Cryptocurrencyexchange Kraken is pursuing $500 million in fresh funding at a $15 billionvaluation, people familiar with the matter told The Information, marking asignificant step up from its previous $11 billion price tag in 2022.Kraken Is Building IPORunwayThe fundinground comes as the 14-year-old crypto platform prepares for a potential initialpublic offering (IPO) as early as the first quarter of 2026. The company hasbeen building momentum under co-CEO Arjun Sethi, who joined from Tribe Capital,while publicly releasing financial metrics that show $1.5 billion in revenuelast year.Kraken'sfundraising efforts reflect the broader appetite for crypto investments amidregulatory tailwinds under the Trump administration. The exchange currentlyprocesses around $1.37 billion in daily trading volume across more than 1,100trading pairs, roughly half the volume of its primary U.S. rival Coinbase.The timingappears strategic, with crypto companies seeing massive public market gainsthis year. Circle, the issuer of USDC stablecoin, jumped 484% since its JuneIPO debut at $31, closing Tuesday above $181. Trading platform eToro gainedover 16% since its May Nasdaq listing, while Coinbase shares have surged 50%year-to-date.Expansion PushKraken hasbeen actively investing in growth initiatives. In March, the company announcedplans to acquire futures trading platform NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion. Theexchange also launched a peer-to-peer payments app called "Krak" inJune, allowing users to send both fiat and cryptocurrency across borders.The companysecured regulatory approval to expand across the European Union under theMarkets in Crypto-Assets framework, providing another growth avenue as itprepares for public markets.Theexchange’s latest move also includes offering tokenized U.S. stocks on theSolana blockchain, a plan first mentioned in May and implemented by the end ofJune. The platform now provides access to 60 tokenized Wall Streetstocks, tradable 24/5, with plans to expand the offering over time. Similar toother exchanges offering such solutions, Kraken is partnering with xStocks,powered by Swiss issuer BackedYuo may also like: Kraken’s Co-Founder Jesse Powell Cleared of Hacking Charges After FBI InvestigationSector-Wide IPO WaveKrakenjoins a growing list of crypto companies eyeing public debuts. The Securitiesand Exchange Commission (SEC) has dropped several enforcement actions againstcrypto firms under the Trump administration, including a long-runningsecurities violation lawsuit against Kraken in March.Othercompanies signaling IPO plans include Ripple, Gemini, Galaxy Digital,Grayscale, and Bullish. The regulatory shift has created what many see as amore favorable environment for crypto companies to access public capitalmarkets.The currentfundraising environment for crypto and AI startups has been particularlyrobust, with investors showing strong appetite for companies with compellinggrowth stories in either sector.As Reutersstated, the Kraken spokesperson declined to comment on the funding discussions.This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.