eumicaESMA data

Kraken

CEXkraken.com

Is Kraken MiCA-licensed?

Yes: Licensed in Ireland (Central Bank of Ireland) since June 2025

Licensed

Status definitions

Licensed
Current MiCA register entry (Article 63 authorisation or an eligible Article 60 route).
Pending
Application filed or publicly committed. No current register entry yet.
Restricted
No current entry, and the firm is restricting or withdrawing services for EEA users.
Not licensed
No current MiCA authorisation, including firms whose transitional period ended.
Out of scope
Protocol model that may fall under MiCA Recital 22. Scope is fact-specific.
Unclear
We could not match a current register entry from public sources.
Current MiCA register entry (Article 63 authorisation or an eligible Article 60 route).

Checked 14 Oct 2026 against the ESMA register (snapshot 6 Oct 2026)

Kraken register record

Registered EEA entity
Payward Europe Solutions Limited
LEI
254900641D8KNHUZYX24GLEIF issued
Supervising or reporting authority
Central Bank of IrelandCentral Bank of Ireland (CBI)
Home state in register
IE Ireland
Authorised
MiCA services
8 of 10
EEA passporting
Notified in 29 host states
Exchange type
CEX
Last verified
Against the ESMA snapshot of 6 Oct 2026

8 of 10 services authorised

Art. 3(1)(16)
  • CustodyAuthorised
  • Trading platformNot held
  • Exchange crypto/fiatAuthorised
  • Exchange crypto/cryptoAuthorised
  • Execution of ordersAuthorised
  • PlacingAuthorised
  • Reception and transmissionAuthorised
  • AdviceNot held
  • Portfolio managementAuthorised
  • Transfer servicesAuthorised

Available in 30 of 30 states

Art. 65

Home state plus 29 host states notified under Article 65.

  1. Austria, passported
  2. Belgium, passported
  3. Bulgaria, passported
  4. Croatia, passported
  5. Cyprus, passported
  6. Czechia, passported
  7. Denmark, passported
  8. Estonia, passported
  9. Finland, passported
  10. France, passported
  11. Germany, passported
  12. Greece, passported
  13. Hungary, passported
  14. Iceland, passported
  15. Ireland, home state
  16. Italy, passported
  17. Latvia, passported
  18. Liechtenstein, passported
  19. Lithuania, passported
  20. Luxembourg, passported
  21. Malta, passported
  22. Netherlands, passported
  23. Norway, passported
  24. Poland, passported
  25. Portugal, passported
  26. Romania, passported
  27. Slovakia, passported
  28. Slovenia, passported
  29. Spain, passported
  30. Sweden, passported
  • Home IE
  • Passported 29
  • Not notified 0

Kraken MiCA status in detail

Yes, Kraken has a current MiCA register entry supervised by Central Bank of Ireland in Ireland, dated Jun 2025. The Central Bank of Ireland authorised Payward Europe Solutions Limited in June 2025. Kraken was the first major global platform that the bank authorised. Payward Global Solutions holds a separate authorisation to operate the trading platform.

Practical effect: The named EEA entity is supervised for the services in its current MiCA register entry. Conduct and disclosure rules apply. Safeguarding and custody liability depend on the service and the entity that holds the assets or funds. You can escalate complaints to Central Bank of Ireland.

Read what a CASP licence covers, or compare tracked licensed exchanges on register facts.

Which Kraken entities serve EU users

Kraken uses two Irish companies for MiCA. The Central Bank of Ireland authorised both on 25 June 2025. Payward Europe Solutions Limited holds eight services: custody, exchange of crypto-assets for funds, exchange of crypto-assets for other crypto-assets, execution of orders, placing, reception and transmission of orders, portfolio management, and transfers. ESMA lists every other EEA state as a host state for it.

Payward Global Solutions Limited holds one service, the operation of a trading platform. The ESMA register lists Cyprus as its only host state. Before MiCA, Kraken held national registrations in Ireland, Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. Its Irish VASP registration dates from April 2023.

Kraken derivatives and other products for EU users

Kraken offers derivatives in the EEA through a Cyprus investment firm, Payward Europe Digital Solutions (CY) Ltd, under CySEC licence 342/17. It launched perpetual and fixed-maturity futures for EEA clients under MiFID II on 20 May 2025. Kraken said on 19 June 2026 that spot, futures, Earn and tokenised equities were available to EEA users, with e-money services through Payward Ireland Ltd. German clients moved to Payward Europe Solutions Limited on 1 August 2025.

What changed for Kraken users on 1 July 2026

Kraken said on 23 June 2026 that its full platform would stay open after the 1 July 2026 backstop, with no wind-downs and no new restrictions. Earlier, the Dutch central bank DNB collected a penalty of 4 million euros from Payward International Markets Ltd for crypto services in the Netherlands without registration. DNB published that decision on 5 April 2024.

Kraken is also moving into banking in the EU. CoinDesk reported on 7 July 2026 that it was seeking a Lithuanian bank licence. On 14 October 2026 a report citing the Financial Times said Payward had agreed to buy Saldo Bank UAB in Vilnius, subject to approval by the ECB and the Bank of Lithuania.

What changed, and when

  1. Status checked: Licensed

    Re-verified against the ESMA register and the cited sources.

  2. Authorised by Central Bank of Ireland (CBI)

    Payward Europe Solutions Limited entered the ESMA register.

Common questions

Who regulates Kraken in the EU?

Kraken has a current MiCA register entry with no separate legal-route classification in our curated entry in Ireland, dated Jun 2025. Central Bank of Ireland supervises the entry. The registered entity is Payward Europe Solutions Limited. The ESMA register is the source of truth for the current entity and service scope.

Can Kraken serve customers across the whole EEA?

ESMA's register lists all 29 other EEA states as host states for the services in Kraken's home entry. The list records notifications to host regulators. It is not evidence that every service is live in each country, so check the contracting entity for your country.

Does MiCA protect my funds on Kraken?

MiCA applies conduct and disclosure rules to the registered EEA entity for the recorded service. Safeguarding duties depend on which service and entity hold client crypto-assets or funds. Article 75 covers custody liability for attributable loss and caps that liability. MiCA does not provide a deposit guarantee, and crypto-assets can lose value.

How do I verify Kraken's licence myself?

Search the official ESMA CASP register for Payward Europe Solutions Limited. National regulators update the records each week. Use the official register as the authoritative source.

Back to the full register

EU MiCA is an independent tracker. ESMA and national regulators do not operate this site. The content is for information only and does not provide legal, financial or investment advice. Crypto-assets involve high risk. Users must be aged 18 or older.

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