TL;DR
- Kraken has launched CFTC-regulated perpetual futures in the US, giving eligible clients domestic access on Kraken Pro alongside spot, margin, and CME-listed futures.
- Perpetual futures track an asset’s price with no expiry or settlement date, letting traders hold leveraged long or short crypto exposure indefinitely; the market topped $60 trillion in volume in 2025.
- Contracts are listed on Bitnomial, a CFTC-regulated exchange owned by Kraken’s parent Payward, and cover major assets including BTC, ETH, SOL and XRP.
We’re excited to announce the launch of CFTC-regulated perpetual futures in the US.
Eligible US clients can now trade perpetual futures on Kraken Pro, giving them domestic access to the contract that drives most global crypto derivatives volume, integrated alongside spot, margin and CME-listed futures on a single interface.
Perpetual futures track the price of an asset like Bitcoin without an expiry or settlement date, so unlike standard futures, a position can stay open indefinitely. That structure lets traders maintain leveraged long or short exposure to an asset they don’t have to own or keep rolling forward.
Perpetuals are the most widely traded derivatives in digital asset markets, with annual trading volume reaching over $60 trillion in 2025. Until now, US traders have had limited regulated options to access them, with most activity taking place offshore. Today’s launch brings that activity onshore through a CFTC-regulated venue.
The contracts are listed on Bitnomial, a CFTC-regulated exchange recently acquired by Kraken’s parent company, Payward. They trade with an 8-hour funding rate, matching the conventional structure for crypto perpetuals: Every 8 hours (7:00 p.m., 3:00 a.m., and 11:00 a.m. CT), a funding payment is exchanged between long and short position holders. If the perpetual price is above spot, longs pay shorts (and vice versa). This helps keep the contract price anchored to the price of the underlying asset.
They exist within the same futures wallet as our existing CME-listed contracts so traders can manage CME futures and crypto perpetuals positions side by side.
At launch, eligible clients can trade a suite of major digital assets, including BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, ADA, LINK, DOGE, LTC and AVAX. We intend to expand the contract set and product functionality, including broader collateral options, over time.
“US traders have been waiting for a regulated, domestic way to trade the product that defines global crypto derivatives markets,” said Darius Tabatabai, Head of Kraken Pro. “We’re giving them that access alongside the spot and futures markets they already use on Kraken Pro. Perpetuals, spot, margin and CME-listed futures now sit on one interface, and that changes how US clients build and manage crypto positions.”
Tabatabai added: “Bitnomial’s regulated infrastructure is what made this launch possible in short order. Their work on the regulatory and market structure side, combined with Kraken’s distribution and technology, is what brings this to US traders at scale.”
Today’s launch follows a sequence of US product releases over the past year. In July 2025, we launched support for CME-listed crypto futures alongside our spot markets. Earlier this month, we launched margin trading for eligible US traders.
Perpetuals are offered on Kraken Pro through NinjaTrader Clearing, LLC d/b/a Kraken Derivatives US, a CFTC-registered Futures Commission Merchant.
These materials are for general information purposes only and are not investment advice or a recommendation or solicitation to buy, sell, stake, or hold any cryptoasset or to engage in any specific trading strategy. Kraken makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any such information and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. Kraken does not and will not work to increase or decrease the price of any particular cryptoasset it makes available. Some crypto products and markets are regulated and others are unregulated; regardless, Kraken may or may not be required to be registered or otherwise authorized to provide specific products and services in each market, and you may not be protected by government compensation and/or regulatory protection schemes. The unpredictable nature of the cryptoasset markets can lead to loss of funds. Tax may be payable on any return and/or on any increase in the value of your cryptoassets and you should seek independent advice on your taxation position. Geographic restrictions may apply. See Legal Disclosures for each jurisdiction here.
Futures trading involves substantial risk and is not suitable for everyone. Losses may exceed the initial investment. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Leverage magnifies gains and losses. View Risk Disclosure Statement.
Brokerage services are provided by NinjaTrader Clearing, LLC d/b/a Kraken Derivatives US, a CFTC-registered Futures Commission Merchant and NFA Member (NFA ID: 0309379). View Disclosures