kraken review
Updated September 28, 2026 · SumCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Kraken suits UK and European buyers who want crypto, stocks, ETFs and futures in a single account, under licences from the Central Bank of Ireland, CySEC, the FCA and US regulators. The catch is trading cost: a taker fee of 0.8% against a site median of 0.25%, ranked 100 of 121 on price.
Key facts
- Best for
- A single regulated account covering crypto, stocks, ETFs and futures, paired with a self-custody wallet and a Mastercard debit card.
- Taker fee
- 0.8%↗
- Coins listed
- 728↗
- Regulators
- Central Bank of Ireland, CySEC, FCA, FINTRAC, FinCEN, SEC and FINRA, CFTC and NFA, AUSTRAC, Bermuda Monetary Authority, Comision Nacional de Valores (CNV), Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA), Central Bank of Ireland (CBI)↗
- Fiat deposit methods
- Card, Bank, SEPA, ACH, Apple-pay↗
- Maker fee
- 0.4%↗
- Proof of reserves
- Yes↗
- Withdrawal fee
- Variable per asset and method; static or dynamic funding fees↗
- Derivatives
- Yes↗
- Exchange type
- Cex↗
- Legal entity
- Payward Europe Solutions Limited↗
- Headquarters
- Ireland↗
- Founded
- 2011↗
- Support channels
- Email, Chat, Phone, Help-centre, Community↗
- Features
- Custodial, Self-custody, Staking
- Official website
- kraken.com
Brokers
Debit cards
Crypto wallets
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 10 sources
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- App Store
- Elsewhere
- WikidataLinkedInXyoutube.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- Licensed by the Central Bank of Ireland, CySEC, the FCA, FinCEN, SEC and FINRA, CFTC and NFA, AUSTRAC and the Bermuda Monetary Authority, with EU protection stated as EU ICS up to EUR 20,000.
- Crypto, stocks, ETFs and futures sit in a single account, and the stock trade fee is $0.
- A self-custody mobile wallet priced at $0, with a seed phrase as backup, so coins need not sit on the exchange.
- Fiat deposits by card, bank and sepa, with support over email, chat and phone.
Cons
- Trading fees are the weak side: a taker fee of 0.8% and a maker fee of 0.4% against a site median taker fee of 0.25%.
- Deposit and withdrawal fees vary by method and currency, and withdrawal fees also vary per asset, so moving money costs change with the route.
- Custody differs by product, since the exchange is a centralised venue while the wallet is self-custody, and the platform covers custodial, self-custody and staking features together.
Who it suits
- EU and UK buyers who want stocks, ETFs and futures alongside crypto without a second platform.
- Coin holders who want to hold outside the exchange, with a self-custody wallet backed by a seed phrase.
- Spending crypto users, since the card pays cashback of 2% with a currency conversion fee of 0%.
Who should look elsewhere
- Taker-heavy traders, who may pay less on bunq, where the taker fee is 0.25% to 1.99% against 0.8% here.
- Readers who want yield priced on a crypto earn product rather than trading fees, where Vivid Plus charges 2.25%.
How kraken compares
9.2 vs 9.5
kraken vs Binance P2P9.2 vs 9.3
9.2 vs 9.4
9.2 vs 9.4
9.2 vs 8.5
9.2 vs 9.4
9.2 vs 8.7
9.2 vs 9.2Its taker fee is 1%, above the 0.8% here, so it trades on breadth of assets rather than cost.
9.2 vs 9.4
9.2 vs 8.7
9.2 vs 9.3
9.2 vs 9.0
kraken vs Gemini9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 9.2
9.2 vs 9.2
9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 8.6
9.2 vs 8.3
9.2 vs 9.4
9.2 vs 9.4
9.2 vs 9.3
9.2 vs 9.3
9.2 vs 9.3
9.2 vs 9.3
9.2 vs 9.3
9.2 vs 9.2
9.2 vs 9.2
9.2 vs 9.2
9.2 vs 9.1
9.2 vs 9.1
9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 8.9
9.2 vs 8.5
9.2 vs 8.4- 9.2 vs 8.0
Where kraken is available
- Available
- Everywhere except Afghanistan, Belarus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Iraq, Iran, Japan, North Korea, Libya, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine
- Licence in Ireland
- Central Bank of Ireland (C453020), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in Cyprus
- CySEC (342/17), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in United Kingdom
- FCA (757895), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in Canada
- FINTRAC (M19343731), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in United States
- FinCEN (31000270997766), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in United States
- SEC and FINRA, checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in United States
- CFTC and NFA (NFA ID #0309379), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in Australia
- AUSTRAC (ACN 163 237 634), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in Bermuda
- Bermuda Monetary Authority (202403268), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in Argentina
- Comision Nacional de Valores (CNV), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in Austria
- Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) (MiCA CASP 5299005V5GBSN2A4C303), checked September 26, 2026, also valid in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia
- Licence in Ireland
- Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) (MiCA CASP 9845003D98SCC2851458), checked September 26, 2026, also valid in Cyprus, Ireland
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to trade on Kraken?+
Trading fees are the main charge. The taker fee is 0.8% and the maker fee is 0.4%, against a site median taker fee of 0.25%. Deposit and withdrawal fees vary by method and currency, while stock trades carry a stock trade fee of $0.
