Kraken rebuilds app with AI agents to monitor markets and recommend trades for everyday investors

Kraken to launch agentic trading as crypto exchanges evolve beyond crypto

Kraken is one of the world's largest crypto exchanges. Tiffany Hagler-Geard | Bloomberg via Getty Images Kraken is preparing to reintroduce its app with agentic trading at its core, a development that could mark the next major competitive battleground for crypto exchanges, the company told CNBC exclusively. Agentic trading is when AI agents autonomously make trading decisions, execute transactions and potentially manage portfolios, based on human inputs. Unlike traditional automated systems that follow fixed rules, agentic platforms can evaluate multiple variables, learn from new information and pursue objectives defined by the human prompting it, within set parameters. Kraken said its platform will give users access to agents capable of continuously monitoring markets, identifying investing opportunities and executing trades in real time. The launch reflects a broader shift toward artificial intelligence-native financial products as large language models and autonomous systems reshape how investors interact with markets. "AI is going to help everyday people respond to market conditions the way our most active traders respond. We see even in down markets that our pro traders are highly active, they engage with the platform, they continue to trade - and it's important for customers who are more everyday people to have that same capability and be as well informed as the professional traders," said Kamo Asatryan, chief data officer at Kraken. That vision reflects a structural change similar to the rise of mobile trading or algorithmic investing. Making financial services a mobile experience and giving people trading apps may have given them access, but it didn't necessarily make everyone confident, successful investors. Kraken believes AI can bridge that gap by bringing all of its customers closer to the experience and support that pro traders have always had. The app's onboarding experience uses AI to learn users' goals, risk tolerance, funding preferences and financial profile in a single streamlined flow. Based on that information, the AI builds a draft portfolio that users can review, adjust and approve, while providing explanations behind its recommendations. Once invested, users receive AI-curated insights, portfolio-relevant news and proactive recommendations, such as identifying opportunities to optimize idle cash. Over time, the platform aims to use AI to tailor both conversations and the app interface. "Talking to Kraken should be like talking to your well-informed best friend who knows a lot about finance but also knows a lot about you, knows about your goals, knows about what you care about, and can help you navigate all of these different options, all of the different assets, products, markets to really achieve your goals without you needing to yourself become an expert and professional trader," Asatryan said. That's also part of a broader transformation, where AI is becoming part of core infrastructure rather than a feature, and where key relationships are increasingly moving from human users to the agents managing their capital. Companies that successfully integrate autonomous trading capabilities could gain an edge in engagement, trading activity and retention. The opportunity to discuss investing opportunities with AI is going to "unlock a lot of access, a lot of engagement from everyday people," Asatryan said. "Traditionally, that's been the province of professional traders and all of the indicators and API usage and high-frequency trading activity that they do. But in this new world, there's an opportunity for everyday people to become high-frequency traders and do so using plain English by just talking to their well informed best friend." Kraken is joining a wider industry push toward AI-powered crypto services - exchange competitors Coinbase and Gemini have recently introduced AI-assisted trading and developer tools, for example - during a prolonged bear market in crypto asset prices, which is usually a time for the industry's builders to put their heads down and focus on innovation. Asatryan argued AI's growing role in crypto represents a "true growth opportunity," not just the latest bear market fad. "Traditionally, exchanges have trouble in bear markets because most of their customers have trouble in bear markets," he said. "[They] engage with those exchanges because of FOMO. ... They buy in at the peak, sell when prices are down and they churn. What we've seen on our platform is [traders] are able to take advantage of any price movement and they're able to continue to engage through different market cycles." Kraken is one of the oldest crypto exchanges, founded in 2011. Asatryan said its core user base comprises institutions, trading firms, professional traders and active leverage traders. Its retail users have likely been trading crypto for many years. He also talked about a new cohort of customers Kraken is "looking to bring online" as it "evolves beyond an exchange" and "looks to build the full stack financial services platform across payments, banking, lending" and more. "These are areas that have not been touched by crypto historically, but with stablecoins and with tokenized assets, there's a lot more access and capability, use cases and utility beyond exchanges," Asatryan said. "AI is going to make all of that super accessible to everyone. That's coming in the future."

