Wells Fargo Talks With Payward About Crypto Liquidity
The possible partnership fits into a broader trend in which banks are outsourcing crypto infrastructure to firms like Kraken, while U.S. policy around stablecoins is easing.
Key Takeaways
- Wells Fargo is in talks with Payward, Kraken's parent company, about a role as a provider of crypto liquidity.
- The possible partnership fits into a broader trend in which banks are increasingly working with established crypto companies.
- The talks come as the U.S. regulatory climate for crypto becomes friendlier, which is increasing banks' interest.
Wells Fargo is in talks with Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, about a role as a provider of crypto liquidity. According to sources, the talks are about support for crypto trading, but they are still ongoing and could also end without a deal.
Banks Are Looking for Crypto Partners
The possible partnership fits into a broader trend in which major banks are more often reaching out to established crypto companies. Instead of building a full trading infrastructure themselves, banks are increasingly working with parties that already have access to liquidity and trading windows.
Payward and Wells Fargo did not want to comment. What is clear, though, is that the bank has been taking steps toward the crypto market for some time. For example, Wells Fargo offers spot Bitcoin ETFs to wealthy clients and has previously invested in crypto company Elliptic and trading technology company Talos. SoFi and Kraken also already entered into a partnership that brings banking services and crypto trading closer together.
More Room Thanks to New Policy
The talks also come at the same time as a friendlier American regulatory climate for crypto. The GENIUS Act, which was signed in July 2025, set a federal framework for payment stablecoins and gave clearer rules for an important part of the link between crypto and the banking system.
According to market participants, that development has further fueled banks' interest in crypto. Other major institutions are also looking at stablecoins and other crypto services, while the debate grows over who will be best at handling digital payments in the future: traditional banks or non-bank players.
What This Means for Europe
For European crypto followers, this shows how quickly traditional financial institutions and crypto companies are moving closer together. For firms operating in Europe under MiCA, such a partnership can be relevant because it shows which services banks prefer to outsource to specialized crypto companies. It also underlines that liquidity, custody, and payment infrastructure are becoming more important than just trading tokens themselves.
