Crypto Gloss

Kaiko

Kaiko is one of the oldest crypto market data companies still in operation, founded in Paris in 2014 — predating most of its competitors by several years. Unlike on-chain analytics platforms, Kaiko’s primary focus is institutional-grade market data: historical and real-time trade-level data, order book snapshots, OHLCV (Open/High/Low/Close/Volume) data, and reference pricing aggregated across more than 100 centralized crypto exchanges. Its primary customers are traditional finance (TradFi) institutions, central banks, regulators, asset managers, and compliance teams that require reliable, auditable pricing data.

Background

Kaiko was founded by Pascal Gauthier (who later moved on to lead Ledger) and rebuilt under successive leadership to target the TradFi institutional data buyer rather than the retail crypto trader. The company positioned itself as the Bloomberg equivalent for crypto data — emphasizing data quality, long history, compliance-grade provenance, and customer support over broad consumer access.

Data Products

Product Description
Trade Data Full tick-level trade history across 100+ exchanges, going back to 2014
Order Book Data Depth snapshots (L2 aggregated and L1 BBO) across major venues
OHLCV Standardized candlestick data in configurable intervals
Reference Rates Auditable, methodology-documented price benchmarks for institutional use
Derivatives Data Futures and perpetual swap data from major crypto derivatives venues
DeFi Data DEX trade data and liquidity pool metrics
Regulatory API Compliance-focused data delivery with full audit trail support

Key Differentiators

  • Longevity: Founded 2014; one of the longest historical datasets available in the industry
  • TradFi Focus: Primarily serves banks, asset managers, auditors, and central banks rather than retail
  • Reference Rates: Kaiko’s benchmark rates are used by regulated institutions where pricing provenance matters
  • European HQ: Well-positioned for EU regulatory requirements (MiCA compliance data needs)
  • Exchange Coverage: Data from 100+ centralized exchanges with survivorship — includes data from defunct exchanges like BitMEX pre-regulatory action

Customers and Use Cases

Kaiko’s data is used in portfolio valuation, index construction, compliance reporting, trading strategy research, and regulatory submissions. Central banks and government financial agencies have used Kaiko data for crypto market studies and policy reports.

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