Krakenâs co-founder and CEO Jesse Powell says his exchange may seek a public listing âsometime next yearâ but that there are âno guarantees.â
Appearing on Bloomberg TV on Wednesday, Powell was asked whether he would take his company public at a $10 billion valuation.
âWe are certainly on track though $10 billion dollars is a low valuation,â said Powell. âI wouldnât be interested in issuing shares at that price.â Powellâs statement comes as rival exchange Coinbase is being valued as high as $100 billion.
Kraken is in talks to raise new capital in a move that could see the companyâs valuation soar to above $10 billion, as CoinDesk previously reported.
However, Powell added there was âno reasonâ to raise new capital except to accelerate company acquisitions.
Asked where bitcoin was headed and how investors should be looking at its current price, Krakenâs CEO said there was âno reason to sell bitcoinâ
âI think a lot of people are just waiting to buy the dip,â said Powell. âI do think if youâre buying into bitcoin based on speculation you should be looking to hold over a five-year period.â
CoinDesk attempted to contact Powell for additional comment but did not receive a response by press time.