Ireland · Payments & e-money
Payward Europe Solutions Limited
Trading asKraken · Kraken Digital Asset Exchange (�Kraken�)
Payward Europe Solutions Limited (PESL) is an Irish private company limited by shares, based in Dublin and trading as Kraken. The Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) authorised it as a crypto-asset service provider under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) on 25 June 2025. The CBI also authorised it as a payment institution on 23 February 2026. It belongs to the group of Payward, Inc., the US parent of the Kraken brand. It provides crypto-asset custody, exchange, order execution, transfer and portfolio management services to retail and institutional clients in the European Economic Area (EEA).
Licences and registrations
Held by Payward Europe Solutions Limited (LEI 254900641D8KNHUZYX24). 2 entries on 2 of the 22 tracked registers, retrieved 25 September 2026.
| Register | Licence | Number | Jurisdiction | Status | Registered | Ends | Activities | Register entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EBA PSD2 RegisterCentral Bank of Ireland | Payment institutionPayment Institution | C468360 | Ireland | Active | 2026-02-23 | — |
|
Search the register ↗ |
| ESMA interim MiCA register of crypto-asset service providersCentral Bank of Ireland (CBI) | Crypto-asset service providerCrypto-Asset Service Provider | 254900641D8KNHUZYX24 | Ireland | Active | 2025-06-25 | — |
|
Search the register ↗ |
Trading names on the register: Kraken (EBA-PSD2, ESMA-CASP), Kraken Digital Asset Exchange (�Kraken�) (EBA-PSD2, ESMA-CASP)
- Each licence applies in the country of the regulator that granted it.
- Registers are tracked in 37 countries. Licences granted elsewhere are not recorded here.
Swift network
Swift’s ISO 9362 BIC directory
Holds no BIC in Swift’s directory.
Its LEI is not mapped to a BIC in the Swift and GLEIF BIC-to-LEI relationship file.
Overview
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
Employees
Not published
Ownership
Group subsidiary
Firm type
Crypto exchange or broker
Trades as Kraken
- Ownership
- The firm is a subsidiary in the Kraken group of Payward, Inc. The direct shareholder is not published in the sources reviewed.
- Ultimate owner
- Payward, Inc., United States
- Head office
- 70 Sir John Rogerson's Quay, D02 R296 Dublin, Ireland
- Company register
- Companies Registration Office (Ireland) 711781
Online
- Websites & references
- kraken.com ↗
support.kraken.com ↗ help centre, including the licences page (brand-wide)
status.kraken.com ↗ status page (brand-wide)
blog.kraken.com ↗ blog (brand-wide) - Official social accounts
- LinkedIn ↗ · X ↗ · Facebook ↗ · Instagram ↗ · YouTube ↗ · TikTok ↗ · Reddit ↗
Sources · 16 pages consulted
- registers.centralbank.ie/FirmDataPage.aspx?firmReferenceNumber=C468360
- registers.centralbank.ie/FirmRegisterDataPage.aspx?firmReferenceNumber=C468360®ister=61
- registers.centralbank.ie/FirmRegisterDataPage.aspx?firmReferenceNumber=C468360®ister=80
- kraken.com/
- kraken.com/legal/disclosures
- support.kraken.com/articles/where-is-kraken-licensed-or-regulated
- kraken.com/legal/MiCAR
- assets-cms.kraken.com/files/51n36hrp/facade/aa5c7ed9b0f2cfd8ca49870a27cbef2792fcef23.pdf
- blog.kraken.com/product/kraken-institutional/custody-europe-mica
- blog.kraken.com/product/kraken-institutional/mica-enforcement-begins-july-1
- kraken.com/learn/how-kraken-is-regulated
- amf-france.org/en/warnings/white-lists/daspcasp/payward-europe-solutions-limited-kraken-digital-asset-ex
- lei-ireland.ie/detailed-information/42805613/254900641D8KNHUZYX24/payward-europe-solutions-limited/
- coindesk.com/business/2026/09/02/kraken-parent-payward-pushes-ipo-back-to-mid-2027-at-earliest
- coindesk.com/business/2026/09/26/kraken-s-parent-payward-is-betting-billions-on-becoming-financial-inf
- coindesk.com/business/2026/03/17/crypto-exchange-kraken-freezes-multibillion-dollar-ipo-plan-due-to-di
Authorisation
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
- Operates under
- Its own licences
The CBI authorises the firm as a crypto-asset service provider under MiCA and as a payment institution under the European Union (Payment Services) Regulations 2018. Kraken states that the MiCA authorisation is passported to all EEA countries. The CBI register lists the payment institution licence in 29 other EEA states on a freedom-of-services basis.
| Authority | Licence or registration | Number | Held | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Bank of Ireland Ireland | Authorised Crypto-Asset Service Provider (Article 63, Regulation (EU) 2023/1114) | C468360 | In its own name | Active | registers.centralbank.ie ↗ |
| Central Bank of Ireland Ireland | Payment Services Directive 2 - Institution (Regulation 18, European Union (Payment Services) Regulations 2018) | C468360 | In its own name | Active | registers.centralbank.ie ↗ |
Licences and registrations the research found, at home and abroad, as the firm and its regulators publish them. The Licences and registrations card shows the entries on the registers the directory tracks.
Partners and safeguarding
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
- Safeguarding
- Segregated safeguarding accountsThe firm states that it holds client crypto-assets in labelled client wallets, separate from its own wallets, and uses no third-party sub-custodians. It also states that it does not hold client funds, and that a Kraken group affiliate handles fiat deposits.
