Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken acquired Israeli startup Capitalise.ai, a no-code trading automation platform that converts natural language commands into executable strategies, for an undisclosed amount. According to a blog post from Kraken on August 20, the technology will be integrated into Kraken Pro later this year.
Capitalise.ai was founded in 2015 and built a platform that transforms everyday text into strategies, supporting the execution of stocks, cryptocurrencies, forex markets, futures, and options. After integration, Kraken Pro users can design, backtest, and automate trading without writing code.
Kraken exchange head Shannon Kurtas stated that this acquisition provides Kraken Pro customers with a new way to execute ideas in real-time, aimed at making advanced strategies more accessible to a broader user base.
This acquisition follows Kraken's $1.5 billion acquisition of the U.S. futures platform NinjaTrader in March.
Cryptocurrency companies are rushing to acquire AI startups.
Major cryptocurrency exchanges, analytics companies, and mining firms are increasingly acquiring AI companies, indicating that AI is becoming an important component of trading, compliance, and infrastructure.
On January 13, blockchain analytics company Chainalysis acquired Alterya, an AI-driven fraud detection startup, for approximately $150 million. Alterya's real-time monitoring system is designed to flag suspicious activities and enhance compliance tools for banks and regulators.
Earlier this month, Web3 super app xPortal acquired Alphalink, a German startup focused on AI-driven mobile interfaces for cryptocurrency. The acquisition brings Alphalink’s team into xPortal, expanding its AI tools for decentralized finance and digital identity.
Acquisition momentum has accelerated in recent weeks. On August 11, Tether and video platform Rumble announced a joint acquisition of German AI and high-performance computing infrastructure provider Northern Data for $117 million. The deal will merge Northern Data's GPU cloud and data center units into Rumble, while Tether commits to annual GPU purchases.
On the same day, Bitcoin mining company MARA Holdings acquired a 64% stake in the French AI company Exaion for $168 million. Exaion is a subsidiary of the state-owned utility company EDF. Exaion's high-performance computing business collaborates with Nvidia and Deloitte, and this transaction includes an option for MARA to increase its stake to 75% by 2027.
Not all companies are entering the field through acquisitions. In July, Coinbase chose to partner with Perplexity AI to integrate its COIN50 index data into the search engine, marking a step towards embedding cryptocurrency data into real-time AI responses.
Magazine: Your AI 'digital twin' can attend meetings and comfort your loved ones.