFTC-regulated exchange that was recently acquired by Payward, Kraken's parent company.
According to CoinDesk, Payward, Kraken’s parent company, announced the acquisition of digital asset derivatives platform Bitnomial for up to $550 million in cash and stock. The deal values Payward at approximately $20 billion. Bitnomial is the first crypto-native platform in the U.S. to hold all three key regulatory licenses: a Designated Contract Market (DCM), a Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO), and a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM). Following the acquisition, Payward will instantly obtain all regulatory authorizations required to operate a full derivatives business in the U.S., significantly accelerating its path to compliance compared to building such capabilities organically. Post-integration, the combined platforms will launch spot margin, perpetual futures, and options products for U.S. customers. Through Payward Services’ B2B infrastructure, these regulated U.S. derivatives offerings will be made available to banks, fintech firms, and brokers via a single API. This acquisition marks Payward’s second major deal following its $1.5 billion acquisition of NinjaTrader in 2025. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026.