Fortune revealed that Kraken quietly raised $500 million at a $15 billion valuation—its first significant raise in over a decade—as the exchange eyes a 2026 IPO. Bloomberg followed up with reports of another potential $200–300 million round at a $20 billion valuation. We dig into what this means for Kraken’s future, the escalating scale of Tether’s $500 billion fundraise, growing scrutiny of crypto treasury companies, and SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce’s farewell vision for a new era of crypto regulation. Enjoying this content? • SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast: https://pod.link/1438693620 • Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBreakdownBW • Subscribe to the newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/thebreakdown • Join the discussion: https://discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8 • Follow on Twitter: • NLW: https://twitter.com/nlw • Breakdown: https://twitter.com/BreakdownBW
Kraken’s $15B Secret Raise and the Race to IPO
Fortune revealed that Kraken quietly raised $500 million at a $15 billion valuation—its first significant raise in over a decade—as the exchange eyes a 2026 IPO. Bloomberg followed up with reports of another potential $200–300 million round at a $20 billion valuation. We dig into what this means for Kraken’s future, the escalating scale of Tether’s $500 billion fundraise, growing scrutiny of crypto treasury companies, and SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce’s farewell vision for a new era of crypto regulation. Enjoying this content? • SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast: https://pod.link/1438693620 • Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBreakdownBW • Subscribe to the newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/thebreakdown • Join the discussion: https://discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8 • Follow on Twitter: • NLW: https://twitter.com/nlw • Breakdown: https://twitter.com/BreakdownBW