Kraken has launched regulated derivatives trading in Europe, aligning with the EU's Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II). Retail and institutional clients across the European Economic Area (EEA) can now trade perpetual and fixed maturity futures contracts. These contracts already see trading volumes between $1 billion and $2 billion daily. The necessary licenses were obtained via a Cypriot investment firm, Greenfield Wealth, from the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC). This step follows notable industry movements, including Coinbase's acquisition of Deribit and other exchanges entering the European market. Kraken's established infrastructure ensures clients benefit from existing contracts that assure significant liquidity and lower execution costs. Moreover, Kraken's recent connectivity application allows neobanks and fintechs in Europe to provide clients with access to these derivatives. The trend of acquiring licenses in smaller jurisdictions is gaining traction among crypto firms as they seek regulatory compliance while expanding their services.

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