Kraken Enters Stock Trading Arena, Merging Crypto and U.S. Equities in One Platform

Crypto exchange Kraken is broadening its horizons beyond digital assets, officially rolling out commission-free U.S. stock and ETF trading to users in select states.

This new feature allows American clients to manage cryptocurrencies, traditional equities, and Wall Street-listed funds under a single account—an approach that echoes platforms like Robinhood but with a crypto-first backbone.

The integration, powered by a partnership with licensed broker-dealer Alpaca, gives Kraken users access to over 11,000 stocks and ETFs. More than half of those come with fractional share options, making it easier for investors to dip into high-priced stocks without needing to buy full units.

While the offering is initially available in a limited number of U.S. states, Kraken says a nationwide rollout is on the way. The exchange is also eyeing international expansion, with plans to bring its equities service to the UK, Europe, and Australia.

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Kraken’s move represents a significant shift for the blockchain sector. While the industry has long flirted with the idea of tokenizing stocks, Kraken is one of the first major crypto-native companies to offer direct access to traditional equities without turning them into blockchain tokens—at least for now.

Co-CEO Srikar Sethi sees this as a foundational step. “Expanding into equities is a natural move and brings us closer to the tokenization of real-world assets,” he said. He added that the convergence of crypto and traditional finance is gaining momentum, and users increasingly want the freedom to manage all their investments from one unified platform.

The expansion follows Kraken’s headline-making $1.5 billion acquisition of NinjaTrader, a CFTC-registered platform, marking the largest merger between crypto and traditional finance to date. With an IPO already planned for 2026, Kraken is positioning itself to become a dominant player in both worlds.

Alexander Stefanov