Kraken has unveiled Kraken Perps, a new perpetual contracts feature integrated into its main trading app, aiming to make advanced derivative trading more accessible to retail investors.

Perpetual contracts explained

With Kraken Perps, eligible users in select regions can now speculate on bitcoin and other digital asset price movements without actually owning the underlying coins.

Unlike traditional futures, these contracts do not have an expiry date, allowing traders to maintain their long or short positions indefinitely and adjust exposure based on market conviction.

The feature launches with USD collateral support and includes built-in protections such as customizable stop-loss orders.

Kraken stated that its goal is to make derivative trading more intuitive and approachable, but also cautioned about the risks involved, emphasizing that such trading instruments are not suitable for all users.

Expansion of tokenized equities

Alongside the launch of perpetual contracts, Kraken is expanding its tokenized equities product, xStocks.

Developed with Swiss firm Backed, xStocks allows eligible EU clients to access over 60 tokenized U.S. equities and ETFs—including major names like Tesla, Amazon, and Nvidia.

Trading volumes for xStocks have already surpassed $3.5 billion since its international rollout earlier this year.

Bridging traditional finance and blockchain

Kraken’s recent product launches reflect a broader effort to close the gap between traditional financial markets and blockchain-based trading.

The expansion into tokenized equities and the introduction of perpetual contracts signal the exchange’s commitment to providing retail investors with more flexible and innovative trading tools.