- Crypto-asset custody
- Held by the firmThe firm holds client crypto-assets itself in cold and hot wallets on Kraken group infrastructure. It controls the keys through quorum-based approval, and omnibus wallets may be used.
Banks and regulated firms the firm says hold its customers’ money, issue its cards, sponsor its accounts or settle its payments, as it discloses them in its terms and notices.
Products and markets
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
The firm provides Kraken's spot crypto-asset exchange, custody, transfer, OTC spot, placing and portfolio management services to EEA clients. Affiliates provide other services: Payward Ireland Limited provides fiat e-money services, Payward Global Solutions Limited operates the trading platform and a Cyprus affiliate provides derivatives.
It serves clients in all 30 EEA countries under its Irish authorisations.
- Sells to
- Consumers · Financial institutions · Enterprises
- Serves customers in 30 countries
- Austria · Belgium · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus · Czechia · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Malta · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden
Leadership
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
- Executive
- Arjun Sethi Co-CEO, Payward, Inc. and Kraken (group level, not an officer of this entity)
Recent events
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
-
Licence
The CBI authorised the firm as a payment institution under the European Union (Payment Services) Regulations 2018 on 23 February 2026.
registers.centralbank.ie ↗ -
Other
Kraken extended its institutional crypto-asset custody service to EEA clients through the firm under its MiCA authorisation.
blog.kraken.com ↗ -
Funding
Payward, Inc., the group parent, raised USD 800 million at a USD 20 billion valuation, including USD 200 million from Citadel Securities.
coindesk.com ↗ -
Licence
The CBI authorised the firm as a crypto-asset service provider under MiCA on 25 June 2025.
registers.centralbank.ie ↗
Compliance-relevant events of the last three years, newest first: fines and enforcement, investigations, security incidents, licence changes, funding rounds, acquisitions and leadership changes. Each links to its source.
Identifiers
- Licence no. · EBA-PSD2
- C468360
- Licence no. · ESMA-CASP
- 254900641D8KNHUZYX24
- BIC
- Holds no BIC in Swift’s directory
- How the LEI was matched
- Published by the register
- Elucidate firm ID
- 5d256d2fa542
Profile
- Type
- Payments & e-money · CryptoPayment institutions, e-money and stored-value issuers, and account-information providers. Licensed under payment-services law (e.g. PSD2 in the EU and UK, the Payment Services Act in Singapore). Taken from the licences on the tracked registers.
- Regulation
- Prudential licenceAuthorised with capital, safeguarding and conduct requirements, e.g. an authorised payment or e-money institution in the EU or UK, a major payment institution in Singapore, or a MiCA crypto-asset service provider.
- Main licence class
- Crypto-Asset Service Provider
- Activities
- Payment services
- Crypto-assets
- Licensed in
- Ireland · Europe & Central Asia
- First registered
- 2025-06-25
- Website
- www.kraken.com ↗
Types come from Swift’s BIC classification, the licences on the 22 tracked registers, and the ECB and FSB bank lists. Most banks outside the euro area appear as financial institutions, because their supervisors’ registers are not tracked yet.
Ownership and group
GLEIF relationship records
GLEIF’s relationship records name no parent for this LEI, and no group page is published for it.
Addresses
- Address on the register
- 70 Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland D02 R296, 70 Sir John Rogersons Quay, Not Available
- Country
- Ireland
ISO 20022 identification
As an agent in a Swift cross-border payment message (CBPR+)
This institution holds no BIC. A CBPR+ message identifies it by name and postal address, and may add its LEI or a clearing code.
- Identified by
- Name and postal address, with its LEI
- Postal address
- Hybrid: town, postcode and country in their own elements, the rest in two address lines
<FinInstnId>
<LEI>254900641D8KNHUZYX24</LEI>
<Nm>Payward Europe Solutions Limited</Nm>
<PstlAdr>
<PstCd>Not Available</PstCd>
<TwnNm>70 Sir John Rogersons Quay</TwnNm>
<Ctry>IE</Ctry>
<AdrLine>70 Sir John Rogerson's Quay</AdrLine>
<AdrLine>Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland D02 R296</AdrLine>
</PstlAdr>
</FinInstnId>CBPR+ identifies the instructing and instructed agents by BIC only. An institution without a BIC can be the debtor, creditor or an intermediary agent.
The values are as published by the register. Check them against your own records before use.
Sources & method
Register entries come from the public registers of financial regulators, standardised into one taxonomy. LEIs are matched through GLEIF, and a BIC is linked only through a shared LEI.
An institution missing from these registers is not necessarily unregulated.
Register entries are not matched against the OFAC or EU sanctions lists. Where the legal entity also holds a BIC, the matches for that BIC are on its page. Always screen against the official lists.
An institution is one entry in the directory: a BIC8 in Swift’s directory, or a firm on a tracked register that holds no BIC. Licences held by an institution with a BIC are shown on its page.
Read the methodology →Registers for this page
- EBA PSD2 Register—European Banking Authority (EBA) · source ↗ as at 25 September 2026
- ESMA interim MiCA register of crypto-asset service providers—European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) · source ↗ as at 25 September 2026
- Overview, authorisation, partners, products, leadership and events—researched per institution by an AI model with web search, from the firm's own website, terms and filings, regulators' registers and notices, company registers and news. Licences, partners, figures, people and events link to their source, and each card shows the research date. AI research can be wrong or out of date, so check key facts at the source.
Assess the financial crime risk behind a licence
A licence records what an institution is authorised to do; it does not assess it. The Elucidate FinCrime Index (EFI) is an independent score of the financial crime risk of banks and payment institutions.
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