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Meet Kraken

Kraken is a cryptocurrency exchange and financial technology platform founded in 2011 and operated by Payward, Inc. It provides cryptocurrency trading, custody, staking, derivatives, payments, and investment services to individuals, professional traders, businesses, and financial institutions. Its products include Kraken, Kraken Pro, Kraken Wallet, and Kraken Prime. The platform also offers access to selected stocks, ETFs, futures, and tokenized equities, subject to geographic and regulatory restrictions. Kraken provides trading APIs, market data, liquidity services, and institutional custody infrastructure. Its parent company, Payward, also operates businesses including NinjaTrader and xStocks. Kraken serves customers in more than 190 countries and territories, helping them trade digital assets, manage investments, transfer funds, and access financial markets.View more

Kraken is a cryptocurrency exchange and financial technology platform founded in 2011 and operated by Payward, Inc. It provides cryptocurrency trading, custody, staking, derivatives, payments, and investment services to individuals, professional traders, businesses, and financial institutions. Its products include Kraken, Kraken Pro, Kraken Wallet, and Kraken Prime. The platform also offers access to selected stocks, ETFs, futures, and tokenized equities, subject to geographic and regulatory restrictions. Kraken provides trading APIs, market data, liquidity services, and institutional custody infrastructure. Its parent company, Payward, also operates businesses including NinjaTrader and xStocks. Kraken serves customers in more than 190 countries and territories, helping them trade digital assets, manage investments, transfer funds, and access financial markets.

Founded
2011
Company size
1001-5000 employees
Company stage
Not known
Headquarters
USA

Why work here

Kraken offers opportunities to work on cryptocurrency trading, financial infrastructure, distributed systems, cybersecurity, and blockchain technology. Its engineering roles involve technologies including Rust, Python, TypeScript, React, Go, and Kubernetes. Parent company Payward reported $2.2 billion in adjusted revenue for 2025, while Kraken announced $800 million in financing in November 2025. Expansion into tokenized equities, regulated derivatives, payments, and banking infrastructure provides opportunities across several areas of financial technology. Kraken advertises remote-first employment, competitive compensation, equity grants for most roles, flexible paid time off, wellness support, mental health benefits, and remote workstation allowances. Benefits and geographic eligibility vary by position. Candidates should also consider cryptocurrency market volatility, regulatory complexity, and the company's emphasis on individual ownership and performance.Read more

Kraken offers opportunities to work on cryptocurrency trading, financial infrastructure, distributed systems, cybersecurity, and blockchain technology. Its engineering roles involve technologies including Rust, Python, TypeScript, React, Go, and Kubernetes. Parent company Payward reported $2.2 billion in adjusted revenue for 2025, while Kraken announced $800 million in financing in November 2025. Expansion into tokenized equities, regulated derivatives, payments, and banking infrastructure provides opportunities across several areas of financial technology. Kraken advertises remote-first employment, competitive compensation, equity grants for most roles, flexible paid time off, wellness support, mental health benefits, and remote workstation allowances. Benefits and geographic eligibility vary by position. Candidates should also consider cryptocurrency market volatility, regulatory complexity, and the company's emphasis on individual ownership and performance.

Industry
Cryptocurrency Exchange
Open jobs
89 open jobs

Tech stack

Rust

Programming Language

Python

Programming Language

TypeScript

Programming Language

Go

Programming Language

C++

Programming Language

React

Frontend Framework

Kubernetes

Container Orchestration

Key people

7 people
Jesse PowellCo-founderView bio

Jesse Powell is the Co-founder and Chairman of Kraken. Before establishing Kraken in 2011, he co-founded Lewt, an online marketplace for virtual gaming goods. His experience assisting the Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox after a security breach influenced his decision to build a cryptocurrency exchange focused on security and reliability. He served as Kraken's CEO until 2023 before transitioning to Chairman.

Thanh LuuCo-founderView bio

Thanh Luu co-founded Kraken with Jesse Powell in 2011. Before Kraken, the founders operated Lewt, a marketplace for virtual gaming goods. Luu contributed to building Kraken's early cryptocurrency exchange technology and infrastructure. He has remained associated with the company's technical development and corporate governance.

Arjun SethiCo-Chief Executive OfficerView bio

Arjun Sethi became Co-CEO of Kraken in October 2024 after serving on its board since 2021. He co-founded Tribe Capital and previously worked at Social Capital. Earlier, he founded MessageMe, which was acquired by Yahoo. At Kraken and its parent company Payward, he shares responsibility for corporate strategy, financial infrastructure expansion, acquisitions, and commercial growth.

David RipleyCo-Chief Executive OfficerView bio

David Ripley is Co-CEO of Kraken and Payward. He previously served as Kraken's Chief Operating Officer and became CEO in 2023. Before joining Kraken, he co-founded Glidera, a cryptocurrency payment infrastructure company acquired by Kraken in 2016. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He oversees business operations, product execution, and strategic expansion alongside Arjun Sethi.

View all 7 people
Robert MooreChief Financial OfficerView bio

Robert Moore was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Payward in April 2026 after serving as Deputy CFO. Before joining Payward, he spent approximately 15 years in senior finance and operating roles at Betterment, Workframe, and Credit Suisse. He oversees financial strategy, capital management, financial reporting, and finance operations across Payward's businesses.

Ben GrayChief Legal OfficerView bio

Ben Gray joined Kraken as Chief Legal Officer in February 2025. He previously served as Global General Counsel at Paxos and worked in financial regulation and legal roles within the United States government. He has more than 15 years of experience in financial services, cryptocurrency regulation, and compliance. At Kraken, he oversees legal, compliance, enterprise risk management, and regulatory strategy.

Nicholas PercocoChief Security OfficerView bio

Nicholas Percoco is Kraken's Chief Security Officer. He joined the company in 2018 and previously held security leadership positions at Uptake Technologies, Rapid7, and Trustwave. He also founded the THOTCON cybersecurity conference. He oversees Kraken's information security strategy, cybersecurity operations, threat protection, and the security of customer assets and trading infrastructure.

Latest company news

6 stories

Payward and Its Clients Acquire AAVE Token Stake

Payward

Kraken's parent company, Payward, announced that an affiliated investment fund and its clients acquired an undisclosed amount of AAVE tokens through secondary market purchases. The investment expands Payward's activities in decentralized finance and digital asset management.

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xStocks Surpasses $1 Billion in Assets Under Management

Payward

Payward announced that its xStocks tokenized equities framework surpassed $1 billion in assets under management. The platform expanded to more than 1,500 tokenized representations of global stocks, ETFs, and IPOs.

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Payward Announces Agreement to Acquire Saldo Bank

Payward

Payward signed an agreement to acquire Saldo Finance Oy, whose subsidiary operates Saldo Bank in Lithuania. The proposed acquisition would expand Payward's European banking, lending, payments, and embedded financial infrastructure. Completion is expected in 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.

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Kraken Plans UAE Launch Following Dubai Regulatory Approval

Payward

Payward announced that it had received Full Market Approval from Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. Kraken plans to offer eligible UAE customers cryptocurrency trading, local currency funding, staking, and institutional services.

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Payward Deepens Relationship with Nasdaq

Payward

Payward announced an expanded collaboration with Nasdaq involving tokenized equities infrastructure, market surveillance technology, and an agreement for a $100 million investment from Nasdaq Ventures.

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Kraken Announces $800 Million Financing

Kraken Blog

Kraken announced an $800 million financing across two tranches, including a $200 million strategic investment agreement with Citadel Securities. Other investors included Jane Street, DRW Venture Capital, and Tribe Capital.

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Jobs at Kraken

89 open roles
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