Kraken to Buy NinjaTrader for $1.5B to Enter U.S. Crypto Futures Market

Crypto exchange Kraken is buying U.S. futures trading platform NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion, the firm said on Thursday.

Through the acquisition, Kraken can now offer crypto futures and derivatives in the U.S. as NinjaTrader is a CFTC-licensed platform. Also, Kraken's U.K, EU and Australian licenses will allow NinjaTrader to expand in those regions.

NinjaTrader was founded in 2003 and provides futures trading tools to almost 2 million traders. The tr

"This transaction is the first step in our vision of an institutional-grade trading platform where any asset can be traded, anytime,” said Arjun Sethi, Kraken’s co-CEO.

"Joining forces with Kraken allows us to take this vision to a global scale, expanding our reach and unlocking innovative new use cases,” said Marty Franchi, CEO of NinjaTrader.

The transaction, which is subject to closing conditions, is expected to close by the end of the first half of 2025, Kraken said.

The Wall Street Journal reported the transaction earlier, citing people familiar with the matter.