On October 14, 2026, Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, agreed to acquire Lithuania's Saldo Bank to secure an EU banking foothold and build an app that combines cash, crypto, tokenized stocks and credit. Here is what the deal mechanically means for Kraken users and crypto-plus-stock investors, and how to see all of it in one place.
What did Payward actually agree to buy on October 14?
Payward, the owner of Kraken, agreed on October 14, 2026 to acquire Saldo Bank, a Lithuania-licensed bank, to gain a regulated banking footprint inside the European Union. The move gives Kraken a path to offer deposit accounts, payments and credit alongside crypto trading under EU supervision.
Lithuania has become a common entry point for fintech firms because its central bank issues specialised bank and EMI licences that passport across the EU single market. A banking licence is a different thing from a crypto registration, and that distinction is the whole point of the deal.
- Crypto registration lets a firm list and trade tokens for customers.
- A banking licence lets a firm hold customer deposits, issue accounts and extend credit.
- Saldo Bank brings the second category to Payward inside the EU.
The stated ambition is one app where a user can hold euros, Bitcoin, tokenized equities and a credit line without moving money between separate providers.
What does the deal mean for Kraken users in the EU?
For Kraken users in the EU, the deal points toward holding cash and crypto under one regulated roof, but nothing changes in your account today. Acquisitions of this kind need regulatory approval and integration work that usually runs for several quarters.
The practical changes being promised
- Euro accounts held with a licensed bank rather than through third-party payment rails.
- Tokenized stocks, meaning blockchain-based tokens that track shares like AAPL or MSFT, traded next to native crypto.
- Credit products tied to the same balance.
- Faster fiat movement between a bank balance and a trading balance.
This follows a broader push by Kraken to operate inside clear regulatory perimeters. We covered a related milestone when Kraken secured a full VARA license for AED crypto trading in Dubai, and the Saldo deal is the EU version of the same strategy.
What are tokenized stocks, and how do they differ from real shares?
Tokenized stocks are blockchain-based tokens designed to track the price of a real share, but they are not the same instrument as the underlying equity. Ownership, voting rights, dividend handling and investor protections can differ depending on how the token is structured and who issues it.
Key differences a holder should understand
| Feature | Real share (e.g. AAPL) | Tokenized stock |
|---|---|---|
| Settlement | T+1 on US markets | On-chain, often near-instant |
| Trading hours | Exchange hours | Often extended or 24/7 |
| Direct ownership | Yes, registered holder | Depends on issuer structure |
| Dividends | Paid directly | Passed through by issuer, if at all |
The appeal is obvious: a tokenized AAPL token could trade at the weekend while the actual stock sits closed. The catch is that a token tracking a share and the share itself are two different legal products, and your rights follow whichever one you actually hold.
Why is combining crypto, stocks and cash in one app harder to track?
Combining crypto, stocks and cash in one app makes your net worth easier to see on that provider's screen but harder to track across your whole financial life. Most investors do not keep everything with a single company, and a bundled view inside one app ends at that app's walls.
Consider a realistic setup for an EU investor after this trend spreads:
- Kraken holding euros, BTC-USD and a few tokenized US stocks.
- Interactive Brokers holding real shares in USD and EUR.
- A self-custody wallet holding long-term crypto offline.
- A local bank holding the everyday current account.
No single provider shows all four. That is exactly the gap an independent tracker fills. For a fuller walk-through of the mixed-asset problem, see our guide on how to track stocks and crypto together in one app.
How do you track crypto and equities together in one PortfolioTrackr view?
You track crypto and equities together in PortfolioTrackr by adding each account as its own portfolio and then using the ALL PORTFOLIOS combined view to see them as one. Stocks and crypto sit in the same totals, priced in whatever one of the 100 display currencies you choose.
Ways to get your holdings in
- Direct broker sync with Alpaca, Bybit and Interactive Brokers, available on every plan including the free trial.
- The SnapTrade bridge, which connects 41 brokers, on a paid Pro or Lifetime plan.
- Smart & Easy Import by voice, text or screenshot, on every plan.
- Bulk CSV import, on every plan, useful for dumping a Kraken trade history.
- Manual entry by hand for self-custody coins, since PortfolioTrackr does not read wallet addresses.
