SoFi Links Banking Network and Stablecoin to Kraken in New Deal

SoFi Technologies and Kraken parent Payward announced Thursday that the companies will connect the crypto exchange to SoFi’s dollar settlement network and add SoFi’s stablecoin to Kraken.

Payward will join the SoFi Exchange Network, known as SEN, allowing Kraken’s institutional clients to clear and settle U.S. dollar transactions at any time, including outside conventional banking hours.

SoFi will also use Kraken Prime as an additional source of liquidity for crypto trades placed through the SoFi app. A prime broker provides services such as trade execution and custody to institutions and trading platforms.

The companies said Kraken Prime could improve trade pricing for SoFi customers. Qualified custody services may be added later.

“The financial system should not shut down when markets stay open,” SoFi CEO Anthony Noto said in a statement.

As part of the deal, Kraken will list SoFi’s stablecoin SoFiUSD for retail, professional, and institutional customers.

Building banking and crypto infrastructure

The deal is the latest move from Payward, which in March 2025 began considering a Kraken public offering, after the Securities and Exchange Commission agreed to dismiss its lawsuit against the exchange.

SoFi announced plans to return to crypto that June, two years after ending its earlier offering. It began rolling out trading for as many as 30 crypto assets in November, allowing customers to fund purchases from SoFi checking and savings accounts.

The company introduced SoFiUSD in December as a tool for trading, payments, and business transfers.

Payward expanded its regulated financial infrastructure in 2026. Kraken Financial secured access to the Federal Reserve’s payment systems in March. Days later, Payward formed a tokenized-equities partnership with Nasdaq. This was followed in May, when SoFi expanded SoFiUSD to the Solana blockchain.