Kraken Expands into Traditional Finance with Commission-Free Trading
Kraken, a leading cryptocurrency exchange, has launched commission-free trading for over 11,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, expanding its services into traditional finance. This phased rollout begins in several U.S. states, including New Jersey and Connecticut, with plans to extend across more states and internationally to markets like the UK, Europe, and Australia. The move is supported by the Trump administration's pro-industry regulatory stance and reflects a broader trend of convergence between traditional and digital finance. Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi emphasized the goal of enabling a borderless, crypto-based trading ecosystem. This expansion follows Kraken's $1.5 billion acquisition of retail futures platform NinjaTrader and aligns with its ambition to merge traditional and crypto financial services. Analysts view this as a natural step toward asset tokenization and a comprehensive trading platform. Kraken also plans to enter payment services, signaling broader ambitions across financial sectors.