What Bakkt is
Bakkt is a US digital asset infrastructure company, founded in 2018 by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE, the operator of the NYSE) to bring cryptocurrencies into regulated markets, starting with physically delivered Bitcoin futures. Listed on the NYSE (ticker BKKT) since 2021 via SPAC, it has been through several pivots: having shut down its consumer app in 2023, it sold its loyalty arm (completed 01/10/2025, buyer Project Labrador/Roman DBDR, 11 million dollars) to become a "pure-play" crypto infrastructure firm: trading and custody for institutions, tokenisation, stablecoin payments. In April 2026 it acquired Distributed Technologies Research (DTR), the programmable finance company founded by current CEO Akshay Naheta. (Verified: September 2026)
Regulation and licences
- MiCA: NOT APPLICABLE / NOT FOUND — Bakkt is a US operator serving institutional clients and does not appear among the CASPs authorised in the ESMA register: it is not a platform where an EU retail user can open an account. (Verified: September 2026)
- In the US it has historically operated through regulated entities (custody and trading on supervised rails, a legacy of the ICE/CFTC setup); which of those licences it retains after the 2025-2026 restructuring is not clear from public sources.
Security
There are no hacks or breaches of customer funds in Bakkt's history. The risks for investors have been industrial instead: the BKKT stock has lost most of its value since its 2021 debut and the company has changed business model several times before the "pure-play crypto" turn of 2025.
Alternatives
Bakkt is not a retail exchange; for those looking for consumer platforms:
- Kraken — full MiCA licence via the Central Bank of Ireland
- Gemini — a US exchange also present in Europe
- Bybit — MiCA licence via the Austrian FMA
FAQ
- Can I buy crypto on Bakkt from the EU? No: Bakkt is not a retail exchange and is not authorised as a CASP in the EU. The consumer app was shut down in 2023; today the company serves institutions and B2B partners.
- Who leads Bakkt today? Akshay Naheta, a former senior executive at SoftBank: co-CEO since March 2025, he has been sole CEO and Chairman since 11 August 2026, after the departure of Andy Main.
- What is the relationship between Bakkt and the NYSE? Bakkt was created in 2018 as a project of Intercontinental Exchange, the company that owns the NYSE, and is listed on the NYSE under the ticker BKKT.
Verified sources
- https://www.coindesk.com/business/2025/07/28/bakkt-sells-loyalty-business-and-pivots-to-pu
- https://investors.bakkt.com/news-releases/news-release-details/bakkt-completes-sale-loyalt
- https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/12/23/bakkt-president-adam-white-announces-his-depa
- https://bakkt.com/leadership/akshay-naheta/
HQ OF BAKKT
New St NE, Atlanta, GA 30307, United States
BAKKT CONTACTS
All images, branding and wording are copyright Bakkt. All content on this page is used for informational purposes only. Spaziocrypto has no affiliation or relationship with the company mentioned on this page.
