Kraken Blurs Lines Between TradFi and DeFi with European US Equity Launch

Kraken, a cryptocurrency exchange, has expanded its services to allow European users to hold and trade US equities alongside their existing cryptocurrency and tokenized stock offerings. The move is part of a trend where cryptocurrency exchanges are expanding into traditional financial markets.

The service is available through Kraken's Pro platform and mobile app, and allows eligible European Economic Area (EEA) customers to access more than 7,000 US equities with commission-free trading. The company plans to expand this offering to additional markets in the coming months.

Kraken has also launched a tokenized stock product called xStocks, which are backed 1:1 by underlying shares and can be transferred to self-custody wallets. This allows customers to hold both traditional shares and their tokenized equivalents within the same regulated account.