Kraken, the largest euro-denominated Bitcoin exchange in the world, has been making waves in the global cryptocurrency industry with a series of major announcements at the beginning of the year.摘要：繼4日宣布以超過一億美元的價格收購Cryptofacilities，完成這起加密貨幣領域今年迄今最大交易后，Kraken緊接著又透露即將完成新一輪融資，晉身為估值達40億美元的獨角獸。而憑借CryptoFacilities帶來的基礎設施，100多名開發者，以及新的資本注入，預計Kraken將在接下來的幾個月中，面向合格投資者（eligibleclients）推出更多投資品種。...
Following the acquisition of Crypto Facilities for over $100 million, making it the largest deal in the cryptocurrency industry so far this year, Kraken has revealed that it is on the verge of completing a new round of financing, pushing its valuation to $4 billion and solidifying its position as a unicorn in the cryptocurrency space. This move is expected to position Kraken as one of the major cryptocurrency exchanges alongside Coinbase and Binance.
According to an official statement released by Kraken, the company serves over 4 million customers in more than 190 countries and is set to complete the acquisition of the UK-based cryptocurrency trading and index platform, Crypto Facilities, for a nine-figure sum, meaning the transaction amount is in excess of $100 million. This acquisition will establish Kraken as a regulated futures and index products exchange in Europe.
The completion of this substantial transaction is subject to approval by the U.K. Financial Services Authority. With the infrastructure brought by Crypto Facilities, over 100 developers, and new capital injection, Kraken is expected to introduce a wider range of investment products for eligible clients in the coming months.
"We have prepared great products for traders and institutional clients in 2019," said Jesse Powell, CEO of Kraken.
This $4 billion valuation will position Kraken as one of the main cryptocurrency exchange giants, alongside other industry leaders like Coinbase and Binance.
This significant development is indicative of renewed confidence in the long-term prospects of companies like Kraken and a shift away from viewing Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as short-term speculative assets. It also reflects a more favorable environment for the cryptocurrency market compared to the turbulent times it experienced in 2014-2015.
The Blockchain Transparency Institute (BTI) recently released a report listing Kraken, Coinbase Pro, BitFlyer, Upbit, and Gemini as relatively trustworthy platforms, indicating that the global cryptocurrency exchange market is moving towards improved transparency and legitimacy.
Kraken, based in San Francisco, has faced rigorous regulatory scrutiny from U.S. authorities, receiving a total of 475 subpoenas from global regulatory agencies in 2018, primarily from agencies like Homeland Security and the FBI in the U.S. Despite these challenges, its commitment to compliance and infrastructure development has contributed to its $4 billion valuation, signaling a positive direction for the cryptocurrency industry.
The $100 million acquisition and the $4 billion valuation of Kraken are indicators that the cryptocurrency industry is moving towards increased liquidity and improved investment offerings, ultimately leading to mainstream adoption.
