Kraken 360, the institutional services division of the Kraken cryptocurrency exchange, has published a structured checklist covering 13 decisions that project teams should complete before a token generation event, or TGE. The guidance runs from 12 months out to seven days before launch and is built around a single argument: sequence is the primary risk factor, not execution.
The checklist identifies the earliest decisions as the most consequential. Confirming the issuer entity, jurisdiction and token classification at T-12 months sets the legal perimeter within which every subsequent choice must sit. Opening conversations with tier-1 exchanges begins at the same point. Delaying either, Kraken 360 warns, can force restructurings that are costly and disruptive to complete under time pressure.
Token supply, allocation sizing and valuation are due at T-10 months, with all allocation stakeholders convened a month later to model combined day-one sell pressure. That step matters because vesting schedules, airdrop pools and team allocations interact. Teams that model them in isolation rather than together routinely underestimate the volume of tokens that will be available to sell from the moment trading opens.
Custody and chain selection follow at T-8 months, with market maker selection and contract KPI definitions set at T-6 months. Primary exchange listing agreements should be signed by T-5 months.
The later checkpoints shift from strategic to operational. At T-4 months, teams are expected to have audited claim contracts, sybil resistance built into airdrop mechanics, and labelled treasury wallets with pre-agreed diversification strategies. Named compliance ownership and a stakeholder communication plan are due at T-3 months.
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The final requirement before launch is a full end-to-end operational readiness check at T-7 days, covering coordinated unlock execution and over-the-counter handling arrangements for vesting stakeholders.
The checklist reflects a broader shift in how institutional participants are approaching token launches. Projects that reach TGE without aligned stakeholders, tested systems and confirmed exchange relationships tend to see volatile and poorly supported price action in the opening days of trading. Kraken 360 is positioning the guidance as a risk reduction tool for teams that want to avoid that outcome. As the company put it in its announcement: "The sequence is everything."
The recap
- Kraken 360 publishes 13-step checklist for token generation events
- Timelines run from T-12 months to T-7 days
- Teams should sequence decisions and coordinate stakeholders early