Kraken Expands US Licensing With Acquisition of TradeStation Crypto

The digital currency trading platform Kraken has announced the acquisition of TradeStation Crypto, a branch of the TradeStation Group.

Reported by Seeking Alpha on Thursday (April 18), Kraken’s latest move is intended to boost its regulatory footprint across the U.S.

“This step is key for our strategy to enhance Kraken’s presence in the U.S. market and sparks further growth and new offerings for us stateside,” commented a spokesperson for Kraken.

TradeStation Crypto, which holds various state-specific regulatory licenses, was cited in the report.

Yet, as noted in the report, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) fined the company $1.5 million for launching an unregistered crypto lending product.

Kraken similarly faced issues with the SEC, which charged the firm in November for the co-mingling of funds and functioning as an unregistered trading venue. The company has since expressed its disagreement with the SEC’s viewpoints and is prepared to contest these claims in court.

According to a blog post, Kraken reassured that there were no allegations of fraud or other customer detrimental activities in the complaint.

At the Chainalysis Links event in NY on April 10, Kraken’s chief compliance officer CJ Rinaldi emphasized the importance of proactive communication with regulatory bodies. He noted that Kraken, as well as other firms, are heavily investing in compliance infrastructure and hope their experience can serve as lessons for others in the industry.

In addition, Kraken launched Kraken Institutional in February—a comprehensive suite of products for institutions and high-net-worth investors.