Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, is strategically repositioning itself beyond its origins as a digital asset platform. Through a series of significant acquisitions and high-profile partnerships with established financial institutions, the firm is evolving into a foundational infrastructure provider, aiming to serve as the underlying plumbing for both cryptocurrency and traditional equity markets.
In 2025, Payward reported adjusted revenue of $2.2 billion, marking a 33% increase year-over-year. Notably, over half of this revenue, 53%, now stems from asset-based services, a shift from its previous reliance on trading fees.
A pivotal move was the $1.5 billion acquisition of NinjaTrader, a deal that significantly bolstered Payward’s derivatives infrastructure and provided a substantial entry into futures trading, extending its reach far beyond the crypto sphere. This was followed by the acquisition of Reap Technologies, a Hong Kong-based stablecoin payment solutions provider, for up to $600 million. Subsequently, Payward acquired Bitnomial for up to $550 million, integrating regulated derivatives exchange capabilities into its expanding suite of services.
The integration of these entities creates a robust platform: NinjaTrader contributes retail and institutional derivatives expertise, Reap offers cross-border stablecoin payment rails, and Bitnomial brings regulated crypto derivatives. Collectively, these acquisitions lay the groundwork for a comprehensive system capable of handling trading, payments, custody, and settlement across diverse asset classes.
In April 2026, Deutsche Börse, the operator of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, invested $200 million in Payward, valuing the company at approximately $13.3 billion.
Five months later, Nasdaq Ventures injected $100 million into Payward on September 10, 2026, raising the company’s valuation to $21 billion. This investment is accompanied by a collaboration on Nasdaq Equity Tokens, or NETs, slated for a second-quarter 2027 launch. These NETs are intended to be tokenized versions of Nasdaq-listed stocks, incorporating voting rights and aiming for 24/7 settlement. Nasdaq is also integrating its market surveillance technology into Payward’s platform.
Payward’s tokenized equities platform, xStocks, had already processed over $25 billion in cumulative transaction volume by mid-2026, with $4 billion settled on-chain. The platform has attracted more than 85,000 unique holders.
Overall, Payward’s platform transaction volume has reached $2 trillion, a figure that positions it as a contender among mid-tier traditional financial infrastructure providers.
However, the company’s ambitious expansion is not without its challenges. The regulatory landscape for tokenized securities remains fragmented across different jurisdictions. The inclusion of voting rights in tokenized equities introduces governance questions that are yet to be fully resolved. Furthermore, the rapid pace of Payward’s acquisition strategy presents significant integration risks, as stitching together NinjaTrader, Reap, and Bitnomial into a cohesive and functional platform is an intricate engineering and organizational undertaking that extends beyond financial investment.
