TL;DR
- Trading platforms are increasingly judged on infrastructure, specifically execution, liquidity, and market access, not just visible features like interface or charting tools
- The Kraken API Partner Program provides API access to spot trading (640+ crypto assets), futures trading (linear and inverse contracts, excluding US CME futures), and xStocks for tokenized US equities and ETFs
- We’ve built 14+ years of infrastructure supporting traders in 190+ countries and $2 trillion in 2025 transaction volume, with 99.9% uptime for algorithmic and high-frequency strategies
- The program’s commission model rewards platform quality through a long-term commercial arrangement tied to partner trading activity
At the beginning, users notice the visible layer first: the interface, charting tools, automation features, mobile experience, or the simplicity of getting started. Those things matter. They help platforms stand out and win early adoption.
But over time, expectations change. As trading activity becomes more sophisticated, users begin to notice the limits underneath the product. They care more about how orders are executed, how deep liquidity is during volatile sessions, and whether they can access multiple markets through the same workflow.
At that point, the strength of the product is no longer defined only by what sits on the surface. It is defined by the infrastructure underneath it.
That is why infrastructure becomes a strategic decision for platforms. It is not the invisible layer beneath the product. It is the layer that determines whether the product can continue to scale with user expectations.
The ceiling is an infrastructure problem, not a product problem
For platforms serving active traders, infrastructure constraints usually appear in three places first: execution, liquidity, and market access.
Execution matters because performance affects whether strategies work as intended. If orders cannot reach the market quickly and reliably, even a well-designed trading experience starts to break down under real conditions.
Liquidity matters because it shapes execution quality. Users notice when larger orders move the market, when fills worsen during volatility, or when the depth behind the order book is not there when they need it most.
Market access matters because traders increasingly expect more than a single asset class. They do not want fragmented workflows across multiple venues and disconnected APIs when they could be managing more of their trading activity in one place.
These are not product-layer problems alone. They are infrastructure decisions.
Spot and futures were just the beginning
One of the clearest shifts in trading today is that platforms are increasingly expected to support a broader range of markets through a single platform.
Spot and futures access are already baseline expectations for many trading environments. What is changing now is the expectation that tokenized equities and ETFs can also sit within the same workflow — accessible through xStocks.
Traders want broader market access without having to split activity across multiple systems, accounts, or integrations.
For platforms, that creates a new challenge. Every market you cannot offer creates friction. Every additional venue relationship adds operational complexity. And every time users need to leave your environment to access another market, your platform becomes less central to how they trade.
This is where infrastructure stops being a backend decision and becomes a growth decision.
You cannot retrofit liquidity and execution quality
Platforms can improve interfaces, refine workflows, and build new features over time. But liquidity depth and execution quality are not things you can simply layer on after the fact.
Those depend on the market infrastructure you connect to: the resilience of the venue, the quality of its APIs, the depth of its order books, and the range of trading activity already flowing through it.
That is why the venue matters so much. The infrastructure your platform is built on directly affects the trading experience you can offer.
Kraken has spent 14+ years building that infrastructure. Today, it supports traders in more than 190 countries, offers access to 640+ crypto assets, and powers over $2 trillion in 2025 transaction volume.
As the number one exchange in Europe with 50%+ market share, that scale matters because it supports the liquidity, stability, and market access that active trading platforms increasingly need.
What integrating with Kraken actually gives you
The Kraken API Partner Program is built for platforms that want to expand market access, strengthen execution, and create a long-term commission stream reflecting the enhanced connectivity and added-value tools their platform provides to users.
Through API integration, platforms can enable access to:
- Spot trading across 640+ crypto assets
- Futures trading including linear (USD-settled) multi-collateral and inverse (coin-settled) single-collateral contracts. Note: US CME futures are not included.
- xStocks for tokenized U.S. equities and ETFs
That means access to deep liquidity, high-throughput APIs, and market infrastructure built to support demanding trading environments. Partners gain access to ultra-low-latency trading with 99.9% uptime — performance levels built for algorithmic and high-frequency strategies.
It also means a simpler path to expanding what your platform can offer without having to build every layer yourself.
A commission model that rewards platform quality
The API Partner Program is not only about market access. It is also designed to align commission with platform quality.
Partners can participate in a long-term commercial arrangement that reflects the ongoing value your platform delivers to users through Kraken’s infrastructure across spot, futures, and xStocks markets.
Infrastructure is not separate from product strategy — it is product strategy
The platforms that remain relevant over time are not only the ones that ship more features. They are the ones that keep meeting rising expectations around execution, liquidity, and market access as trading activity evolves.
That is why infrastructure is not separate from product strategy. It is a product strategy.
The Kraken API Partner Program gives platforms a way to build on proven trading infrastructure, broaden market access, and create a commission model that scales with the trading activity they generate.
Geographic restrictions apply.
Payward Digital Solutions Ltd. is licensed to conduct digital asset business by the Bermuda Monetary Authority. Trading futures, derivatives and other instruments using leverage involves an element of risk and may not be suitable for everyone. Read Kraken Derivatives’ risk disclosure to learn more.
xStocks are issued by Backed Assets (JE) Limited (a Jersey private limited company) and offered to eligible Kraken customers via Payward Digital Solutions Ltd. (“PDSL”), a company licensed to conduct digital asset business by the Bermuda Monetary Authority. xStocks are not, nor will they be registered with any local securities regulators. PDSL (Kraken) does not provide investment advice. Individual investors should seek professional independent advice as to the suitability of any investment, including potential tax treatment. Investing in xStocks involves an element of risk. Past performance does not indicate future results. Not available in the U.S. or to U.S. persons. Geo restrictions apply. Read Kraken’s xStocks Risk Disclosure at kraken.com/legal/xstocks as well as the Base Prospectus and related Final Terms for xStocks at https://assets.backed.fi/legal-documentation to learn more.
