Kraken's Parent Company Moves to Acquire a Bank in Europe
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Kraken's parent company, Payward, is buying its way into European banking, striking a deal to acquire Lithuania-licensed Saldo Bank and its five-market footprint. The purchase would bring deposit accounts, lending, payment services, and card issuance into the cryptocurrency company's expanding financial operation. Payward announced the definitive agreement on Oct. 14, 2026, to acquire Saldo Finance Oy, the Finnish holding company behind Saldo Bank UAB. Financial terms weren't disclosed, and the transaction requires regulatory approval before its anticipated closing in 2027. The deal would give Payward Banking access to a European Union specialized banking license, allowing the company to expand beyond cryptocurrency trading into conventional financial services. Saldo already operates in Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, and Germany, with authorization to enter the Netherlands. "Payward Banking is not a new ambition - it is a business we have been building license by license, market by market," said Payward co-CEO Arjun Sethi, in a statement. Sethi added that the company's ambitions extend beyond Europe, envisioning a single institution where customers can hold assets, move money, and earn returns. Saldo's history stretches back to 2006, when the business began as a Finnish consumer lender. Originally associated with Tact Finance, it developed automated credit-scoring technology...
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