Kraken’s $500M Raise | Can It Compete with Coinbase & Gemini?

Kraken’s $500M raise has pushed its valuation to $15B and put its 2026 IPO plans into the spotlight—but that’s just one piece of a much bigger story. In this livestream, we’ll break down the full context: how Kraken structured the raise without a single lead investor, what it means for its growth strategy, and whether it can realistically compete with Coinbase and Gemini as the IPO race heats up. We’ll also look at the broader wave of crypto companies heading toward public markets and why investor sentiment has shifted so strongly in 2025. Coinbase remains the dominant player, Gemini has gone public this year, and Kraken is positioning itself to follow—each with very different strategies and implications for investors.

Beyond the IPO narrative, we’ll cover other major headlines shaking the industry right now. Australia has just unveiled its draft crypto licensing bill, which could reshape how exchanges, stablecoin issuers, and DeFi platforms operate. Trump’s World Liberty Financial (WLFI) has executed a massive token burn and buyback program—raising questions about whether it’s a genuine DeFi play or just political hype. Meanwhile, Coinbase continues to set the benchmark for transparency and profitability as it navigates public markets. Together, these stories show how crypto is maturing, facing regulation, and integrating into traditional finance at a rapid pace. This stream will connect all the dots so you can see the big picture of where the industry is headed.