Today, Kraken has announced it has secured a license under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) from the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI).
The license allows Kraken to expand its regulated services across all 30 European Economic Area (EEA) member states, allowing them to scale faster across the region.
“Securing a license from the Central Bank of Ireland, with its long heritage and experience as a rigorous financial regulator, isn’t just about compliance. It’s a powerful signal of Kraken’s commitment to expanding the crypto ecosystem through responsible innovation,” said the co-CEO of Kraken Arjun Sethi.
Kraken holds Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) registrations in several European countries, including Ireland, Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain. It launched the first BTC/EUR trading pair in 2013 and has since maintained a significant presence in euro-denominated bitcoin and crypto markets.
“Being the first major global crypto platform to receive authorization from the CBI affirms Kraken’s commitment to building for the long term,” stated Sethi. “We believe trust is the most valuable currency in crypto, and it’s something you earn. Over the past several years, our team has worked tirelessly to meet the CBI’s gold standard regulatory expectations. This license reflects that effort and places us in a strong position to expand our product offering, grow our institutional and retail client base and deliver secure, accessible and fully regulated crypto services to millions more people across the EU.”
Kraken can now offer fully regulated bitcoin and crypto services EU-wide. These licenses open opportunities in spot trading, derivatives, and payments, reinforcing Kraken’s long-term commitment to transparency, and regulatory alignment.
“We’re deeply grateful to the Central Bank of Ireland for its professionalism, and to the Irish Government and IDA for their consistent support,” said Sethi. “This collaboration is a blueprint for how public and private sectors can work together to build a more secure, innovative financial future for Europe, and we’re proud to be leading the way.”
