{"version":1,"id":"thanh-luu","title":"Thanh Luu","summary":"Thanh Luu is a person who co-founded the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, served as its CTO contributing to its infrastructure, and sits on the Payward board of directors.","content":"**Thanh Luu** is a technologist and [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) entrepreneur best known as a co-founder of [Kraken](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kraken), one of the earliest [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) exchanges. He co-founded the exchange in 2011 alongside [Jesse Powell](https://iq.wiki/wiki/jesse-powell) and [Michael Gronager](https://iq.wiki/wiki/michael-gronager) and has been associated with its technical development in infrastructure, security, and compliance.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-ltpwr6ccc8) \n\n## Early Life and Education\n\nThanh Luu was born in 1985 in Hanoi, Vietnam.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-ltpwr6ccc8) He studied computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, the academic foundation for the engineering and infrastructure work that would define his later career in the cryptocurrency industry.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-ltpwr6ccc8)​\n\n## Career\n\n### Kraken\n\nLuu co-founded the cryptocurrency exchange [Kraken](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kraken) in 2011 with [Jesse Powell](https://iq.wiki/wiki/jesse-powell) and [Michael Gronager](https://iq.wiki/wiki/michael-gronager), placing him among the founders of one of the first generation of digital-asset trading platforms.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-ltpwr6ccc8) Within the company, his work has been associated with technical expertise and a focus on infrastructure, security, and compliance — the systems that allow an exchange to hold customer funds and operate under regulatory obligations.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-ltpwr6ccc8) The [KuCoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kucoin) profile credits his contributions with helping establish Kraken as a benchmark in the cryptocurrency industry for security, transparency, and a stated commitment to financial freedom, and describes him as maintaining a low-key presence while continuing to influence the direction of decentralized finance through Kraken's strategy.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-ltpwr6ccc8)​\n\n### Circuit\n\nLuu is the chief technology officer of Circuit, a company described as building the foundations for \"agent finance\" — financial infrastructure oriented toward autonomous software agents. According to the August 2025 X post announcing the role, he moved into the position as [Kraken](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kraken) was preparing for an IPO, applying the infrastructure experience developed at the exchange to the new venture.[\\[3\\]](#cite-id-5daftgtmi2)​\n","categories":[{"id":"people","title":"people"}],"tags":[{"id":"Founder"},{"id":"Developer"}],"images":[{"id":"QmcUGVQZisBL3E5pR4TQ3Tf1ZsHcsYVxgAAfYk75s9VLAV","type":"image/jpeg, image/png"}],"media":[],"metadata":[{"id":"references","value":"[{\"id\":\"ltpwr6ccc8\",\"url\":\"https://www.kucoin.com/news/flash/thanh-luu-kraken-co-founder-and-quiet-architect-of-crypto-exchange-standards\",\"description\":\"KuCoin profile on Kraken co-founder Thanh Luu\",\"timestamp\":1789897446404},{\"id\":\"us0asquyog\",\"url\":\"https://www.payward.com/governance\",\"description\":\"Payward board of directors listing\",\"timestamp\":1789897446404},{\"id\":\"5daftgtmi2\",\"url\":\"https://x.com/0xfoobar/status/1953833349362889142?lang=en\",\"description\":\"X post introducing Thanh Luu as Circuit CTO\",\"timestamp\":1789897446404}]"},{"id":"commit-message","value":"Create wiki: Thanh Luu"}],"events":[{"type":"DEFAULT","title":"Born","date":"1985-01-01","description":"Thanh Luu was born in Hanoi, Vietnam.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"0f936f22-3350-43a1-a814-00f6b30f5861"},{"type":"DEFAULT","title":"Co-founded Kraken","date":"2011-01-01","description":"Thanh Luu co-founded the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken with Jesse Powell and Michael Gronager.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"85c40257-bf54-4f96-8636-7addad37de23"},{"type":"DEFAULT","title":"Net worth estimated","date":"2025-01-01","description":"As of 2025, Thanh Luu's net worth is estimated at $1 billion to $1.2 billion, attributed primarily to his stake in Kraken.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"b13d73f6-5e62-47e9-afb9-db96d93765df"}],"linkedWikis":{"founders":[],"blockchains":[],"speakers":[]},"user":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"author":{"id":"0x4a2bC97afBF41a2Cbf4b4628F63420682Ff4CF2a"},"language":"en","operator":{"id":"0x4a2bC97afBF41a2Cbf4b4628F63420682Ff4CF2a"}}