Key Highlights
- Payward and Ledger announced a partnership covering self-custody, crypto trading, payments, and tokenized equities.
- Kraken users will be able to use Ledger devices to sign transactions within the Kraken platform.
- Ledger Wallet will integrate Payward Services for crypto purchases, sales, and swaps, initially in Europe and the UK.
Payward, the parent company of Kraken, and crypto hardware wallet maker Ledger have announced a partnership connecting Ledger’s self-custody infrastructure with Payward’s trading and financial services.
According to an announcement published on September 24, Kraken users will be able to use Ledger devices to sign transactions within the Kraken platform. Ledger Wallet will separately integrate Payward Services for crypto purchases, sales, and swaps.
The initial payment integration will be available in Europe and the UK, with additional payment methods and regions planned later.
Kraken users to get Ledger transaction signing
The first part of the partnership will connect Ledger devices with Kraken’s platform.
Users will be able to use Ledger signers when funding accounts, withdrawing assets, and approving transactions through Kraken. The integration is being developed using Ledger’s Device Management Kit and will support Ledger’s Clear Signing feature.
Payward Co-CEO David Ripley said, “Self-custody and exchange access shouldn’t feel like separate experiences and ecosystems.”
The integration would allow users to keep transaction signing on their Ledger devices while accessing Kraken’s trading platform.
Ledger Wallet adds Payward crypto trading
Ledger Wallet will integrate Payward Services for buying, selling, and swapping cryptocurrencies. The initial rollout will support debit cards and bank transfers in Europe and the UK. Additional payment methods and markets are expected to be added later.
The integration will bring Payward’s crypto trading services into Ledger Wallet, allowing users to access those functions without moving to a separate exchange interface.
xStocks integration planned
The companies also plan to add xStocks, Payward’s tokenized-equity platform, to Ledger Wallet. The planned integration would allow eligible users to access tokenized U.S. and international equities through Ledger’s self-custody environment, subject to local regulations and eligibility requirements.
Payward said xStocks has processed more than $42 billion in total transaction volume. The tokenized equities are not available in the United States and certain other jurisdictions, according to the announcement.
The planned Ledger integration follows Payward’s recent expansion of xStocks.
On September 1, the London Stock Exchange announced a partnership with Payward to tokenize the 100 largest London-listed equities through the xStocks framework, with 24-hour trading planned subject to regulatory approval.
Ledger Enterprise integration covers institutional services
The agreement also extends to Ledger Enterprise, Ledger’s institutional platform.
Payward Services is expected to integrate with the platform, covering services including trading, qualified custody, payments and funding.
Ledger CEO Pascal Gauthier said, “Through this partnership, we’re giving retail users and, through Ledger Enterprise, the banks and fintechs building on institutional-grade rails, secure access to Payward’s financial infrastructure.”
The institutional integration would give Ledger Enterprise customers another connection to Payward’s financial services infrastructure.
Payward’s recent expansion
The Ledger agreement comes as Payward expands its activity across different areas of the digital asset market.
On September 16, Payward was reported to be preparing to offer Hyperliquid perpetual futures to U.S. traders through Bitnomial. Under the proposed structure, NinjaTrader would serve as the gatekeeper for U.S. clients, with access limited to dual-allowlisted accounts.
The development adds derivatives to Payward’s activity across trading infrastructure and tokenized equities.
What the partnership changes
The agreement combines several existing services rather than introducing a single new product.
For Kraken users, the immediate change will be the ability to use Ledger devices for transaction signing. Ledger Wallet users will gain access to Payward’s crypto trading services, while the planned xStocks integration would add tokenized equities.
At the institutional level, Ledger Enterprise is expected to connect customers with Payward’s trading, custody, payments, and funding services.
The timing and availability of each service will vary by jurisdiction, while access to tokenized equities remains subject to local regulations and eligibility requirements.
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