Kraken to integrate INK token and Ink network into 'core product suite' ahead of airdrop

Kraken is introducing the much-anticipated INK token and Ink Layer 2 into its existing product suite for its global client base. The move will "unlock a new wave of use cases powered by onchain protocols and infrastructure," the crypto exchange wrote in an announcement on Thursday. 

As part of the initiative, Kraken plans to integrate the INK token into its Kraken Drops program, which rewards eligible exchange users with airdrops. The Ink Foundation, a newly formed group that is set to oversee the token launch, has said that INK is designed to maximize network utility rather than for "speculation."

The token "will not play a role" in any of the governance decisions for the Ink Layer-2, the foundation said in June, when the token was first unveiled. Instead, it would primarily be used for liquidity aggregation and to incentivize the use of the network's applications, like lending and trading. 

"By introducing INK and Ink-native protocols into products already trusted by millions of users, Kraken is making the leap forward to a world where CeFi and DeFi aren’t divided," the Ink Foundation Board of Directors said in a statement. "This is only the beginning of united capital markets that anyone can tap into."

Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi echoed this point, noting that INK will play a role in "aligning infrastructure for both onchain and offchain users" and "standardizing how value moves" for Kraken's trading and payments systems. The exchange previously announced INK's first use case would be in an Aave liquidity pool on Ink, which is expected to act like a concentrated source of liquidity and "provide a new critical building block in Ink's DeFi stack."

Kraken recently introduced Krak, a standalone app for global payments and remittances, aimed at competing with services like PayPal and Venmo. The exchange also announced an expansion into tokenized stock trading for non-U.S. customers and acquired U.S. retail futures platform NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion. 

The Ink network is part of Optimism's "Superchain" ecosystem, along with Base and the L2s being developed by Sony, Uniswap, and World. Base, incubated by rival exchange Coinbase, is now one of the most active blockchains by volume and number of users,  according to The Block's data.

Ink saw its usage spike following the announcement of a forthcoming INK airdrop. The network saw its total value locked climb above $102 million in July, up from around $20 million in June, according to Dune. 

Kraken has said it is considering going public as soon as the first quarter of 2026.