BlockBeats news, October 12: Wells Fargo is in talks with Payward, the parent company of crypto trading platform Kraken, to explore a partnership in which Payward would provide liquidity support for the bank's digital asset trading business. Under the potential collaboration, Payward would provide market depth and trade execution support, helping Wells Fargo expand its clients' access to crypto asset trading without having to build a complete trading infrastructure from scratch.The two parties are still in negotiations and have not yet determined whether a final agreement will be reached. Both declined to comment. Wells Fargo has previously offered spot Bitcoin ETFs to eligible wealth management clients and has invested in compliance technology company Elliptic and trading platform service provider Talos, while also advancing a blockchain deposit initiative and participating in a U.S. dollar stablecoin-related alliance. In September 2026, Nasdaq announced a $100 million investment in Payward, valuing it at approximately $21 billion, with Wells Fargo serving as the exclusive capital markets advisor for the deal.In addition, Payward has also been reported to be in talks with asset custody and servicing giant BNY for a broader infrastructure partnership, with the potential scope including digital asset products, custody, wealth management, trading, and payments businesses. Those discussions have likewise not yet resulted in a final agreement. Payward is continuing to expand its traditional finance business footprint. According to reports, the company is also seeking to obtain a European banking license, with Lithuania as the target jurisdiction. In March 2026, Kraken Financial became the first digital asset bank to gain access to the Federal Reserve's payment infrastructure; Payward has also obtained authorization from the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority.