Kraken

Kraken is a veteran cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2011 by Jesse Powell and officially launched in 2013, making it one of the oldest still-operating platforms for buying Bitcoin. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company serves clients in 190+ countries and consistently ranks among the top exchanges by euro and USD BTC volume, highlighting its deep liquidity and global reach. The platform offers spot trading on 200+ crypto assets, margin trading with up to 5× leverage, a regulated futures market for Bitcoin and other majors, staking on a dozen coins, and an OTC desk for high-volume trades. Kraken emphasizes security—storing 95% of client funds in offline cold wallets, running real-time proof-of-reserves audits, and maintaining an industry-leading bug-bounty program. Fees are competitive, starting at 0.16% / 0.26% for maker/taker spot trades and dropping with volume. Kraken is regulated as a Money Services Business with FinCEN in the U.S., holds a Special Purpose Depository Institution (SPDI) charter in Wyoming, is registered with FINTRAC in Canada, and complies with AML/KYC standards across the EU through its Irish and Dutch entities. The exchange has never suffered a major hack, bolstering its reputation as a secure, transparent venue to buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin.