Kraken's Parent Company to Invest Up to $550 Million to Acquire Bitnomial, Accelerating U.S. Derivatives Expansion

BlockBeats News, April 17th, Kraken's parent company Payward announced that it will acquire the cryptocurrency derivative platform Bitnomial in a cash and stock deal, with a transaction value of up to $550 million.

This acquisition will allow Payward to obtain the three core licenses required for a U.S.-based compliant derivative business in one go, including a broker, a clearinghouse, and an exchange qualification, significantly shortening its compliance ramp-up time in the U.S. market.

Payward's Co-CEO stated that the core of the derivatives market lies in the clearing infrastructure, and Bitnomial's capabilities in settlement, margining, and 24/7 trading are the key value of this acquisition.

On the business side, the integrated platform will combine Bitnomial's compliance structure with Kraken and NinjaTrader's liquidity and distribution capabilities, launching products in the U.S. market including spot leverage, perpetual contracts, and options, all under the supervision of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Furthermore, this transaction will also strengthen Payward's B2B infrastructure business, allowing banks, fintech firms, and brokerages to access the U.S. compliant cryptocurrency derivative market through a single API.

In the bigger picture, Kraken is continuously enhancing its multi-asset and institutional trading capabilities through acquisitions. Previously, in 2025, it acquired the futures platform NinjaTrader for about $1.5 billion, further entering the U.S. derivative market. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions.