USA DAILYKraken to cancel orders on 176 crypto pairs, move to synthetic markets
Bitcoin $80,140▼ −1.57% 24has of Oct 29, 2026, 5:20 AM ET
Kraken will cancel open orders on 176 native crypto pairs from Nov. 6 and replace them with synthetic markets that charge taker fees on limit orders.
Key points
- Kraken moves about 176 native pairs to cancel-only mode on Nov. 6 at 14:00 UTC
- Open orders are canceled and will not transfer to replacement synthetic pairs
- Synthetic limit orders carry taker fees; partial fills and post-only orders are unavailable
- Balances, underlying assets and margin pairs are unaffected, per CryptoSlate
Kraken will cancel all remaining open orders on about 176 native crypto trading pairs and replace the markets with synthetic pairs, the exchange said in an Oct. 27 notice. The affected pairs move to cancel-only mode on Nov. 6, and orders will not carry over to the replacements, CryptoSlate reported on Oct. 28.
Timeline for the 176 affected pairs
According to Kraken’s status notice, the affected pairs enter cancel-only mode at 14:00 UTC on Nov. 6. Between Nov. 6 and Nov. 9, Kraken will cancel any open orders that remain and delist the native pairs. The replacement synthetic pairs are scheduled to be listed by the end of Nov. 9.
Kraken told customers with open orders on affected pairs to cancel them before the Nov. 6 cutoff. The notice states that remaining orders will be canceled and will not transfer to the synthetic pairs. Customers with no open orders on those pairs need to take no action.
CryptoSlate lists BTC/DAI, ETH/JPY, AAVE/BTC, ADA/AUD and SHIB/USDT among the affected pairs. The underlying assets remain available on the platform, and CryptoSlate reported that customer balances and margin trading pairs are not affected. The full list is in Kraken’s Support Center.
How synthetic markets change order handling
A synthetic pair routes an order through two underlying markets that share a common currency, typically USD. CryptoSlate gave the example of a SOL-to-DOGE trade routed through SOL/USD and DOGE/USD, executed as a single trade with one consolidated fee. Kraken has said the approach can offer tighter spreads than thinly traded native markets because execution draws on deeper order books, CryptoSlate reported.
The trade-off falls mainly on traders who place limit orders. According to CryptoSlate, limit orders on synthetic pairs are charged taker fees, so maker-fee eligibility disappears. They fill only when the underlying markets have enough liquidity at the specified price or better. Partial fills, post-only orders and several time-in-force settings are not available. Kraken’s support documentation on synthetic pairs likewise describes limit and market orders as taker-fee orders that fill in full rather than resting in the order book.
Who is affected
CryptoSlate said the changes could hurt active traders and market makers who rely on providing liquidity, since they lose the lower maker fees and the ability to post resting orders on these pairs. Kraken Pro already offers more than 10,000 synthetic pairs spanning cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and fiat currencies, and the 176 converted markets will join that system, according to the report.
Kraken’s status notice does not discuss fees, and the exchange’s reasons for the change were not detailed beyond the liquidity argument above. Traders with strategies tied to the affected pairs can check the Support Center list and its synthetic pairs explainer for details.