nomoneda

Kraken

Crypto fintechNo DGS (EMI)Best for: Crypto tradingBest for: StakingBest for: Pro tools
73/100Rated on 6 of 6 dimensions
Before you move money
  • This is an CASP, not a bank: funds are safeguarded, not covered by a €100k deposit guarantee.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Deep crypto exchange
  • staking
  • EUR SEPA funding
  • pro trading tools

Cons

  • Not a bank — no €100k deposit guarantee (funds safeguarded)

Rating breakdown

Foreigner onboarding67
USD handling60
Transfers75
Value & fees30

How the score is calculated

Why this score

Strongest liftForeigner onboarding3.5/5 · 25% of the model
Additional supportFees transparency4/5 · 20% of the model
Main constraintForeigner onboarding3.5/5 · 25% of the model

Good fit for

  • you need to hold a balance in USD
  • you move stablecoins both in and out
  • you receive international wires (SWIFT)
  • you receive SEPA transfers

May not fit if

  • No caveats recorded against the facts we hold.
Licence & deposit protection
No DGS (EMI)No DGS — crypto custody; EUR via partner safeguarding

This is an electronic money institution (EMI), not a bank. Funds are safeguarded, but NOT covered by the €100,000 deposit guarantee. Convenient, but legally it isn't a bank deposit.

Licence
CASP · Central Bank of Ireland
IBAN
Multi-currency details
SEPA Instant
Receive only

Editorial review

Data reviewed by Founder and editor, nomonedaUpdated: 2026-08-15

Kraken runs on an CASP licence: convenient, but your money is safeguarded rather than covered by the €100k deposit guarantee.

It is a crypto fintech licensed in IE supporting EUR, USD, BTC etc. FX model: Spread + trading fee on crypto.

It tends to suit crypto trading, staking, pro tools.

Fees & terms

Exchange rate
Spread + trading fee on crypto
Card cost
Card in selected markets / waitlist
USD withdrawal
Not disclosed
Withdrawal fees
Not disclosed
Limits
Not disclosed
USD yield
Not disclosed
Cashback
Not disclosed
Currencies
EUR, USD, BTC etc
Cards
Global Waitlist
Transfers
SEPA in/out, SWIFT in/out, Crypto in/out
Payments
Apple Pay, Google Pay
Licence
CASP — Central Bank of Ireland
IBAN
Multi-currency details
SEPA Instant
Receive only
Verification of Payee (VoP)
No
FX model
Spread + trading fee on crypto
Opening requirements
No local address needed
English support
Yes
Remote opening
Yes
MiCA status
MiCA CASP
Headquarters
United States

Transfer routes

One row per direction, rail and currency — with what we hold on fees, speed and limits. A blank fee is not a free transfer; it is a fee we have not collected.

Transfer routes and their published fees
RouteFeeSpeedLimits
SWIFTincoming3 EURNot published
SWIFToutgoing5 EURNot published
SWIFToutgoingUSD14 USDNot published
SEPAincomingEURFreeNot published
SEPAoutgoingEUR1 EURNot published
CryptoincomingNot publishedNot published
Cryptooutgoing1 USDCNot published

Who holds your money

The name on the app is not always the company holding the balance, and deposit protection follows the licence rather than the brand.

Provider stack: role, organization and what it is answerable for
RoleOrganizationAnswerable forApplies to
Licence holderKrakenCentral Bank of IrelandOperating under regulatory permissionAll currenciesNo protection scheme recorded

What to know before you move money

Elevated exposureAt least one thing here would change a reasonable person’s mind.

  • CriticalThis is an CASP, not a bank: funds are safeguarded, not covered by a €100k deposit guarantee.

    Read from: eu.license_type, eu.dgs_covered

Recent updates

  • 2026-08-15checked16 facts about Kraken re-checked against their sources

All updates

3 similar services

Chosen by overlap in what people use them for, not by category — the services that would land in the same shortlist as this one.

3 similar services
ServiceScoreDocumentsHead-to-head
Revolut83/100No local address neededCompare
Nexo62/100No local address neededCompare
Wise85/100No local address neededCompare

User reviews

User score

No reviews yet.

Editorial score

73/ 100
How we score

FAQ

Is my money protected?
No. Kraken operates under an CASP licence — funds are safeguarded but NOT covered by a €100k Deposit Guarantee Scheme. It is not a bank in the deposit-protection sense.
What IBAN and transfers?
Kraken issues local receiving details in several currencies. SEPA Instant: receive.
Can I open remotely, in English?
Opening is remote. English support is available. Requirements: No local address needed.

Data provenance & verification

Every fact is checked against an official source and stamped with a date. We re-check fees quarterly and document requirements twice a year. Fields not yet independently verified are labelled honestly.

Fully verified13 sources · 11 official

Independently corroborated, rated on the full model and checked within the year. This service can appear in our ranked picks.

16 of 18 fields independently verifiedUpdated: Dataset compiled:
Report incorrect data

Spotted something wrong? Send us a cited source — we review every correction before it goes live.