-

Kraken Welcomes Ben Gray as Chief Legal Officer

CHEYENNE, Wyo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kraken, one of the longest-standing, most liquid and secure crypto platforms, today announced the appointment of Ben Gray as its new Chief Legal Officer. Ben, who previously served as Global General Counsel at Paxos, brings a wealth of global experience in legal and regulatory affairs in the crypto, technology and financial sectors.

In his new role, Ben Gray will oversee Kraken’s legal, compliance, and enterprise risk management operations, guiding the company through the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. He will ensure Kraken continues to uphold the highest standards of compliance and integrity as it further expands its geographical footprint and product portfolio. Ben will report directly to Arjun Sethi and David Ripley, co-CEO’s at Kraken.

“Ben is a critical addition to Kraken’s leadership team as we scale the business and drive innovation globally. His deep experience as a general counsel and chief compliance officer make him an ideal CLO for Kraken, as the industry continues fighting for regulatory clarity and consumer protections,” said Arjun Sethi, co-CEO of Kraken.

“By aligning legal, compliance and risk within this team, we are looking forward to leveraging Ben’s unique experience to ensure seamless execution and operational excellence across the markets in which we operate globally,” said David Ripley, co-CEO at Kraken.

“I am honored to step into the role of Chief Legal Officer at Kraken, a company that has consistently been at the forefront of the cryptocurrency industry. Over the past year, we've seen tremendous progress in moving towards regulatory clarity around the globe and 2025 will be a pivotal year. Those that adapt most effectively without compromise to their ability to innovate and provide the best possible client experience will come out on top. Kraken is extremely well positioned to capitalize on this opportunity, and I couldn’t be more excited to join Kraken during this next phase of growth for the crypto industry,” said Ben Gray.

Ben brings over 15 years of experience at the intersection of blockchain, crypto, and legal compliance. His career has spanned diverse roles, from serving in the U.S. federal government as a financial regulator, to working as a regulatory attorney during the early days of Bitcoin, to pioneering compliance frameworks for consumer-facing crypto products at Block (formerly Square), and to leading innovative stablecoin initiatives at Paxos, including the USDG stablecoin which was launched in partnership with Kraken.

His unique background and leadership skills will help Kraken with the ongoing expansion of its global footprint while navigating regulatory changes in its major markets such as Europe and the U.S.

Ben succeeds Marco Santori, who has been Kraken’s Chief Legal Officer since 2020. Marco, who has been instrumental in building a world-class legal team, representing crypto on the global stage, and tackling critical regulatory challenges, will stay on as an advisor.

About Kraken

Kraken is one of the world’s longest-standing and most secure crypto platforms. Our mission is to accelerate the global adoption of crypto, so that everyone can achieve financial freedom and inclusion. Globally, Kraken clients trade more than 200 digital assets and 6 different national currencies, including GBP, EUR, USD, CAD, CHF, and AUD.

Founded in 2011, Kraken was among the first to offer spot trading with margin, parachain auctions, staking, regulated derivatives and index services under one roof. With millions of individuals, traders and institutions around the world, Kraken offers professional 24/7/365 client support along with one of the fastest, most performant trading platforms available. Kraken has set the industry standard for transparency and client trust, and was the first crypto platform to conduct Proof of Reserves. In 2024, Kraken ranked 14th in Newsweek’s Global Top 100 list of Most Loved Workplaces. The only crypto company to have made the list two years in a row, this showcases how the platform offers one of the world’s most compelling employment opportunities.

Kraken markets can be monitored and traded via the web or through the Kraken and Kraken Pro iOS and Android apps.

For more information about Kraken, please visit www.kraken.com.

Contacts

Lauren Post
press@kraken.com

Kraken


Release Versions

Contacts

Lauren Post
press@kraken.com

More News From Kraken

Payward to Acquire Saldo Bank, Expanding Payward Banking Across Europe

CHEYENNE, Wyo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Payward, Inc. ("Payward"), a unified financial infrastructure platform, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Saldo Finance Oy, a Finnish holding company whose subsidiary, Saldo Bank UAB (“Saldo Bank”), is a digital-first specialized bank licensed in Lithuania with passporting across five European markets. The acquisition marks the next major step in the buildout of Payward Banking, the money layer of Payward's financial infrastructure...

Kraken Plans UAE Launch, Following Full Market Approval from VARA in Dubai

CHEYENNE, Wyo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Payward, a unified financial infrastructure platform and the parent company of Kraken, today announced plans to launch in the UAE, after receiving Full Market Approval from the Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) in Dubai. The approval permits Payward to operate as a regulated Virtual Asset Service Provider, serving retail, professional and institutional investors. At launch, Kraken clients in the UAE will be able to trade spot and margin with AED-denomina...

Payward and Singapore Gulf Bank Partner to Bring 24/7 Settlement to Institutional Digital Asset Markets

SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Payward, the unified financial infrastructure platform behind Kraken, and Singapore Gulf Bank (SGB), a fully licensed digital bank regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain, today announced a strategic partnership to bring always-on settlement to institutional digital asset markets available to specific jurisdictions only. With this partnership, Payward has integrated SGB Net, SGB’s real-time multi-currency clearing network. It allows institutional clients of both firms...
Back to Newsroom