Kraken Parent Payward Joins Anthropic Cybersecurity Initiative to Fight AI-Driven Threats

Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, has joined a select group of organizations using Anthropic’s restricted AI model built specifically for identifying and fixing software vulnerabilities. The initiative, known as Project Glasswing, gives approved companies access to frontier AI tools designed to protect critical software and infrastructure from cyber threats.

Joining an Exclusive List of Participants

The program already counts major technology firms and large financial institutions among its members. Payward said Monday it plans to roll out the AI model across its systems in the coming weeks, feeding results directly into its existing security operations. The company also intends to share any vulnerabilities discovered in third-party open-source software with the relevant project maintainers, extending the benefit beyond its own platform.

Government Access Precedes Expansion

According to Payward, its access followed the U.S. government making the AI model available to organizations that operate and defend critical infrastructure. Anthropic launched the initiative in April 2026 and has gradually expanded it to include more organizations across the technology and finance sectors.

AI Reshaping Both Sides of Cybersecurity

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used by attackers to speed up vulnerability discovery, automate attacks, and craft more convincing phishing and social engineering campaigns. That shift raises the stakes for crypto companies, which have long been frequent targets for hackers, and is pushing the industry to adopt similar technology defensively.

Model Designed for Large-Scale Code Analysis

The AI system involved is Anthropic’s most advanced tool built for defensive cybersecurity work, capable of analyzing code at scale, flagging vulnerabilities, and helping developers address them. Access remains limited for now to organizations involved in operating or defending critical infrastructure, while the company continues developing safeguards ahead of a broader release.

Payward argued that crypto exchanges face security demands comparable to other critical financial systems, given that trading platforms, custody services, and settlement systems all operate continuously and represent attractive targets for attackers. A company co-CEO described cybersecurity as historically favoring attackers, since defenders must catch every flaw while attackers only need to find one, and said advanced AI tools represent the first real shift in that balance.

Anthropic has indicated it plans to gradually widen access to this class of cybersecurity AI as it continues developing appropriate safeguards for broader use.