Is Kraken custodial? Who holds your funds?
Yes. Kraken is custodial: the venue holds your funds on your behalf.
Checked 2026-10-27 · 3 sources- Exchange balances are held by Kraken. Its Wyoming-chartered subsidiary Kraken Financial (a Special Purpose Depository Institution) offers custody to eligible clients in certain states. Kraken Wallet is a separate self-custody app.
- With a custodial venue you rely on it to stay solvent and to honour withdrawals.
- We list 6 reported incidents for Kraken on its legit check.
Sources: Kraken - Fee schedule (instant buy, Kraken Pro tiers, stablecoin, futures, perps) · Kraken+ - zero trading fees subscription · Kraken Support - Where is Kraken licensed or regulated? (geographic restrictions). The venue's own page wins if it disagrees with ours.
Kraken
Exchange · 1.6% round trip. Kraken is a US-based custodial crypto exchange run by Payward, Inc., founded in San Francisco in 2011 and open to the public since September 2013. Instant buys and sells in the Kraken app carry a 1% fee plus a spread, while the Kraken Pro order book charges 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker at the entry tier.
Full Kraken sheet: fees, custody, incidents →