Ireland · Crypto
Payward Global Solutions Limited
Trading asKraken, Kraken Digital Asset Exchange
Payward Global Solutions Limited is a private company limited by shares, incorporated in Ireland and based in Dublin. The Central Bank of Ireland authorises it under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) as a crypto-asset service provider to operate a trading platform for crypto-assets (reference C559106). The firm belongs to the Payward group, which trades as Kraken, and serves customers in the EEA. Two Irish group affiliates hold separate Central Bank of Ireland authorisations: Payward Europe Solutions Limited for custody and other crypto-asset services, and Payward Ireland Limited for e-money and fiat services.
Licences and registrations
Held by Payward Global Solutions Limited (LEI 9845003D98SCC2851458). 1 entry on 1 of the 22 tracked registers, retrieved 25 September 2026.
| Register | Licence | Number | Jurisdiction | Status | Registered | Ends | Activities | Register entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESMA interim MiCA register of crypto-asset service providersCentral Bank of Ireland (CBI) | Crypto-asset service providerCrypto-Asset Service Provider | 9845003D98SCC2851458 | Ireland | Active | 2025-06-25 | — |
|
Search the register ↗ |
Trading names on the register: Kraken, Kraken Digital Asset Exchange (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
Customers
Not published
Employees
Not published
Ownership
Group subsidiary
Firm type
Crypto exchange or broker
Trades as Kraken
- Ownership
- The firm is part of the Kraken group, which is headed by Payward, Inc. The direct shareholder is not disclosed in the sources reviewed.
- Ultimate owner
- Payward, Inc., United States
- Head office
- 70 Sir John Rogerson's Quay, D02 R296 Dublin 2, Ireland
- Company register
- CRO 744768
- Incorporated
- 11 Jul 2023
Online
- Websites & references
- kraken.com ↗
pro.kraken.com ↗ Kraken Pro trading interface, named in the exchange trading rules as an access point to the platform
docs.kraken.com ↗ API documentation
status.kraken.com ↗ platform status page - Official social accounts
- LinkedIn ↗ · X ↗ · Facebook ↗ · Instagram ↗ · YouTube ↗ · TikTok ↗ · Reddit ↗
Sources · 15 pages consulted
- support.kraken.com/articles/where-is-kraken-licensed-or-regulated
- kraken.com/legal/disclosures
- kraken.com/
- kraken.com/legal/exchangetradingrules
- kraken.com/legal/MiCAR
- lei.bloomberg.com/leis/view/9845003D98SCC2851458
- blog.kraken.com/news/mica-license-central-bank-of-ireland
- businesswire.com/news/home/20250625529871/en/Kraken-Secures-MiCA-License-from-Central-Bank-of-Ireland-Ceme
- financedublin.com/articles/22620/Kraken+becomes+Ireland&
- blog.kraken.com/news/industry-news/europe-mica-switch
- blog.kraken.com/news/800-million-raise-to-advance-strategic-roadmap
- coindesk.com/business/2026/09/26/kraken-s-parent-payward-is-betting-billions-on-becoming-financial-inf
- coindesk.com/business/2026/09/02/kraken-parent-payward-pushes-ipo-back-to-mid-2027-at-earliest
- financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/kraken-reports-dark-web-ransom-threat-denies-breach/
- insidebitcoins.com/news/kraken-raises-800m-from-citadel-other-institutions-at-20b-valuation-ahead-of-reporte
Authorisation
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
- Operates under
- Its own licences
The Central Bank of Ireland authorises the firm under MiCA as a crypto-asset service provider to operate a trading platform for crypto-assets (reference C559106). Kraken states that this licence is passported to all EEA countries.
| Authority | Licence or registration | Number | Held | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Bank of Ireland Ireland | Crypto-asset service provider (MiCA): operation of a trading platform for crypto-assets | C559106 | In its own name | Active | support.kraken.com ↗ |
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
- Not disclosedThe firm does not state its own safeguarding method. The exchange trading rules say assets are held in custody under local legal requirements and point to Kraken's proof of reserves.
- Crypto-asset custody
- Not disclosedThe firm operates the trading platform. Its affiliate Payward Europe Solutions Limited holds the group's separate MiCA authorisation for custody and administration of crypto-assets.
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 operates the Kraken exchange's central limit order book and matching engine for crypto-asset and fiat trading pairs under its MiCA trading-platform authorisation.
Kraken states that its Irish licences are passported to all 30 EEA countries and that EEA customers contract with the Irish entities.
- Revenue
- USD 1.5bn
- Sells to
- Consumers · Enterprises · Financial institutions
- 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
- Latest funding round
- USD 800m Nov 2025Led by Jane Street, DRW Venture Capital, HSG, Oppenheimer Alternative Investment Management, Tribe Capital, Citadel Securities
Leadership
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
- Executive
- Andrew Mulvenny Head of Crypto-Asset Service Provider Trading Platform (Kraken)
- Executive
- Arjun Sethi Co-CEO, Payward and Kraken (group level)
Recent events 1 enforcement or investigation item
Researched 29 Sep 2026 · Sources
-
Other
CoinDesk reported that group parent Payward had postponed its planned initial public offering to the second quarter of 2027 at the earliest.
coindesk.com ↗ -
Merger / acquisition
Group parent Payward completed its acquisition of the stablecoin payments firm Reap, having completed its Bitnomial acquisition in May 2026.
coindesk.com ↗ -
Security incident
Kraken said a criminal group was trying to extort it with videos of internal systems. It said its systems were not compromised and client funds were secure.
financemagnates.com ↗ -
Funding
The Kraken group announced a USD 800 million raise, including a USD 200 million strategic investment from Citadel Securities at a USD 20 billion valuation.
blog.kraken.com ↗ -
Licence
The Central Bank of Ireland authorised the firm as a MiCA crypto-asset service provider, alongside its affiliate Payward Europe Solutions Limited.
financedublin.com ↗
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. · ESMA-CASP
- 9845003D98SCC2851458
- BIC
- Holds no BIC in Swift’s directory
- How the LEI was matched
- Published by the register
- Market identifier codes
- PESL · PGSL
- Elucidate firm ID
- 13329aff457a
Profile
- Type
- CryptoCrypto-asset service providers, virtual-asset trading platforms and stablecoin issuers. 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
- 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
- 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
- Incomplete: no town published
- The register publishes no town as a separate field. A CBPR+ postal address needs at least a town name (TwnNm) and a country (Ctry).
The LEI record in GLEIF holds a structured legal address.
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.
Market identifiers
2 trading venues and reporting services run under this LEI
| MIC | Market | Kind | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| PESL | PAYWARD EUROPE SOLUTIONS LIMITED (KRAKEN)PESL | Operating MIC | Crypto-asset service provider |
| PGSL | PAYWARD GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LIMITED (KRAKEN) - IEPGSL | Operating MIC | Crypto-asset service provider |
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 →Register for this page
- 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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