Kraken Staking review
Updated September 28, 2026 · SumCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Kraken Staking is for anyone who wants their crypto in their own hands on a phone, not parked with an exchange. It costs $0, keeps self custody and backs up with seed, under the wider group's regulatory registrations, so the running cost of holding is as light as this category gets.
Key facts
- Best for
- A phone wallet that holds your own keys and costs $0.
- Wallet type
- Mobile↗
- Price
- $0↗
- Custody
- Self custody↗
- Backup options
- Seed↗
- Legal entity
- Payward Europe Solutions Limited↗
- Headquarters
- Ireland↗
- Founded
- 2011↗
- Support channels
- Email, Phone, Help-centre, Community↗
- Features
- Self-custody
- Official website
- kraken.com
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 4 sources
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- App Store
- Elsewhere
- WikidataLinkedInXreddit.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- Price is $0, so there is no hardware outlay to weigh against this wallet
- Custody is self custody, so the keys never leave your control
- Support runs on email, phone and help centre, so a phone line and email sit alongside a help centre
- The group behind it is registered with the MiCA CASP 9845003D98SCC2851458 and the 757895
Cons
- Recovery rests on seed, so a seed stored carelessly means a lost wallet
- It is a mobile wallet, so the keys sit on a carried device rather than a device you plug in
Who it suits
- People who want the keys on their own phone, with self custody rather than a provider-held balance
- Readers who do not want to pay for a device, since the price is $0
- Anyone comfortable handling seed backups without hand-waving the security
Who should look elsewhere
- eToro suits readers who would rather hold a balance on custodial terms and let the provider keep the keys
- Trezor suits anyone who wants a hardware device kept away from a phone
- Bitpanda suits people who want the provider to hold the balance, on custodial terms
How Kraken Staking compares
9.6 vs 9.1
9.6 vs 9.4
9.6 vs 9.4
9.6 vs 9.4
9.6 vs 8.5
9.6 vs 9.4
9.6 vs 8.7
9.6 vs 9.2Custodial holding, custodial, so the balance stays with the provider and there is no seed to manage.
9.6 vs 8.7
9.6 vs 9.3
9.6 vs 9.0
9.6 vs 9.2
9.6 vs 9.5
9.6 vs 9.0A hardware device, which suits readers who want keys held on separate hardware rather than a phone app.
9.6 vs 8.6
9.6 vs 8.5
9.6 vs 8.3
9.6 vs 9.5
9.6 vs 9.4
9.6 vs 9.4
9.6 vs 9.3
9.6 vs 9.3
9.6 vs 9.3
9.6 vs 9.3
9.6 vs 9.3
9.6 vs 9.3
9.6 vs 9.2
9.6 vs 9.2
9.6 vs 9.0
9.6 vs 9.0
9.6 vs 9.0
9.6 vs 9.0
9.6 vs 8.9
9.6 vs 8.8
9.6 vs 8.7
9.6 vs 8.6- 9.6 vs 8.5
9.6 vs 8.5
9.6 vs 8.4- 9.6 vs 8.0
Where Kraken Staking is available
- Licence in Ireland
- Central Bank of Ireland, checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in Cyprus
- Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) (342/17), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in United Kingdom
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (757895), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in Australia
- Australian Transaction and Reporting Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) (ACN 163 237 634), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in United States
- Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) (31000270997766), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in United States
- National Mortgage Association (NMLS) (1843762), checked September 26, 2026
- 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 the Kraken Staking wallet cost?+
The price is $0, so there is nothing to pay to install the wallet. Custody is self custody, which keeps the coins under your own control. Anything beyond that sits with the wider Kraken group's trading and deposit charges rather than the wallet itself.
Who holds the coins in this wallet?+
Custody is self custody, so control of the keys stays with you rather than the provider. That is the main trade-off: your coins stay yours, but recovery work sits with you too. Backup runs through seed, so the seed is the safety net.
What happens if you lose the phone or the seed?+
Recovery rests on seed. Nothing else in the setup covers a lost phone, so a seed stored carelessly is a lost wallet. The support channels listed in email, phone and help centre can help with the app, but they do not hold a copy of your keys.
Which regulators is Kraken registered with?+
The group is licensed by the MiCA CASP 9845003D98SCC2851458 in Ireland, the 757895 in the UK, the 342/17 in Cyprus and the ACN 163 237 634 in Australia. In the US it holds 31000270997766 and 1843762.
Who runs the wallet?+
The European entity behind the group is Payward Europe Solutions Limited, based in Ireland, and the group has been running since 2011. The wallet sits inside that operation rather than a separate company. Custody is self custody, so the entity's job is the app and the accounts opened through it.
Is it a hardware or a phone wallet?+
It is a mobile wallet, so the keys live on a device you carry rather than one you plug into a computer. That makes balances easy to check on the move, and it also means a lost or wiped phone matters more. Trezor takes the other route as a hardware device.
How do you get help?+
Support runs on email, phone and help centre, so a phone line and email sit alongside a help centre, with a community option too, giving an urgent problem several routes. Custody being self custody does not change that: support can walk you through the app but cannot move coins for you.
How does it compare with eToro or Bitpanda?+
Both of those run on custodial custody, so the balance belongs to the provider and recovery is their problem. Kraken Staking is self custody with seed, so control and recovery sit with you. Trezor takes the other route entirely as a hardware device.
Sources
- coingecko.com/en/exchanges/kraken checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded
“year_established=2011”
- esma.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2024-12/CASPS.csv checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Legal entity, Licences
“ae_homeMemberState=IE”
- kraken.com/legal/disclosures checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“you may contact Payward Interactive, Inc. at 1-888-720-8670 and/or https://support.kraken.com/hc/en-us”
- kraken.com/wallet checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Backup options, Custody, Features, 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 5 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Coins supported.