Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, has completed its acquisition of Bitnomial, thereby opening a CFTC regulated route to provide crypto derivatives in the U.S. This acquisition has positioned Payward as a domestic digital asset derivatives provider that is fully licensed, which is a significant move in the offering of institutional and retail accesses to compliant futures, options, and margin products in the evolving Web3 infrastructure.
Acquisition Completes Full CFTC Licensing Stack
Now that the Bitnomial acquisition has been completed, Payward is a holder of Futures Commission Merchant, Designated Contract Market, and Derivatives Clearing Organization licenses from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Bitnomial is a Chicago-based crypto-native exchange and will continue operating within Payward while keeping its regulatory framework and third-party businesses. These licenses lay a compliant base for Payward to offer spot margin, perpetuals, and options to qualified U.S. clients on Kraken and NinjaTrader platforms.
Also Read: Kraken Bitnomial Acquisition Expands US Crypto Derivatives Access
Derivatives Rollout Begins with Spot Margin
Payward co-CEO Arjun Sethi verified that the introduction will commence with spot margin trading services on Kraken, and afterwards, continue with perpetuals and options. In order to scale up its U.S. derivatives business, the company is also considering growing Bitnomial’s team.
The details of the transaction were not revealed; however, Payward had earlier disclosed its intention to acquire Bitnomial for up to $550 million in cash and stock, with the value of Payward’s equity being $20 billion.
Also Read: Kraken parent Payward acquires Bitnomial in $550M derivatives expansion deal
Expanding Global Footprint and Institutional Channels
This transaction will enable banks, brokerages, and payment providers to utilize new channels for offering U.S. derivatives to their clients. In addition to the U.S. market, Payward already has regulated derivatives businesses in the UK, and the company introduced EU products last year. The acquisition comes after a $200 million investment from Deutsche Börse Group and Payward’s confidential filing of the S-1 document with the SEC in November as the company gears up for a potential public offering.
Also Read: Kraken IPO Plans Remain Active as CEO Dismisses Reports of Pause in 2026
