Wells Fargo Discusses Crypto-Liquidity Arrangement With Kraken Parent Payward
The potential deal would connect Wells Fargo to Payward’s institutional trading infrastructure as the bank expands tokenized deposits and stablecoin initiatives.
Wells Fargo is discussing a potential arrangement with Payward to provide liquidity for its crypto trading, adding market access to the bank’s expanding digital-asset strategy.
No agreement has been announced, and neither company commented on the discussions. The potential arrangement’s assets, trading venues, fees, technology and start date remain unconfirmed.
Payward, the parent company of Kraken, operates institutional trading, liquidity, payments and financial infrastructure businesses in addition to its exchange platform. The proposed relationship would give Wells Fargo access to those capabilities as it develops services tied to digital assets.
The talks come as Payward expands its institutional business. On Sept. 10, Nasdaq Ventures agreed to invest $100 million in Payward. The transaction includes collaboration on tokenized equities, always-on infrastructure and market surveillance, with Wells Fargo serving as Nasdaq’s exclusive capital-markets adviser.
Payward is also expanding its relationships with financial institutions. SoFi will use Kraken Prime as an additional source of digital-asset liquidity, giving the financial technology company access to Payward’s institutional trading platform.
The potential Wells Fargo arrangement would add a trading-market component to the bank’s broader blockchain strategy. Wells Fargo plans to launch tokenized deposits for corporate and commercial clients, initially supporting a limited U.S. dollar-to-British-pound exchange before expanding during 2027.
The tokenized-deposit system is designed to support 24/7 settlement, programmable payments and future connections to custodial wallets and other blockchain networks. Wells Fargo is also among 21 financial institutions committed to establishing a stablecoin company, subject to closing conditions. The group aims to launch a U.S.-dollar stablecoin in the first half of 2027.
The discussions fit into Payward’s broader financial infrastructure expansion, which has extended the company’s business beyond crypto exchange services.
The potential liquidity arrangement remains under discussion, with no announced agreement or timetable for implementation.
John Kim
John Kim reports on the digital-asset business for TokenPost. Send corrections or tips to info@tokenpost.com.