Kraken is the latest tech company to place its bets on agentic artificial intelligence. The cryptocurrency exchange company announced that it plans to restructure its entire flagship app around agentic AI.
The new platform, which Kraken shared exclusively with CNBC on Friday, is designed to give users access to AI agents capable of continuously monitoring markets, identifying investment opportunities and recommending trades in real time.
Unlike traditional automated trading tools that follow pre-programmed rules, agentic trading uses AI agents that can evaluate changing market conditions, learn from new information and pursue financial objectives established by the user. While the technology can suggest trades and portfolio adjustments, Kraken emphasized that users will retain full control, with every transaction requiring explicit approval before execution.
Kamo Asatryan, Kraken's chief data officer, said the company's goal is to give retail investors capabilities that have traditionally been reserved for professional traders. "AI is going to help everyday people respond to market conditions the way our most active traders respond," Asatryan told CNBC.
"We see even in down markets that our pro traders are highly active, they engage with the platform, they continue to trade. It's important for customers who are more everyday people to have that same capability and be as well informed as the professional traders."
Kraken believes the arrival of AI represents a structural shift comparable to the emergence of mobile trading apps and algorithmic investing. While smartphones dramatically expanded access to financial markets, the company argues they did little to make inexperienced investors more confident or successful.
AI, executives say, could bridge that gap by providing personalized guidance previously available only to sophisticated market participants. The redesigned onboarding process reflects that philosophy.
Rather than asking users to manually configure investment preferences, the AI assistant gathers information about financial goals, risk tolerance, funding preferences and overall financial circumstances during a conversational setup. It then generates a proposed portfolio, explains the reasoning behind its recommendations, and allows users to modify or approve the strategy before investing.
Once accounts are active, the AI continues working by delivering customized market insights, portfolio-specific news and suggestions to optimize idle cash or rebalance investments. Kraken also plans to personalize both conversations and the application's interface over time as it learns more about each customer.
Asatryan described the intended experience as one that feels more like speaking with a knowledgeable financial confidant than using a traditional trading platform. "Talking to Kraken should be like talking to your well-informed best friend who knows a lot about finance but also knows a lot about you," he said. "They know your goals, what you care about and can help you navigate different assets, products and markets without you needing to become an expert trader yourself."
Kraken is not alone in pursuing AI-powered investing. Rivals including Coinbase and Gemini have recently introduced AI-assisted trading tools and developer products as competition intensifies during a prolonged downturn in cryptocurrency prices.
Asatryan argued that AI represents more than another innovation cycle emerging during a crypto bear market. Instead, he sees it as a way to improve customer engagement throughout market cycles. Historically, many retail crypto investors entered markets during periods of excitement only to exit after prices fell.
Professional traders, by contrast, remain active regardless of market direction, capitalizing on volatility rather than avoiding it. "The opportunity to discuss investing opportunities with AI is going to unlock a lot of access and engagement from everyday people," Asatryan said. "In this new world, there's an opportunity for everyday people to become high-frequency traders and do so using plain English by just talking to their well-informed best friend."
