Kraken eyes IPO as it partners with MoneyGram to bridge crypto-to-cash gap

Payward and Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi says the exchange is “80% ready” to go public, as a new partnership with MoneyGram aims to expand access to digital assets by solving last-mile cash conversion.

Miami Beach, FL — Arjun Sethi, co-CEO of Payward and Kraken, said the crypto exchange is “about 80% ready” to go public, underscoring the firm's IPO ambitions as the company rolls out a new partnership with MoneyGram aimed at solving crypto’s “last mile” problem.

Speaking alongside Anthony Soohoo, chairman and CEO of MoneyGram, at Consensus Miami, Sethi framed the deal as a way to bridge the gap between digital assets and physical cash, a critical gap in global adoption. MoneyGram brings scale: roughly 500,000 retail locations worldwide.

CoinDesk reported in March that Kraken had paused its IPO plans after confidentially filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in November, with sources saying it may revisit a listing when market conditions improve.

“This is the first step of working together to solve the last mile,” Soohoo said, noting that “in many situations, customers still want access to cash.”

That’s especially true in regions where financial infrastructure lags. “People need cash at an onboarding location,” Sethi said, pointing to markets in Latin America and beyond. “Partnering with MoneyGram helps solve that.”

Moderator Ben Weiss noted that users increasingly treat exchanges like banks. Sethi said that the shift reflects a deeper transformation. “A lot of what banks used to do is now being done by crypto firms.”

Both executives pointed to stablecoins as a key unlock. Soohoo said they can “remove waste” and lower costs across the system, while Sethi was more blunt: “Intermediaries are the losers here, but they should be.”

On Kraken’s IPO, Sethi said the company has filed but is waiting for the right moment. “We’re ready,” he said, citing a broader industry reset driven by automation and tighter cost discipline.

MoneyGram, taken private in 2023, is in no rush. “We’re focused on rebuilding the company,” Soohoo said, emphasizing long-term value over quarterly pressure.

The shared goal: cheaper, faster financial access, especially for those left outside the traditional system.

Read more: Kraken's parent company Payward to acquire derivatives exchange Bitnomial for $550 million in cash and stock

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