Kraken has made a bold move into the traditional derivatives market, announcing full support for CME Group futures contracts, a major step that positions the crypto-native exchange squarely against established US futures brokers.
Launched this October under Kraken Derivatives US, the new offering gives traders access to the world’s most liquid futures markets — including equity indices, commodities, FX, and crypto, all through a single regulated platform.
Futures trading on Kraken just got bigger
The expansion allows users to trade CME futures across all four major exchanges, CME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX, covering contracts from the S&P 500, NASDAQ and Dow Jones to gold, oil, silver, soybeans and FX majors. This bridges the gap between traditional and digital asset markets, with Kraken aiming to become a one-stop shop for sophisticated traders.
Competitive fees and free data
Kraken is touting ultra-low fees of just 0.5 basis points per trade, a rate designed to undercut most retail-focused FCMs. Funded non-professional clients also receive free Level 1 CME market data, while professional traders can subscribe to Level 2 depth for $140 per exchange each month.
The platform’s latest release also enhances its advanced order forms, allowing users to modify open orders without losing position in the book, a small but notable upgrade for active futures traders.
Kraken’s regulated futures arm
Kraken Derivatives US operates through NinjaTrader Clearing LLC, doing business as Kraken Derivatives US, a registered Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) regulated by the CFTC and a member of the NFA. The move follows a series of integrations between Kraken and NinjaTrader Group, expanding the exchange’s reach beyond crypto derivatives.
What this means for traditional futures brokers
By connecting retail and professional users directly to CME markets, Kraken is positioning itself as a serious alternative to established names such as Interactive Brokers, TradeStation, and NinjaTrader itself. The move could help bridge the long-standing gap between crypto-native platforms and the traditional derivatives world, a space historically dominated by legacy brokers.
Futures trading remains complex and carries high risk, but Kraken’s latest expansion signals a new era of crossover between digital asset exchanges and the broader futures industry.
Futures products and services on Kraken are provided by NinjaTrader Clearing LLC dba Kraken Derivatives US, a regulated FCM registered with the CFTC and a member of the NFA (ID 0309379). Trading futures involves substantial risk and is not suitable for all investors.
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