Deutsche Börse joins Kraken in ambitious push to unify digital markets

Deutsche Börse Group, a global exchange organization, has entered into a strategic partnership with the US crypto exchange Kraken with a mission to bridge traditional and digital markets.

Kraken and Deutsche Börse are joining forces to create unified access across traditional and digital asset markets, according to a joint announcement on Thursday.

The companies plan to improve institutional access to regulated crypto products, including spot trading, tokenized markets, derivatives, as well as enhanced liquidity for institutions across multiple jurisdictions.

“Across our entire value this partnership will further enhance our support for institutional clients in the digital asset era and pave the way for digital capital markets,” Deutsche Börse Group CEO Stephan Leithner said.

xStocks, 360T and Eurex among multiple integrations

The partnership targets a broad set of integrations, including the addition of Kraken-backed xStocks to Deutsche Börse’s digital asset infrastructure 360X.

In the first phase of collaboration, Kraken will integrate directly with 360T, providing its clients with bank-grade FX liquidity and significantly scaling its fiat-to-crypto rails and ensuring institutional execution.

Subject to regulatory approvals, the collaboration also aims to expand Kraken’s access to Europe’s regulated futures and options markets by adding derivatives listed on the German derivatives exchange Eurex, the announcement states.

Kraken and Deutsche Börse will also work to integrate xStocks, tokenized stocks issued by Backed Finance, which Kraken plans to acquire by the end of 2025. Clearstream-held securities are also expected to be distributed in a tokenized form to Kraken’s client base, the announcement says.

“Our partnership with Deutsche Börse Group demonstrates what happens when two infrastructures designed for scale and trust intersect,” Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi said, adding:

Deutsche Börse’s CEO Leithner highlighted the company’s “ongoing commitment to shaping the future of financial markets,” noting that its partnership with Kraken combines trust and resilience of our regulated infrastructure with the innovation of the digital asset ecosystem.

Kraken has been actively expanding its presence in Europe, launching xStocks support in partnership with Backed in September.

The US exchange has also acquired major local licenses, including those under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) and the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework.