Kraken using Ink to simplify DeFi
Arjun Sethi, co-CEO of Kraken, on building the Nasdaq of crypto
The real opportunity is not better DeFi apps, it is hiding DeFi’s wallet mechanics behind an exchange account that already feels like online banking. Today, most on-chain apps still ask users to install a browser wallet, copy addresses, save a recovery phrase, and manually bridge assets before they can trade or earn yield. Kraken is using Ink to turn that multi step crypto workflow into a managed entry point built on top of its exchange and liquidity stack.
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The hard part for mainstream users is custody. Non custodial wallets put the burden of storing recovery credentials on the user, while custodial exchange accounts make fiat deposits and first time crypto purchases much simpler. Kraken has been arguing for years that both models will coexist, with custodial products acting as the easier on ramp.
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Ink fits Kraken’s broader strategy of using the exchange as a base layer for more products. The company already describes its pro trader app, consumer app, send and receive tools, and now on-chain apps as services built on the same exchange infrastructure. That matters because the exchange provides the liquidity, fiat rails, and compliance surface DeFi apps usually lack.
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This is also why stablecoins and payments keep showing up in Kraken’s roadmap. The winning use cases are not abstract Web3 experiences, they are concrete jobs like moving dollars across borders, parking savings in dollar assets, and accessing yield without touching wires or local banks. A simpler wallet experience is what turns those use cases from crypto native into mass market products.
The next phase is DeFi becoming an embedded feature inside trusted financial apps rather than a destination users visit with separate tools. If Kraken executes, Ink can make on-chain trading, yield, and payments feel like normal account actions, which would push exchanges and wallets toward the same end state, a single product that handles custody, liquidity, and on-chain access in one place.