Kraken plans AI agent trading tools as crypto exchanges broaden their remit

Kraken is preparing to relaunch its app with agentic trading as a central feature, the crypto exchange told CNBC, adding AI-driven execution and portfolio tools as exchanges seek new sources of activity in a prolonged crypto bear market. The initiative would put Kraken alongside rivals including Coinbase and Gemini, which CNBC said have recently introduced AI-assisted trading and developer tools.

Agentic trading uses artificial intelligence agents to act on objectives set by a user. In contrast with conventional automated trading systems that run on predetermined instructions, these tools can assess changing market data and other variables, then operate within limits established by the customer.

Kraken said its system will allow users to deploy agents that can watch markets continuously, identify potential investment opportunities and place trades in real time. The company is presenting the feature as part of a wider move toward financial products built around large language models and autonomous software.

Kamo Asatryan, Kraken’s chief data officer, told CNBC that AI could help less active customers react to markets more like the exchange’s professional users. He said Kraken sees its pro traders remain engaged in weaker markets and wants retail customers to have more information and similar tools.

How the app is expected to work

Kraken’s planned onboarding process will use AI to collect information about a customer’s goals, risk tolerance, funding preferences and financial profile, according to CNBC. The system will then generate a draft portfolio for the user to examine, change and approve, with explanations for the proposed allocation.

After a customer invests, the app is expected to deliver AI-selected market insights, news tied to that user’s holdings and recommendations, including possible uses for idle cash. Kraken also aims to adapt both the conversation with the AI and the app’s interface to individual users over time, CNBC reported.

Asatryan compared the intended experience to speaking with a financially informed companion who understands a user’s objectives and preferences. He told CNBC that plain-language AI interaction could open tools associated with professional traders, including indicators, API-driven systems and high-frequency activity, to a wider set of customers.

Part of a broader exchange strategy

Founded in 2011, Kraken is among the older crypto exchanges. Asatryan told CNBC its established customer base includes institutions, trading firms, professional traders and active leverage traders, while its retail clients have often been involved in crypto for many years.

The company is also seeking to attract a new group of customers as it expands beyond exchange services. Asatryan said Kraken wants to build a fuller financial services platform spanning payments, banking, lending and related products.

He linked that strategy to stablecoins and tokenized assets, saying they create more uses for crypto infrastructure outside spot exchange trading. He told CNBC that AI could make those services more accessible to a broader audience.

The push comes during a difficult period for crypto asset prices, a cycle that has historically weighed on exchanges reliant on retail trading enthusiasm. Asatryan argued to CNBC that AI is a growth opportunity rather than a short-term bear-market theme, saying active traders can engage across market cycles by responding to price moves in either direction.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.