Kraken has started offering eligible customers in the European Economic Area access to more than 7,000 US stocks. Users can manage traditional shares, cryptocurrencies and tokenized xStocks products through the same account.
The new service is available only to eligible EEA customers. Turkey is outside this region, so residents of the country should not assume they can access the service.
Kraken adds more than 7,000 US stocks
According to Kraken’s August 18 announcement, investors can directly buy and sell more than 7,000 US stocks. Trading is available through Kraken Pro on desktop and mobile, as well as the standard Kraken app.
Payward Europe Digital Solutions (CY) Limited provides the traditional stock service. The company is an authorized investment firm operating under the European Union’s MiFID II framework.
Kraken said eligible customers will pay no commission on direct stock trades. However, foreign exchange costs, spreads and other fees may still apply.
The platform supports more than 600 crypto assets alongside traditional stocks. Kraken also offers over 700 tokenized stocks and exchange-traded funds under its xStocks brand.
Users can therefore access US markets without moving capital from their crypto accounts to another brokerage. For some companies, traditional shares and their tokenized versions will be available side by side.
Traditional shares and xStocks provide different rights
Although both products may track the same company’s price, their legal structures differ. A traditional share represents a direct ownership interest in a company.
xStocks are tokenized representations of real shares. Each token is backed one-to-one by the corresponding share held through custodial institutions.
However, xStocks holders do not become direct shareholders of the underlying company. The tokens do not provide voting rights, access to company information or direct ownership claims over the underlying shares.
Dividends are also not distributed as conventional cash payments. Their economic value is reflected in the holder’s balance of the same token through a rebasing mechanism.
Jersey-based Backed Assets (JE) Limited issues the xStocks products. According to the legal disclosure in Kraken’s announcement, they are offered through Payward Digital Solutions, which is licensed by the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
Kraken also states that xStocks are not registered with local securities regulators. The protections available under MiFID II for direct shares should therefore not be treated as identical to those governing xStocks.
xStocks extend trading beyond traditional market hours
Traditional shares remain tied to US exchange hours and brokerage infrastructure. xStocks can be traded 24 hours a day, five days a week by eligible EEA customers.
The tokenized products can also be withdrawn to compatible self-custody wallets. Users can store them outside Kraken or use them through supported on-chain applications.
This flexibility introduces additional risks. Smart contract problems, incompatible wallets, blockchain outages and third-party applications could expose investors to losses.
Although xStocks track their underlying shares, liquidity may be lower outside regular market hours. The difference between the token price and the traditional share price could therefore widen temporarily.
Kraken said cumulative xStocks transaction volume has exceeded $38 billion since the products launched. The latest integration expands its strategy of combining crypto exchange and traditional brokerage services on one platform.
Customers in Turkey are outside the launch area
The service covers the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, which together form the European Economic Area. Turkey is not an EEA member.
Kraken has yet to confirm whether customers residing in Turkey can access the new selection of more than 7,000 US stocks. Eligibility may depend on a customer’s country of residence and account verification details rather than citizenship alone.
Kraken plans to expand its integrated stock offering into additional markets over the coming months. The company has not announced a launch date for Turkey.
