A question, to start. If tomorrow your crypto platform lost the right to operate in Europe, where would you go? It seems theoretical. It's not. On July 1, 2026, Mica applies everywhere in the European Economic Area, and exchanges without authorization will have to close the door to their EU customers. Kraken settled the issue a long time ago: license obtained in June 2025 from the Central Bank of Ireland. And to accommodate all those who will have to move their cryptos in the coming weeks, the platform is releasing two offers. A competition to a million eurosand zero Futures fees on Kraken Pro for new and returning Kraken users.
In brief
- July 1, 2026 marks the strict application of MiCA. ESMA has confirmed that there will be no extension.
- Kraken is MiCA licensed through the Central Bank of Ireland, with MiFID (derivatives) and EMI licenses, one of the strongest regulatory positions in the industry.
- The Deposit Sweepstakes allows you to win €1,000,000. Each euro deposited (crypto or fiat) between June 19 and July 31 is worth one participation.
- New registrants on Kraken Pro benefit from 0 Maker and Taker fees on Futures for 30 days, on the first $10M in volume.
- Of more than 1,200 firms registered under the old regime, only a minority holds full CASP approval to date.
Discover Kraken’s Europe Switch* offer and take part in the €1 million draw
One million euros to be won, and only one winner
Let's start with what's making noise. THE Deposit Sweepstakesthat’s a million euros put on the table for a single person.
The rule? The more you deposit, the more tickets you have in the ballot box. Every euro deposited, in crypto or fiat, gives you a stake. And the ceiling is so high, 4 billion participations, that it will never concern anyone. In short, you enter the game from the first euro.
Something not to skip, though. Your deposits only count if you have registered for the competition first. This happens in the Offers page of the Kraken app, or the Promotions page on Kraken Pro.
You skip this step, your deposits are worthless for the draw. Once that's done, you deposit quietly between June 19 and July 31, and every euro works for you.
The competition runs across the EEA, excluding the UK, on Kraken and Kraken Pro. Draw at the closing, winner notified by email within 14 days, then 30 days to claim the prize. Small condition to keep in mind: you must have passed at least the Intermediate KYC before distribution. And we forget the tricks. Wash trading, multiple accounts, VPN to hide your location: this is direct disqualification.
Kraken Pro: zero fees on Futures for one month
The other offer is aimed more at those who trade for real. Any new EEA user opening an account Kraken Pro during the promotion does not pay no Maker or Taker fees on Futures during its first 30 days. And not on crumbs: the exemption runs up to $10 million in cumulative volume. Plenty to see coming.
After this threshold or 30 days, the classic grid takes over, without surprise.
The opportunity, too, to look at what Kraken Pro has in its belly. Because it’s no longer just spotting, far from it. There are the Futures on hundreds of cryptos. There are the xStocksthese tokenized shares which recently opened the SpaceX IPO to European individuals.
And there is Kraken Propthe program that funds good traders up to $200,000 in capital. All in one place, without having to juggle five accounts and three apps.
This is exactly what makes the difference at the time of the big sorting. You don’t just change to a “regular” platform. You get an entire ecosystem: spot, derivatives, tokenized shares, financed trading, brought together under a single regulated roof.
July 1st, why is it so stuck?
It remains to grasp the urgency of the calendar. MiCA is the first regulatory framework common to the entire Union for crypto-assets. Its interest: a license obtained in one country is valid for the twenty-seven, plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
Nice on paper. Except the setback hurts.
From July 1, any platform that serves Europeans without a CASP license will find itself outlawed. ESMA was clear on this: no extension, no “in progress” status. It's approved or it's not. Point.
And there, the figures are chilling. More than 1,200 firms were registered under the old national rules. Only a handful have achieved full MiCA approval. Some countries have not even issued any licenses.
On the heavyweight side, Binance would see its request rebutted in Greece according to Reuters, the company disputes this reading, while Bitget has outright announced that it will suspend its services in the EEA while it obtains its green light. Suffice to say that there are a lot of users looking for a reliable way out.
In this setting, Kraken doesn't have much to prove. No compliance cobbled together at the last minute: an uninterrupted presence since 2011, through all cycles, ups and downs. Every quarter, the exchange publishes a Third-party verified Proof of Reserves. And it stacks up the approvals, MiCA, MiFID, EMI. By the way, if you want to check the status of your own platform, ESMA maintains a public register of PSAPs, updated weekly. The name is not there? It will no longer be able to legally serve you after July 1.
So no, we don't choose an exchange for a million euros to win or free fees. These offers are the trigger, not the reason.
What really matters is knowing where your cryptos are sleeping and under what protection. What happens next, we'll see in the July figures: are it the already established players like Kraken who are winning the day, or will a wave of last minute approvals come and shake things up?
One thing is certain. For crypto holders in Europe, there will be a before and after this summer. Create your Kraken account here to participate in the €1M draw and benefit from the Futures fees offered on Kraken Pro.
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