Each connected broker gets its own read-only portfolio, and it does not count toward your portfolio limit. The ALL PORTFOLIOS combined view is available to anyone with more than one portfolio, on every plan. If you are deciding how to connect accounts, our guide on connecting a brokerage account to a portfolio tracker covers the options in detail.
Where tokenized stocks and self-custody coins fit
Tokenized stocks and self-custody coins are added by hand, by CSV or from a screenshot, since they do not always arrive through a standard broker sync. A tokenized AAPL position can be entered as a holding and tracked against its market value like anything else.
How does currency conversion work when you hold euros, dollars and crypto?
PortfolioTrackr converts each foreign holding using the exchange rate of the day it was bought for its cost and today's rate for its value, then shows the currency gain or loss as its own line. This matters a lot once a Kraken account mixes EUR cash, USD-priced tokens and BTC.
The mechanics, available since October 2026:
- Cost is converted at the rate on the purchase date, not today.
- Value is converted at today's rate.
- Currency gain or loss appears as a separate line on the summary card and the P&L chart.
- Dividends use the pay-date rate, and sold holdings use the sale-day rate.
PortfolioTrackr keeps 10 years of daily exchange rates for 100 currencies, so a euro-based investor holding dollar-priced tokenized stocks can see how much of the gain came from the asset and how much came from the EUR/USD move. The tax report converts each trade at the rate of its own date and shows that rate on every row.
Can you set price alerts on both crypto and tokenized stock positions?
Yes, PortfolioTrackr checks every position and watchlist level once a minute while the market is open, and around the clock for crypto, with alerts within a minute of your level being hit. A closed stock market is skipped at night, at weekends and on exchange holidays.
Alerts are price levels only:
- Target 1, Target 2 and a stop-loss on a position.
- A price above or below on a watchlist entry.
- Status reporting against your own levels, such as still below target or Target 1 reached.
Crypto never closes, so a BTC-USD alert runs around the clock, while a tokenized stock that trades on-chain and a real share on an exchange may behave differently depending on their trading hours. PortfolioTrackr reports status against the levels you set and does not tell you what to do. Email, WhatsApp, Telegram and push alerts are on every plan, with SMS on Pro and Lifetime.
The bottom line
Payward's agreement to buy Saldo Bank is a bid to merge banking and crypto inside the EU, but it is an acquisition in progress, not a feature in your account today. The direction is clear: cash, crypto, tokenized stocks and credit converging into fewer apps.
What a holder can check right now is simple and factual:
- Your actual exposure to Kraken, to crypto generally and to any tokenized stocks.
- Which legal product you hold, a real share or a token that tracks it.
- Whether your accounts are visible in one place rather than scattered across apps.
As more providers bundle assets together, an independent view across everything you own gets more useful, not less. Our data-driven comparison of portfolio trackers is a good next read if you want to see how the options stack up.
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Frequently asked questions
Why is Kraken buying Saldo Bank in Lithuania?
Kraken's parent, Payward, agreed to buy Saldo Bank on October 14, 2026 to gain an EU banking licence. Lithuania-issued licences passport across the EU single market, letting Kraken offer regulated euro accounts, payments and credit alongside crypto and tokenized stocks in one app.
Are tokenized stocks the same as owning real shares?
No. Tokenized stocks are blockchain tokens that track a share's price but are a different legal product. Direct ownership, voting rights and dividend handling depend on the issuer's structure. A tokenized AAPL token and an actual AAPL share are not interchangeable instruments, so your rights follow whichever you hold.
How can I track crypto and stocks together in one app?
Add each account as its own portfolio in PortfolioTrackr, then use the ALL PORTFOLIOS combined view to see crypto and equities in one total. You can sync Alpaca, Bybit and Interactive Brokers directly, import by CSV or screenshot, and enter self-custody coins by hand.
Does PortfolioTrackr support euro and dollar accounts together?
Yes. PortfolioTrackr supports 100 display currencies and converts each holding's cost at its purchase-date rate and its value at today's rate, showing currency gain or loss as its own line. It keeps 10 years of daily exchange rates, which helps when mixing EUR cash and USD-priced holdings.
Will the Kraken Saldo Bank deal change my account right now?
No. The deal announced on October 14, 2026 is an agreement that still needs regulatory approval and integration, which typically takes several quarters. Nothing in a current Kraken account changes immediately. The deal signals a future direction toward combined banking, crypto and tokenized stocks in the EU.