Cointelegraph reported that Payward, Kraken's parent company, was awarded approximately $22 million in damages in an arbitration against its former auditor, global accounting firm Mazars. Payward claimed that Mazars unilaterally ceased its audit work when the 2022 audit was almost complete, stating, "An audit is not a favor, but like oxygen necessary for corporate survival. An independent audit is essential for accessing banking services, obtaining various licenses, and maintaining business relationships with other companies." It emphasized that this action was part of Operation Chokepoint 2.0 (a measure to pressure the cryptocurrency industry by blocking bank access). Payward claims to have suffered millions of dollars in losses as a result. Currently, Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi has requested the Delaware court to confirm this award.
