Kraken is a long-established US-based crypto exchange with tier-1 registrations across the UK, Ireland, the US and Australia. Its sign-up rewards are paid in real, withdrawable crypto, and it is regarded as one of the more security-focused and compliant exchanges. Availability and reward amounts vary by country.
Risk warning: Trading carries a high risk of losing money, especially with leveraged products such as CFDs. A bonus does not reduce that risk. Only deposit what you can afford to lose.
Kraken
Refer a new friend to the Kraken app and you both earn up to $20 USDG once they deposit fiat and make qualifying non-stablecoin trades within 15 days, with a cap of $200 USDG per referrer.
Profile checked against official sources on · How we rate
Kraken is one of the oldest crypto exchanges still operating. The company behind it, Payward, Inc., was founded in 2011, and Kraken says it now serves more than 13 million clients worldwide. That longevity matters in an industry where exchanges regularly disappear: Kraken has run through several full market cycles without a major loss of client funds, and it has built its brand around security and compliance rather than aggressive promotion.
The exchange operates two main retail surfaces. The Kraken consumer app is a simple buy-and-sell interface aimed at beginners, while Kraken Pro is the full order-book platform with lower fees and advanced order types. Both sit on the same account, so a reward earned in one is usable in the other.
Kraken holds an unusually deep stack of licenses for a crypto exchange. In the US, Payward Interactive is registered with FinCEN as a money services business and holds money transmitter licenses in all 50 states plus DC and Puerto Rico, and Kraken Financial holds a Wyoming Special Purpose Depository Institution charter. Kraken Securities LLC is an SEC-registered broker-dealer, and US futures are cleared through a CFTC-registered futures commission merchant.
In Europe, Payward Europe Solutions Limited received a MiCA Crypto Asset Service Provider license from the Central Bank of Ireland in June 2025, which lets Kraken passport regulated crypto services across the EEA. In the UK, Payward Limited is an FCA-registered cryptoasset firm and Crypto Facilities Limited is an FCA-authorized investment firm for derivatives. Australia is covered by an AUSTRAC-registered entity and Canada by a Restricted Dealer registered with securities regulators.
Kraken is not available everywhere. It lists prohibited regions including Japan, India, the Philippines, Russia and Iran, and it holds no license in Singapore. If you live in one of these places, no Kraken promotion applies to you.
For someone signing up mainly for a reward, the practical picture is this. The consumer app charges 1% on instant and recurring trades plus spread, while Kraken Pro starts at 0.25% maker and 0.40% taker on spot and gets cheaper with volume. If a promotion requires you to trade a set dollar amount, doing that volume on Kraken Pro costs noticeably less than doing it through instant buy.
Funding methods vary by country but include bank transfers and, in the US, Easy Bank Transfer and PayPal. Beyond spot trading, Kraken offers futures, staking and an OTC desk, though staking availability differs sharply by region. Withdrawal minimums and fees are set per asset and per funding method, so check the current schedule before planning to move a small reward off the platform.
Kraken's headline US sign-up offer, running since September 2025, pays $25 in Bitcoin for opening a new consumer account, completing identity verification, depositing $100 via bank transfer or PayPal, and executing at least $100 in spot trades within 30 days of approval. It is open to US residents 18 or older, excluding New York and Maine, and only to people who have never held a Kraken account. Futures, margin, staking and stablecoin conversions do not count toward the trade requirement.
The referral program pays both sides up to $20, delivered as crypto or USDG depending on your region, with referrers capped at around $200 in total rewards. The invited friend must sign up through the referral link in the Kraken app, deposit fiat from a bank account, and complete qualifying non-stablecoin trades within the stated window. Rewards are processed within about 14 days of completion. The program covers a defined country list including the US, Canada, Australia, Brazil and much of Western Europe, and the friend generally must live in the same country as the referrer.
Every Kraken reward requires full identity verification first. Kraken uses tiered verification levels, and fiat deposits, which most promotions require, need at least Intermediate verification with government ID and proof of address. Budget time for that before the promotion clock starts.
Read the qualifying-trade rules closely. Stablecoin trades are excluded from both the sign-up and referral offers, and wash trading or immediately reversing trades can void the reward. Kraken states plainly that referral bonuses are subject to program limits and its discretion, and it reserves the right to claw back rewards from accounts that break the terms. Rewards are paid in crypto, so the dollar value you eventually withdraw depends on the market price at the time. Reward amounts, payout assets and program availability differ by country, so confirm what your region's version of the offer actually pays before you deposit.
Yes, for eligible regions. In the US, new users who verify their identity, deposit $100 and complete $100 in spot trades within 30 days receive $25 in Bitcoin. New York and Maine residents are excluded, and offers in other countries differ, so check the version shown for your region.
Both the referrer and the invited friend receive up to $20, paid in crypto such as BTC or in USDG depending on region, once the friend signs up through the link, deposits fiat and completes qualifying trades. Kraken processes rewards within about 14 days of the requirements being met.
Kraken serves most of North America, Europe, Australia and many other markets, but it is not available in Japan, India, the Philippines, Russia, Iran and several other prohibited regions, and it is unlicensed in Singapore. Referral and sign-up offers use their own, narrower country lists.
Yes. All promotions require a fully verified account, and the fiat deposit most offers require needs at least Intermediate verification with a government ID and proof of address.
No. Both the US sign-up offer and the referral program exclude stablecoin conversions from qualifying trade volume, along with futures, margin and staking activity.
Yes, extensively. It holds a MiCA Crypto Asset Service Provider license from the Central Bank of Ireland, FCA registrations in the UK, FinCEN MSB status and state licenses across the US, a Wyoming bank charter, AUSTRAC registration in Australia and Restricted Dealer status in Canada.