Kraken expands in Europe with regulated crypto derivatives
Kraken launched regulated derivatives trading under the EU's MiFID II, offering perpetual and fixed maturity crypto futures contracts to retail and institutional customers in the EEA. This follows Kraken's acquisition of a MiFID license via a Cypriot investment firm approved by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission. Kraken's head of exchange highlighted Europe's rapid growth in digital asset trading and the demand for comprehensive offerings within a regulated framework. The derivatives will enhance capital efficiency, liquidity access, and sophisticated trading strategies. Kraken also acquired futures trading platform NinjaTrader, reporting a 19% revenue increase to $471.7 million in Q1. Other exchanges, including Coinbase and Gemini, are expanding their crypto derivatives offerings in Europe. Synthetix plans to re-acquire the crypto options platform Derive, pending community approval.
