NFTs 101: Identity expression with PFPs

There was once a time when displaying an image of your real face on social media was standard practice. A holiday photo, a mugshot, a pic of you and your pug; these were all commonplace ways of showcasing yourself to the world. But that time...

5 min read

Kraken to end on-chain staking services for U.S. clients

Today, two Kraken subsidiaries announced a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) concerning Kraken’s on-chain staking program. Because of this settlement, Kraken has agreed to end its on-chain staking services for U.S. clients. Starting today, Kraken will automatically unstake all U.S. client...

2 min read

Ordinals: A common ground for Ethereum and Bitcoin maximalists?

Representing real-world assets on the Bitcoin blockchain is nothing new. Over a decade ago, projects like the Colored Coin protocol and Counterparty exchange proved Bitcoin could track items, not just units of currency, in a decentralized way. However, consensus issues prevented either project from gaining...

8 min read

Crypto 101: What is a consensus mechanism?

A blockchain consensus mechanism is a type of automated system that aims to accomplish two objectives: Provide a distributed, leaderless way to unanimously agree on data stored on a blockchain ledger. Make sure all network validators follow the rules of the protocol and perform their...

6 min read

Busting Crypto Myths: You don’t own anything when you buy an NFT

For the uninitiated or crypto-curious people out there, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) represent one of the more colorful sectors of the cryptocurrency industry. How is it that duplicable, oftentimes wacky pieces of digital artwork can fetch extraordinarily high prices, and why are people flocking to buy these intangible...

5 min read

Announcing Kraken OTC Portal v 2.0 featuring automated settlement

Note: Since this blog was published, the OTC portal link has moved to the top-of-page navigation: The Kraken OTC desk is constantly exploring new ways to deliver a great trading experience to our clients. Our new, fast, reliable, and easy-to-use automated settlement service seamlessly integrates...

4 min read

Announcing the 2022 Kraken Transparency Report

In an effort to lead the industry in trust and transparency on our mission to accelerate the adoption of cryptocurrency, we are excited to release our 2022 Transparency Report. The 2022 Transparency Report provides a summary of how we protect our client privacy and financial freedom...

5 min read

Crypto 101: What is the blockchain trilemma?

Life is full of tradeoffs. Oftentimes, we can only maximize one outcome by sacrificing another. Sometimes these tradeoffs are not exactly 1:1 tradeoffs but are part of a more complex relationship. What are some examples of a trilemma? Realtors might say: a big house, great...

5 min read

Kraken NFT’s Behind the Build: A Roadmap for the Future

Before you dive in, check out the first post in our Kraken NFT Behind the Build Series, The NFT Frontier and our second post, Kraken NFT’s Behind the Build: Global Ingenuity. NFTs go far beyond mere JPEGs. Kraken NFT is helping to establish the foundations of what’s to...

5 min read

Can bitcoin be used for cross-border payments?

In 2008, an anonymous researcher (or team of researchers) called Satoshi Nakamoto published a nine-page research paper entitled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.” The document, known as the Bitcoin white paper, presented a new type of digital currency that users could use to transact without relying on...

6 min read
NFT

Kraken NFT’s Behind the Build: Global Ingenuity

Before you dive in, check out the first post in our Kraken NFT Behind the Build Series, The NFT Frontier. Sometimes we reference pseudonyms to keep our Krakenites anonymous to avoid the security risks associated with building and maintaining a crypto exchange. In September 2021,...

7 min read