Kraken's parent company Payward saw a 3% year-over-year revenue growth in the first quarter, with the derivatives business surging 51%.

BlockBeats News, May 18th, Payward, the parent company of Kraken, announced its 2026 Q1 performance, with adjusted revenue reaching $507 million, a 3% year-over-year growth achieved amidst the overall downturn in the crypto market.

The report indicates that Payward's futures business performed strongly during the period, with futures' daily average revenue trades (DARTs) increasing by 51% year-over-year, mainly driven by the expansion of NinjaTrader, Breakout, and derivatives businesses.

However, the company's adjusted EBITDA decreased to $18 million. Payward stated that it continues to focus on investment in mergers and acquisitions, product development, and regulatory infrastructure building, rather than solely pursuing short-term profits.

Data shows that during Q1 2026, Bitcoin dropped by 22%, total crypto market cap shrank by 23%, and industry spot trading volume decreased by 38%. In comparison, Kraken's performance remained relatively stable during the bear market.

Payward's Co-CEO, Arjun Sethi, stated: "Where others pulled back, we leaned in."

Furthermore, the company also disclosed that Kraken's spot market share has increased from around 3.5% in mid-2025 to 5.2% in March 2026; funded accounts on the platform grew by 47% year-over-year to 6.1 million, with platform assets under management reaching $40 billion.