Kraken review 2026: licence, fees, custody and support

Kraken is a crypto exchange run by the Payward group that serves Bulgaria from Dublin under a MiCA authorisation. Alongside the exchange it offers Krak, a payments app with account details, a debit card and bank transfers. In its notification to the Bulgarian FSC, Kraken reported about 32,000 clients in Bulgaria at the end of March 2025. This review covers licences, how buying, selling and withdrawing work, fees, custody, support and the public record. Facts were checked on 16 September 2026. For a side-by-side table, see our Kraken comparison.

Entities and licences

Kraken's licensing page lists several Payward companies in Europe:

• Payward Europe Solutions Limited, trading as Kraken: crypto-asset service provider under MiCA, authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland (C468360). ESMA's interim register lists an authorisation date of 25 June 2025 and a passport to 30 EEA states including Bulgaria. Listed services include custody, exchange, execution of orders, placing, reception and transmission of orders, portfolio management and transfer services.
• Payward Ireland Limited: electronic money institution authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland (C453020). It provides the e-money services behind euro balances.
• Payward Global Solutions Limited: crypto-asset service provider operating a trading platform, Central Bank of Ireland (C559106). ESMA's register lists Cyprus and Ireland as its host countries, not Bulgaria.
• Payward Europe Digital Solutions (CY) Limited: investment firm licensed by CySEC (342/17).

The FSC's list of Article 65 notifications includes Payward Europe Solutions Limited for Bulgaria, with services starting on 25 June 2025.

How buying, selling and withdrawing work

Adding euro. Kraken accepts SEPA and SEPA Instant through several banking providers, plus PayPal and debit cards in the EEA and SWIFT through Bank Frick. Kraken notes that fees and providers can vary with the country you registered from, and it does not confirm the list for Bulgaria separately.

Buying and selling. In the main app, instant and recurring trades cost 1% and custom orders 1.5%, with a spread included in the price. Kraken Pro is an order book with maker and taker fees that fall with 30-day volume.

Withdrawing euro. SEPA withdrawals go out through several providers, with fees and minimums in the table below.

Krak app. Eligible UK and EEA users can receive euro to account details with an IBAN and send euro by SEPA to any recipient's IBAN. Kraken's 7 May 2026 announcement of dedicated Virtual IBANs named Latvia, Greece, Croatia and Hungary and did not say whether the IBAN is in the customer's name. For Bulgaria that detail is not published. Krak notes that bank transfers may carry a three-day withdrawal hold.

Published fees

Kraken+ members have the instant trade fee waived up to a monthly limit; spread and card fees still apply.

Stablecoins

Kraken's page on stablecoins for EEA clients, updated 13 April 2026, lists DAI, PYUSD, RLUSD, UST, EURT, USDT, TUSD, USDD and USDS as delisted for EEA clients, Bulgaria included. They cannot be traded and can only be deposited or withdrawn. USDC is offered. Support for EURC in the EEA is not published.

Custody

Kraken holds client crypto-assets under Payward Europe Solutions' authorisation for custody and administration, and euro balances are e-money from Payward Ireland. You can withdraw crypto-assets to a wallet you control.

Card

The Kraken Card is a Mastercard debit card for verified individual clients located in the UK and EEA, managed in the Krak app. Kraken says the card has no fees and offers up to 2% cashback. The card is issued by UAB Monavate under the supervision of the Bank of Lithuania. Kraken does not confirm Bulgaria separately.

Support and language

Kraken says you can send its support team a message 24/7 and that the team works every day of the year, including major holidays. It describes the team as fluent in a wide range of languages but does not list them. The Kraken website offers Romanian, Greek, Polish, Czech and other versions, but not Bulgarian. We found no Kraken office in Bulgaria.

Regulatory actions and public incidents

In our checks of regulator sources on 16 September 2026 we found no enforcement action by an EU regulator against Kraken's European entities. That search was not exhaustive and did not cover matters outside the EU. Status: none found in the sources reviewed.

Trustpilot

On 16 September 2026 the kraken.com profile on Trustpilot showed a TrustScore of 3.2 from 8,778 reviews. The profile is global and claimed by the company.

Who Kraken suits

Kraken suits people in Bulgaria who trade actively and want low order book fees on Kraken Pro, free SEPA deposits, a debit card and round-the-clock support in English. Krak also lets you send euro to other people by SEPA for free. It is less suited to anyone who wants their stablecoins outside the exchange by default, needs Bulgarian-language help, or needs confirmation that the IBAN is issued in their own name in Bulgaria.

Alternatives

Other MiCA-authorised platforms passported into Bulgaria include Coinbase Luxembourg S.A., licensed by the CSSF, and Bybit EU GmbH, licensed by Austria's FMA. If your priority is a EUR IBAN and USD account details in your own name, with incoming money converted to USDC in a self-custody wallet and support in Bulgarian, xChange.bg offers that, with accounts and conversions provided by the regulated partner Bridge, a Stripe company. Compare total cost for your own amounts before choosing.