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Deutsche Börse has agreed to buy a 1.5% stake in Kraken’s parent company, Payward Inc., for $200 million. The crypto news values Payward at about $13.3 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter, pending regulatory approval. The move adds to a partnership the two companies began in December. It also places fresh attention on institutional crypto activity in Europe.
Crypto News: Deutsche Börse Deepens Kraken Partnership
Deutsche Börse and Kraken crypto exchange started working together in December to connect traditional finance with digital asset services. The companies said the partnership would support access to trading, custody, settlement, collateral management, and tokenized assets for institutional clients. Tuesday’s equity deal adds a direct ownership link to that earlier arrangement.
The latest investment gives Deutsche Börse a financial position in Kraken while keeping its stake at 1.5%. The exchange operator said the agreement will support product and service development across both firms’ ecosystems. As a result, the relationship now extends beyond commercial cooperation to include a direct capital commitment.
Focus Stays on Institutional Crypto Access
The crypto news follows Deutsche Börse’s recent push into digital assets. In 2024, the company launched a crypto trading platform aimed at institutional clients. It later expanded parts of its digital asset offering through work on stablecoin support in post-trade operations with Société Générale FORGE.
That background gives context to the Kraken investment. Deutsche Börse has been building services for banks, asset managers, and other professional market participants. Through its work with Kraken, it seeks to give clients easier access to crypto-related products within a more familiar market structure.
Kraken Gains Support as IPO Remains on Hold
Kraken has been preparing for a public market listing for several months. In November last year, the company announced plans to go public. More recently, reports indicated that it paused those plans after market conditions became less favorable.
While an initial public offering remains under consideration, Kraken is not expected to move forward until market conditions improve. The new funding and ownership support give the company additional backing as it continues to operate as a private firm.
The $200 million investment values Payward at about $13.3 billion. That valuation places Kraken among the larger privately held crypto firms still outside public markets.
Kraken had also disclosed an $800 million fundraising round in November. That round included $200 million from Citadel Securities, according to earlier reporting. Together with Deutsche Börse’s new stake, the company has continued to attract capital from large financial players even as its public listing timeline remains uncertain.
Europe Remains Central to the Deal
The European market is an important part of the Deutsche Börse-Kraken relationship. When the two firms announced their partnership in December, they described it as a way to speed up institutional cryptocurrency adoption across Europe.
Europe has become a key market for digital asset firms seeking regulated growth channels. Deutsche Börse already operates major financial market infrastructure through venues such as the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and Xetra.
In February, Europe’s second-largest bank, BNP Paribas, went live on the Ethereum blockchain with a tokenized share class for a French money market fund. The move marked another step in the use of public blockchain infrastructure by major financial institutions.
