Finance News
By Evie Vavasseur
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Kraken's Banking Breakthrough. Kraken scored big last month. The crypto exchange got approval for a master account with the…
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Regulatory Baggage Follows Kraken. Kraken's past keeps coming up. The Securities and Exchange Commission slapped the exchange with a…
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Industry Watches Closely. Other crypto firms are paying attention. Coinbase, Binance, and smaller exchanges are reportedly…
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Rep. Maxine Waters wants answers. The California Democrat fired off a letter Monday to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, demanding they explain why they approved Kraken's…
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Waters sits on the House Financial Services Committee and she's not buying the Fed's decision.
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Kraken scored big last month. The crypto exchange got approval for a master account with the Federal Reserve, giving it direct access to the central bank's payment infrastructure.
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The exchange operates in over 190 countries and handles billions in daily trading volume. Kraken's CFO said the master account will "streamline operations and reduce settlement…
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Waters demanded additional documentation from both Kraken and the Fed. Her letter asks for details about risk assessments, compliance reviews, and ongoing monitoring procedures.
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Kraken's past keeps coming up. The Securities and Exchange Commission slapped the exchange with a $30 million fine in February 2023 for running an unregistered staking program.
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Waters mentioned the SEC fine in her letter, arguing that such violations should factor heavily into master account decisions.
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Kraken maintains it's cleaned up its act. Company spokesperson said they've "implemented robust compliance measures and work closely with regulators.
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But Waters wants proof. She's asking the Kansas City Fed to explain how they weighed Kraken's regulatory history against the benefits of granting master account access.
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The timing seems deliberate. Waters sent her letter just days before the House Financial Services Committee's scheduled April 10 hearing on crypto integration into traditional…
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Other crypto firms are paying attention. Coinbase, Binance, and smaller exchanges are reportedly exploring similar master account applications.
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Custodia Bank already got its master account in January, marking another win for crypto-focused financial institutions.
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