Kraken opens regulated perpetual futures to US traders onshore

Kraken launches CFTC-regulated perpetual futures for US traders

Kraken has launched perpetual futures for eligible US clients on Kraken Pro. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulates the contracts, which now sit alongside spot, margin, and Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME)-listed futures on one interface. Perpetual futures track an asset's price with no expiry or settlement date, so a position can stay open indefinitely. That structure lets traders hold leveraged long or short exposure without owning the underlying asset or rolling contracts forward.

Bitnomial acquisition gave Kraken a regulated US stack

The contracts are listed on Bitnomial, a CFTC-regulated exchange acquired by Kraken's parent company, Payward. Payward agreed to buy Bitnomial for up to $550 million in cash and stock, and completed the deal in May 2026. Bitnomial holds the full set of US derivatives licenses, covering exchange, clearinghouse, and brokerage roles, which gave Payward a regulated foundation for the launch. Perpetuals are offered through NinjaTrader Clearing, LLC, doing business as Kraken Derivatives US, a CFTC-registered futures commission merchant.

Launch covers major tokens with eight-hour funding rates

At launch, eligible clients can trade a suite of major digital assets, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Solana (SOL), and XRP. The contracts trade with an eight-hour funding rate, the conventional structure for crypto perpetuals. Every eight hours, a funding payment passes between long and short position holders, which keeps the contract price anchored to the spot market. The contracts share the same futures wallet as Kraken's existing CME futures, so traders can manage both positions side by side. Kraken plans to expand the contract set and add broader collateral options over time.

Perpetual futures dominate global crypto derivatives trading

Perpetual futures are the most widely traded derivatives in digital asset markets. According to Kraken, the product generated more than $60 trillion in annual trading volume in 2025. US traders have had limited regulated options to access perpetuals, with most activity taking place on offshore platforms. The launch brings that activity onshore through a CFTC-regulated venue.

"US traders have been waiting for a regulated, domestic way to trade the product that defines global crypto derivatives markets", 15 June 2026. — Darius Tabatabai, Head of Kraken Pro

Launch follows new CFTC guidance on perpetual futures

The launch follows recent moves by the CFTC to bring perpetual futures onshore. The agency signaled in May 2026 that regulated US platforms could list the contracts. For Kraken, the rollout caps a year of derivatives expansion. The company added Chicago Mercantile Exchange-listed crypto futures in July 2025 and margin trading for eligible US clients earlier this month.

Bitcoin price at the time of publication

Bitcoin traded at $66,155 at the time of publication, down 0.6% over the previous 24 hours (NewsFlash, 16 June 2026). Its market value stood near $1.33 trillion, which kept it the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization (NewsFlash, 16 June 2026).

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