Kraken Review: Withdrawal Complaints Describe a Deposit-Before-Payout Pattern

Kraken, operated by Payward, Inc and profiled as a United States crypto exchange rather than a traditional forex broker, carries a WikiFX score of 1.39 and no regulatory licence records in its safety database. What stands out is a recurring type of complaint: users say they cannot withdraw their funds until they send more money first. This article walks through that complaint pattern, the regulatory picture, and what traders should check before depositing.

The Withdrawal Complaint Pattern

Complaints in the record come from Argentina, Bolivia, Nigeria, Hong Kong, Brazil, Spain and Taiwan, and they repeat a similar sequence. According to a complaint from Argentina in January 2026, the user had been trying for ten days to withdraw $8,000 and was told they first needed to deposit almost $1,700.

Screenshot submitted by the user with the complaint (2026-01)

A complaint from Hong Kong in April 2024 describes a different entry point but the same exit problem. The user reported being drawn in through a “couples activity” and, after meeting the stated conditions, being told that both parties each had to pay $30,000 for advanced anti-money-laundering verification before a withdrawal would be released.

Screenshot submitted by the user with the complaint (2024-04)

A third complaint, from Argentina in October 2025, describes being recruited on Telegram for paid “tasks”. According to the user, small commissions were paid at first, then the tasks required larger and larger deposits, and the user could never access the money already earned.

Screenshot submitted by the user with the complaint (2025-10)

Across these reports the pattern is the same: first more deposits are requested, then the withdrawal does not happen. That sequence is worth treating as a red flag regardless of which brand name is shown on screen.

Regulatory Warnings

No regulatory information was found for this platform in the WikiFX safety record, and the platform's own profile states it is not overseen by major financial regulators.

The record also carries two regulatory disclosures from Indonesia's BAPPEBTI, the commodity futures trading supervisory agency. One, from September 2022, reports the blocking of hundreds of unlicensed commodity-futures websites. The other, from February 2022, reports the blocking of more than a thousand unlicensed websites and warns that when an entity holds no local licence, the regulator cannot mediate customer disputes or guarantee segregated funds.

Basic Information

According to its profile, the company is listed as founded in 2000 and registered in the United States. It promotes crypto trading, margin, futures and staking, with a stated minimum deposit as low as $1 and maker and taker fees of 0.16% and 0.26%.

WikiFX Dealer Page

That product detail does not change the core issue: the withdrawal complaints describe money being asked for after funds are already in the account.

Score and Impact

WikiFX assigns Kraken a score of 1.39, at the low end of the scale. Combined with the withdrawal complaints and the absence of a regulatory licence in the safety record, the score points to a high-risk profile that traders should weigh carefully before funding an account.

Final Thoughts

The strongest signal here is not the brand name; it is the repeated sequence in the complaints: deposit, then another deposit, then no withdrawal. When users across several countries describe the same gatekeeping behaviour, it is reasonable to treat the platform as high risk.

Before depositing, verify the exact entity you are dealing with against its regulator, test any withdrawal with a small amount first, and check the live score and latest complaints on the WikiFX App.