Is Kraken MiCA-Regulated?
Licence status verified 2026-07-02 against the ESMA CASP register
Yes — fully MiCA-authorized
Payward Europe Solutions Ltd is authorized by the Central Bank of Ireland (🇮🇪 Ireland) since June 2025, licensed for 8 of the 10 MiCA crypto-asset services, passported across the EU/EEA. Note: Trading-platform service (b) held via a second Payward entity.
Authorized entity
Payward Europe Solutions Ltd
Regulator
Central Bank of Ireland (🇮🇪 Ireland)
Spot fees (maker/taker)
0.25% / 0.4%
EU perpetual futures
Yes — 0.02% / 0.05%Via Payward Europe Digital Solutions (CySEC, MiFID II) — 150+ perp markets, up to 10x, launched May 2025
Licensed MiCA services — 8/10
- Custody & administration (a)
- Operating a trading platform (b)
- Exchange crypto ↔ fiat (c)
- Exchange crypto ↔ crypto (d)
- Execution of orders (e)
- Placing of crypto-assets (f)
- Reception & transmission of orders (g)
- Advice on crypto-assets (h)
- Portfolio management (i)
- Transfer services (j)
About Kraken in the EU
Kraken operates in the EU through Payward Europe Solutions Ltd, supervised by the Central Bank of Ireland in Ireland. The authorization was granted in June 2025 and covers 8 of the 10 MiCA crypto-asset services — the #2 broadest licence among the 16 authorized exchanges we track. One authorization passports across all 27 EU member states plus the wider EEA, so Ireland-based supervision covers customers bloc-wide.
Standard spot fees are 0.25% maker / 0.4% taker — above the 0.25% median across MiCA-authorized venues. For derivatives, Kraken via Payward Europe Digital Solutions (CySEC, MiFID II) — 150+ perp markets, up to 10x, launched May 2025 — MiCA itself does not cover perps, so this second licence is what makes the EU offering legal. Across its global platform, Kraken cleared $902M in perp volume over the last 24h (PerpFinder daily snapshot).
Kraken sign-up offer
Up to $50 bonus
Recommended MiCA exchanges
Fully authorized venues we track daily — licence breadth, fees and EU perp access verified against the ESMA register.
Kraken MiCA FAQ
Is Kraken MiCA-authorized?+
Yes. Payward Europe Solutions Ltd holds a MiCA (CASP) authorization from the Central Bank of Ireland in Ireland, granted June 2025, covering 8 of the 10 crypto-asset services. The authorization passports across all 27 EU member states and the EEA.
Can EU users trade perpetual futures on Kraken?+
Yes. Via Payward Europe Digital Solutions (CySEC, MiFID II) — 150+ perp markets, up to 10x, launched May 2025
Which MiCA services is Kraken licensed for?+
8 of 10: Custody & administration, Exchange crypto ↔ fiat, Exchange crypto ↔ crypto, Execution of orders, Placing of crypto-assets, Reception & transmission of orders, Portfolio management, Transfer services.
Which other MiCA-regulated exchanges are worth considering?+
Our recommended MiCA-authorized venues are OKX, Bybit, Coinbase. Compare every licence side by side in the full MiCA table.
Sources
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Risk Warning: Trading perpetual futures involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Only trade with funds you can afford to lose.