Kraken has launched
trading in US-listed stocks for eligible customers across the European Economic
Area, adding traditional equities to its existing cryptocurrency and tokenised
stock offerings.
Eligible EEA customers
can now access more than 7,000 US equities under Kraken’s MiFID II
authorisation. The service is available through the desktop and mobile versions
of Kraken Pro, as well as the Kraken mobile app.
The move comes as
cryptocurrency exchanges expand into traditional financial markets. Coinbase,
for example, offers
stocks and ETFs alongside crypto in the United States. It has also
introduced equity-linked perpetual futures for non-US users and is developing
tokenised stock products.
Kraken Combines US Shares and xStocks
Kraken had already expanded
its xStocks offering to European Union clients. The latest launch adds
traditional shares alongside those tokenised products. xStocks are tokenised
versions of US-listed equities backed 1:1 by underlying shares.
Customers can
now hold both traditional shares and their tokenised equivalents within the
same regulated account without moving capital between platforms.
“This launch
eliminates the artificial divide between traditional and tokenized formats of
the same asset,” said Mark Greenberg, Chief Commercial Officer of Payward and
Head of Payward Services.
He added that
customers can choose how they access the same underlying exposure, with
US-listed stocks and xStocks available “side-by-side in a single regulated
account.”
Unlike traditional
shares, xStocks can be transferred to self-custody wallets and traded when
public equity markets are closed.
7,000+ US stocks are now available to EEA users in the Kraken app 🇪🇺Invest in stocks, tokenized equities, and crypto all in one platform.Explore stocks ⤵️https://t.co/0BVtXJ2tf1 pic.twitter.com/ApYmHxNzOF
— Kraken (@krakenfx) August 18, 2026
xStocks Transaction Volume Tops $38
Billion
xStocks have generated more than $38
billion in total transaction volume since launch, according to Kraken.
The traditional equity
service is provided by Payward Europe Digital Solutions Limited, a
Cyprus-based entity authorised by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission
as a MiFID investment firm. Trading in US equities is commission-free for eligible
EEA customers, although spreads and foreign exchange costs may apply.
Kraken said it plans
to expand the integrated stock offering to additional markets in the coming
months.
Greenberg described
the model as “one asset class, multiple formats, fully integrated.”
This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.
Source link
