Kraken is acquiring retail futures trading platform NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion, allowing the crypto exchange to offer crypto futures and derivatives in the US for the first time and to expand into more traditional markets.

Kraken, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, said on Thursday it would buy retail futures trading platform NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion, in a deal that would allow it to expand into multiple asset classes and grow its user base.

The deal could be a way for the crypto exchange to move into another asset class and increase its users, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. The report added that Kraken could announce the deal as soon as Thursday and that NinjaTrader would remain a standalone platform under Kraken.