DeFi Earn rewards and fees

Last updated: 26. Jan. 2026

DeFi Earn allows you to earn variable rewards by allocating assets into DeFi Vaults on Kraken, Kraken Pro, and Krak. Rewards and fees work differently than in traditional staking or savings products.

  • •

    Variable APY: Rewards are based on supply and demand in the lending protocols that DeFi Vaults use. This means your APY can change at any time.

  • •

    Continuous accrual: Rewards are not paid weekly or monthly. Instead, your vault balance increases continuously in real time.

  • •

    Compounded growth: Rewards automatically increase your balance, so your earnings themselves can earn additional rewards.

  • •

    Vault-specific rates: Each vault (Balanced, High-Yield, etc.) has its own APY, which is displayed in-app.

You can view your lifetime rewards, average APY, and current vault earnings in the Earn tab at any time.

Reward rates are displayed as an Annual Percentage Yield (APY) and may vary by vault. Kraken displays the current APY based on market data provided by the vault’s risk manager.

Fees for DeFi Earn are incurred in two ways: 

  1. 1

    A percentage of the vault’s earnings are taken as a fee. This fee is taken from the vault automatically and before earnings are shown in your balance. There are no fees when you withdraw.

  2. 2

    If you choose an asset besides USDC, Kraken will apply the standard fee to convert to USDC before depositing into a vault. You will have the chance to review the fee before confirming your deposit.

Next steps

See How to allocate assets in DeFi Earn to start earning, or visit the DeFi Earn FAQ for common questions about rewards, fees, and risks.

 

Rewards are variable and not guaranteed; you can lose some or all of your assets. Interacting with on-chain smart contracts involves risks which are further detailed in the terms of service, including technological risk (bugs, exploits, and oracle/MEV/bridge failures), market risk (price volatility, de-pegs, and liquidation where relevant), and operational risk (irreversible transactions, gas fees, network congestion). Kraken does not control third-party protocols. Offered by Payward Wallet, LLC. Fees apply. Availability varies by jurisdiction.

Brauchst du weitere Hilfe?