Kraken's parent company Payward has postponed its IPO to the second quarter of 2027

According to two informed sources, Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, has postponed its highly anticipated initial public offering (IPO) to as early as the second quarter of 2027. CoinDesk reported in March this year that the company had shelved its multi-billion dollar IPO plans due to a challenging market environment; this delay further extends the much-watched listing process.

Payward confidentially submitted its S-1 registration statement draft to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in November 2025, shortly after the company completed an $800 million funding round at a $20 billion valuation, which included a $200 million investment from Citadel Securities. After Circle and Bullish successfully went public last year, the cryptocurrency industry originally expected a wave of listings in 2026, but weak coin prices and trading volumes, along with the lackluster market performance of some newly listed digital asset companies, dampened investor enthusiasm, leading companies like Grayscale, Consensys, and Ledger to also postpone their listing plans.

During the IPO hiatus, Payward continued to expand beyond its core exchange business, venturing into traditional and crypto derivatives, tokenized stocks, and payment infrastructure through a series of acquisitions and product launches. The company's adjusted revenue for the second quarter was $508 million, a 17% year-over-year increase, with the number of funded accounts rising to 6.6 million and platform assets reaching $40 billion.