Kraken Parent Payward Ties Up With Singapore Gulf Bank for Round-the-Clock Settlement

Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, has formed a partnership with Singapore Gulf Bank to deliver around-the-clock settlement capabilities to institutional digital asset markets across Asia and the Gulf region. The agreement centers on Payward's integration of SGB Net, the bank's proprietary real-time clearing network, enabling transactions to be finalized at any hour without the delays associated with traditional settlement windows.

Under the arrangement, Singapore Gulf Bank will also onboard Kraken Prime — Kraken's institutional trading arm — as an additional source of digital asset liquidity. That move is designed to deepen the pool of tradable assets available through the bank's network, potentially narrowing spreads and improving execution quality for large-volume participants.

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The partnership addresses a persistent friction point in institutional crypto markets: the inability to settle trades outside conventional banking hours. By coupling a regulated bank's clearing infrastructure with a major exchange's liquidity, the two firms are positioning the arrangement as a bridge between traditional financial plumbing and the nonstop nature of digital asset trading.

The tie-up reflects a broader trend of licensed financial institutions in Southeast Asia and the Gulf Cooperation Council states moving aggressively to capture institutional crypto business. Both regions have invested heavily in regulatory frameworks aimed at attracting digital asset firms, and partnerships that combine banking credibility with exchange liquidity are increasingly viewed as a competitive differentiator in that race.

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