Deutsche Börse deepens Kraken partnership with $200m investment

Deutsche Börse Group has invested $200m in Payward, the parent company of crypto trading platform Kraken, through a secondary share purchase.

In a statement, Deutsche Börse said the transaction gives Deutsche Börse a 1.5% fully diluted stake in Payward.

Bloomberg reported that the deal values Kraken at about $13.3bn.

Deutsche Börse’s investment follows a partnership between the two companies announced last December. The exchange operator said the latest investment “deepens the strategic partnership”.

The two firms said they aim to use their combined capabilities to connect traditional financial markets with the digital asset sector.

Covering trading, custody, settlement, collateral management and tokenised assets, the partnership is expected to support new products and services. The companies said these offerings will provide access to both ecosystems for institutional clients.

Deutsche Börse said: “This investment highlights Deutsche Börse Group’s commitment to its digital asset strategy, which involves the development of a comprehensive, hybrid market infrastructure.

“This infrastructure will be capable of processing assets of any technical form, including traditional securities and blockchain-native tokens, within a unified liquidity pool.”

The deal is subject to standard closing conditions, including relevant regulatory approvals. Deutsche Börse said it expects the transaction to close in the second quarter of this year.

Kraken is one of the longest-operating cryptocurrency exchanges. As of May 2025, Kraken clients can trade more than 300 digital assets and six national currencies.

In June last year, Kraken launched Krak, a peer-to-peer payments app designed to support cross-border transfers in both fiat currency and crypto.

“Deutsche Börse deepens Kraken partnership with $200m investment” was originally created and published by Electronic Payments International, a GlobalData owned brand.

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