Kraken links memecoin trading contest to Atlético Madrid shirt sponsorship
The crypto exchange will temporarily hand over its sleeve logo to the most-traded memecoin on its platform, with the winner appearing during Atlético de Madrid’s April clash against Barcelona.
Kraken is running a trading contest that will see a memecoin earn a high-profile spot on a football shirt, tying online trading activity to real-world sports sponsorship.
In a statement, Kraken said the contest will run from January 22 to February 15. The memecoin with the highest cumulative trading volume on Kraken during that period, measured in US dollars, will replace Kraken’s logo on the sleeve of Atlético de Madrid’s shirt for its match against FC Barcelona, scheduled for April 4 or 5.
Kraken described the prize as a “sleeve placement”, meaning the winning token’s branding will appear on the club’s matchday kit for that fixture instead of the exchange’s own logo. The company did not disclose the commercial value of the placement.
Six memecoins are taking part in the contest: BERT, GIGA, PONKE, UFD, USDUC and USELESS. Kraken said only trading volume generated on its own platform will count, and that volume will be calculated in dollar terms rather than by the number of tokens traded.
For a lay reader, memecoins are cryptocurrencies that often originate from internet culture or jokes rather than from a specific technical use case. While some attract large and active trading communities, they are also known for sharp price swings and speculative trading.
The rules of the contest are straightforward. Any Kraken user who trades one of the eligible memecoins during the campaign period is automatically entered. There is no separate registration process, and trades executed on other exchanges will not be counted towards the total.
The trading window closes on February 15, with Kraken set to announce the winning token on February 16. The branding payoff comes several weeks later, when Atlético de Madrid face Barcelona in one of the standout fixtures of the La Liga season.
The promotion reflects how crypto companies continue to experiment with sports partnerships as a way to reach new audiences. Kraken is already a sponsor of Atlético de Madrid, and the contest extends that relationship by giving trading communities a visible stake in a major sporting event.
It also illustrates how exchanges are seeking to boost engagement around specific assets. By tying trading volume to a tangible reward such as a football shirt placement, Kraken is encouraging competition between token communities rather than simply promoting its own brand.
For traders, the contest does not change the risks associated with memecoin trading. Kraken did not make any claims about the quality or long-term prospects of the participating tokens, and the winner is determined purely by trading activity over the period.
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The sleeve placement will be visible only for the Atlético de Madrid versus Barcelona match on April 4 or 5. After that, Kraken’s logo will return to the shirt, bringing the promotion to a close.
As with many crypto marketing initiatives, the campaign blends digital speculation with mainstream visibility. Whether it drives sustained interest beyond the contest window will depend on how much trading activity it generates and how prominently the winning token’s appearance is noticed by fans watching one of Spain’s biggest football rivalries.
The Recap
- Memecoin with highest Kraken trading volume wins sleeve placement.
- Eligible tokens include BERT, GIGA, PONKE, UFD, USDUC, USELESS.
- Trading runs January 22–February 15; winner announced February 16.