Is Kraken regulated and is money protected?+
Its regulator list runs from the Central Bank of Ireland and CySEC to the FCA, FinCEN, SEC and FINRA, CFTC and NFA, AUSTRAC and the Bermuda Monetary Authority. In the EU the stated protection is EU ICS up to EUR 20,000, held through Payward Europe Solutions Limited. Proof of reserves is also offered.
How do I deposit money?+
Fiat deposits run by card, bank transfer, SEPA and ACH, as listed under card, bank and sepa, and the fee on them varies by method and currency. Once funded, balances can sit on the custodial exchange side or move to the self-custody wallet, a mobile wallet priced at $0.
How do I withdraw, and what does it cost?+
Withdrawal fees are variable per asset and method, and funding fees can be static or dynamic, so the cost of taking money out depends on the asset and the route chosen. Deposit and withdrawal fees are listed as varying by method and currency rather than as a single price.
Which apps and platforms can I use?+
Kraken runs on Kraken App, Kraken Pro and Kraken Desktop, aimed at beginners and experienced traders alike. Support is available over email, chat and phone, so help is not tied to a single channel, and the model is described as commission-free on the listed market lines.
What can I actually trade?+
Kraken lists 728 coins, which ranks 14 of 176 brands on coin count. Markets cover crypto plus stocks, ETFs and futures, and derivatives are offered, with staking also listed among the platform features.
What is the Kraken card like?+
The card is a debit card on the mastercard network, with a monthly fee of €0 and a currency conversion fee of 0%. It pays cashback of 2% and reaches 600 currencies, so spending balances directly from the account is the point rather than a rewards scheme.
Sources
- coingecko.com/en/exchanges/kraken checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Coins listed, Founded
“id=kraken; coins=728; pairs=1441”
- esma.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2024-12/CASPS.csv checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Investor protection, Legal entity, Licences
“ae_homeMemberState=IE”
- krak.app/card checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Card type, Cashback rate, Currencies, Currency conversion fee, Monthly fee, Card network
“Get your Krak Card - The debit card with no monthly fees”
- support.kraken.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000381846 checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Fiat deposit methods
“ACH (Plaid), Debit card, Apple Pay / Google Pay, SEPA / SEPA Instant (Plaid), SWIFT and bank transfer; the most common method is bank transfer”
- support.kraken.com/hc/en-us/articles/where-is-kraken-lice... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Regulators
- kraken.com/affiliate checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience, Platforms
“Easiest way to buy crypto, built for newcomers”
- kraken.com/features/24-7-support checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“Send us a message 24/7; voice support is now available on our mobile apps; submit a request through one of our support forms and our team will get back to you by email; our Support Center is loaded...”
- kraken.com/features/fee-schedule checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Deposit and withdrawal fees, Derivatives, Features, Maker fee, Markets, Pricing model, Stock trade fee, Taker fee, Withdrawal fee
“Kraken's deposit and withdrawal transaction fees are based on the method and currency used”
- kraken.com/proof-of-reserves checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Exchange type, Proof of reserves
“Your BTC asset balance held under Kraken custody will include your BTC balance at the time”
- kraken.com/wallet checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Backup options, Custody, Price, Wallet type
“How do I back up my Kraken Wallet? Write down your Secret Recovery Phrase and store it in a secure location.”
Compiled from 10 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Related by the facts
kraken
A single regulated account covering crypto, stocks, ETFs and futures, paired with a self-custody wallet and a Mastercard debit card.