Kraken parent Payward buys Saldo Bank: the first crypto firm with a bank of its own in the EU

The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments carry a high degree of risk. Always conduct your own research.Payward, the parent of Kraken, agreed on October 14 to buy the Lithuanian Saldo Bank and would be the first crypto firm with a bank of its own in the EU. What is established, what stays open until the planned completion in 2027 and what may change for the protection of your euros.Payward, the parent company of the crypto exchange Kraken, agreed on October 14, 2026 to buy the Lithuanian Saldo Bank. According to a report in the Financial Times, that would make Payward the first crypto firm to take over a bank in Europe. The purchase price was not disclosed, completion is planned for 2027, and the supervisory authorities still have to approve the deal. This piece separates what Payward and the reporting establish from what stays open until approval, and says what a customer in Germany can already draw from it today. Payward takes over the Lithuanian Saldo Bank What is being bought is not the bank directly but Saldo Finance Oy, the Finnish holding company above Saldo Bank UAB, which...