​Last updated: Aug 17 2026. Kraken launched Ink Points Season 1 on Kraken Pro on April 13, 2026, with point accrual retroactive to April 6. Levels and the leaderboard went live May 4, 2026. The INK token generation event is expected July to September 2026 per Ink Foundation guidance. Season 1 is not available in the UK.
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Kraken Ink is the Layer 2 network Kraken launched on the OP Stack in December 2024, and Ink Points are the loyalty layer that sits on top of it. This article breaks down what Ink Points are, what Kraken has publicly disclosed about earn mechanics and levels, expected redemption mechanics, and how the program stacks up against Hyperliquid Points, Linea Voyage, zkSync, and EigenLayer.
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Ink is an Ethereum L2 built by Kraken on the OP Stack, part of the Optimism Superchain. Mainnet launched December 2024 with a focus on DeFi, low fees, and tight integration with the Kraken exchange (one-click deposit and withdrawal from a Kraken account directly to Ink).
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The chain runs the standard OP Stack rollup architecture: transactions settle to Ethereum, fees are paid in ETH, and bridging uses the canonical Optimism bridge plus partner routes. Kraken has positioned Ink as the home for "DeFi for everyone," with native DEXes, lending markets, and a perp venue.
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Per the official Kraken announcement, Season 1 runs on Kraken Pro and rewards eligible traders for activity across the platform. Kraken has disclosed the following mechanics:

Point values per action, multiplier magnitudes, and season length have not been publicly disclosed by Kraken.
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Two earn surfaces exist in practice as of August 2026: the official Kraken Pro Season 1 program, and community-tracked onchain activity on Ink that observers expect to count toward the eventual airdrop. Only the first is officially confirmed by Kraken.
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The primary confirmed earn surface. Kraken Pro trading activity generates weekly points based on volume and product mix, with weekly boosts on specific pairs or products. Exact point values per dollar traded are not disclosed. See Kraken's Season 1 announcement for the current in-scope activity list.
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Separately from Kraken Pro Season 1, activity on the Ink L2 itself has been widely cited by ecosystem observers as counting toward future airdrop eligibility. Community trackers point to bridging, swapping on Velodrome and SquidSwap, lending on Tydro, and NFT activity on Reservoir as tracked surfaces. These are not officially confirmed point-earning actions inside Season 1; Kraken has not published a formal onchain points portal at inkonchain.com. Treat community-cited point yields as indicative rather than official. For broader context on cross-chain transfers, see our overview of stablecoin bridging.
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Kraken has not disclosed a conversion ratio or dollar value per point. What follows is what the Ink Foundation and Kraken have publicly stated about the token, timing, and how to think about value.
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The Ink Foundation has confirmed an incentives token and airdrop weighted toward real usage, early onchain activity, and Kraken Pro users. INK will have a fixed 1 billion total supply per Ink Foundation guidance. The exact points-to-token conversion ratio has not been announced.
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TGE is expected between July and September 2026 based on Ink Foundation communications as reported by CoinSwitch. Kraken itself has not committed to a public TGE date. As of August 17, 2026, no snapshot date has been announced.
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Until conversion details are public, any specific dollar value is speculation. Points are a claim on a future allocation whose size, timing, and price are all unknown. Earn them as a side-effect of activity you would do anyway, not as the primary reason to deploy capital.
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For a deeper look at how to think about points-based rewards generally, see our guide to evaluating airdrop campaigns.
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The points-program model has become standard across major L2s and onchain venues. Here is how Ink stacks up against the four most-cited comps in 2026:

For users who already trade on Kraken Pro, the marginal cost of continuing to trade is unchanged, and points accrue as a side benefit. The downside risk is trading fees you would have paid anyway.
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For users who would otherwise not trade on Kraken Pro, the answer is more nuanced. The expected value of any given point is unknown, and historical airdrops have ranged from "life-changing" (Hyperliquid, Jito) to "barely covered gas" (some retroactive distributions). Treat Ink Points as a lottery ticket attached to activity that already makes sense.
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Log in to Kraken Pro and look for the Ink Points dashboard in the rewards section. Points refresh weekly on Mondays based on the prior week's activity.
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No. Points are non-transferable and tied to the Kraken Pro account that earned them. Secondary markets for points (OTC desks, points-trading platforms) have emerged for some programs but Kraken has not endorsed any such venue for Ink Points.
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Previously-earned points remain in your account. Weekly accrual pauses until you resume eligible activity. Season boundaries and any point expiry rules have not been publicly disclosed.
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If you are farming Ink Points as part of a broader airdrop strategy, these guides cover the adjacent decisions on bridging assets, evaluating campaigns, and comparing Layer 2 ecosystems.
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This article draws on the official Kraken Ink Points Season 1 announcement (April 13, 2026), Ink Foundation communications as reported by CoinSwitch, and public statements from Kraken about TGE timing. Comparison data for Hyperliquid, Linea, zkSync, and EigenLayer comes from each project's official points portals and airdrop announcements. Program mechanics reflect what Kraken has publicly disclosed as of August 17, 2026 and are subject to change.
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