Kraken Plans AI-Powered Trading App Overhaul, CNBC Reports

The redesigned app will use AI to recommend trades and tailor investing tools around users' financial goals as Kraken expands into broader financial services. Crypto exchange Kraken is adding AI-powered financial tools to its mobile app as exchanges increasingly compete to offer personalized investing tools beyond basic trading features. According to a company announcement, users will begin by setting financial goals and preferences, allowing the app to tailor its interface and recommendations around those objectives rather than requiring customers to navigate complex trading tools. The company said the redesigned platform will help users pursue goals such as buying a home, saving for retirement or building an emergency fund. Kraken said its "financial intelligence" continuously monitors markets, identifies investment opportunities and recommends trades, but does not execute transactions autonomously. Every recommendation requires the user's approval before a trade is placed, with the company positioning the technology as a decision-support tool rather than an automated trading system. According to CNBC, the app then uses that information, along with a user's risk tolerance, funding preferences and financial profile, to generate a suggested portfolio for users to review and adjust before investing. Once invested, it provides personalized portfolio updates and investment suggestions tailored to each user's holdings. Speaking to CNBC, Kraken chief data officer Kamo Asatryan said the technology is designed to give everyday investors the same market awareness as the exchange's most active traders by continuously monitoring markets, identifying opportunities and recommending trades. "[T]here's an opportunity for everyday people to become high-frequency traders and do so using plain English," he said. AI agents spread across crypto platforms Crypto exchanges and fintech firms are increasingly embedding AI into their trading platforms, allowing users to analyze markets, manage portfolios and place trades through conversational interfaces. In June, OKX launched a beta marketplace where AI agents can transact autonomously, complete onchain tasks and build blockchain-based reputations. In the same month, Coinbase introduced a tool that lets AI agents make payments and trade cryptocurrencies on behalf of users using its x402 payments protocol. Adoption is also accelerating. Last month, Chainalysis reported that agentic payment activity on Coinbase's Base network had surpassed 100 million transactions. The report found that while transaction growth has stabilized, higher-value transfers have become more common, suggesting AI-driven payments are moving beyond micropayments and early experimentation. Source: Coinbase On Friday, fintech firm Revolut launched an upgrade to its Revolut X exchange, allowing customers to connect AI assistants, including Claude, Gemini, Cursor and OpenClaw, to analyze markets, backtest trading strategies and place orders through natural-language prompts. Like Kraken's platform, users must review and approve every trade before execution.

Kraken Wants AI to Watch Markets, Build Portfolios and Find Your Next Crypto Trade -- Like a 'Well-Informed

Kraken is rebuilding its app around agentic trading, a move the crypto exchange believes could redefine competition among digital asset platforms. The technology uses AI agents to monitor markets, identify opportunities and provide portfolio guidance based on user goals and risk preferences, Kraken told CNBC, according to a Friday report. AI Agents Guide Trades, Users Keep Final Say Kamo Asatryan, Kraken's chief data officer, said AI could help everyday investors access capabilities traditionally used by professional traders. "AI is going to help everyday people respond to market conditions the way our most active traders respond," Asatryan said. "We see even in down markets that our pro traders are highly active, they engage with the platform, they continue to trade." Asatryan described the goal as making Kraken feel like talking to a "well-informed best friend" who understands a user's goals and can guide them without requiring them to become expert traders themselves. According to the report, Kraken's redesigned app will use AI to understand users' financial goals, risk tolerance and preferences before generating portfolio suggestions. The platform will offer AI-generated insights, portfolio updates, and recommendations, but customers will need to approve trades before they are executed. Industry Rivals Deepen Their AI Push In June, Coinbase also advanced the broader AI investing trend by introducing an AI investment advisor that analyzes portfolios and account history to provide personalized guidance and suggest potential investment ideas. Kraken's Parent Company Expands on Multiple Fronts Kraken's AI push comes as parent company Payward raises capital at a $20 billion valuation while expanding beyond crypto trading into payments, derivatives and stablecoin infrastructure, as it moves toward a planned IPO. Kraken's expansion also comes amid broader regulatory developments for the company, including an arbitration dispute with former auditor Mazars USA that resulted in a $22 million award in Kraken's favor. Founded in 2011, Kraken has historically served institutions, trading firms, professional traders and active leverage traders. Benzinga's Take: The developments show how crypto exchanges are expanding their use of AI beyond traditional trading services, as companies explore tools aimed at improving user engagement and financial decision-making. Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.