What is Cronos crypto and what is it used for?

Cronos crypto refers to the Cronos blockchain network and its native token, CRO. Cronos is closely linked to the exchange and app company Crypto.com, and it is built so that apps written for Ethereum can run on it with few changes.

What is the Cronos blockchain?

According to the Cronos documentation, there are two main chains as of October 2026. Cronos EVM is the main one. It went live on 8 November 2021 and is built with the Cosmos SDK, using a tool called Ethermint to run the Ethereum Virtual Machine. Developers can deploy contracts written in Solidity and use familiar tools such as Hardhat.

The second chain is Cronos POS Chain, a separate Cosmos-based proof-of-stake chain that the docs say is mainly used for staking CRO and supports many Crypto.com apps. A third network, Cronos zkEVM, is being shut down, and the docs advise users to bridge assets out of it.

Cronos EVM uses what the docs call proof of authority, a variant of proof of stake based on the Tendermint engine. Validators join by invitation only, and the FAQ lists 33 validators run by infrastructure firms. That makes it more permissioned than networks where anyone can become a validator.

What is Cronos crypto used for?

Cronos describes itself as a chain for financial services and tokenized real-world assets, aiming for fast, low-cost settlement. In practice it hosts DeFi apps such as decentralized exchanges and lending markets. Dune lists VVS Finance, CronaSwap and Tectonic as examples. Because the chain connects to other Cosmos networks through IBC, tokens can also move between Cronos and that wider ecosystem.

The partnership with Crypto.com gives Cronos apps a simple on-ramp, since users of the Crypto.com app can move funds onto the chain.

What is CRO crypto on Cronos?

CRO is the fee token for both Cronos chains. Each transaction on Cronos EVM costs a small amount of CRO as gas, and paying a higher gas price can get a transaction processed sooner. On Cronos POS Chain, CRO is also what people stake.

CRO's supply has changed over time. Crypto.com burned 70 billion CRO in 2021, cutting supply to 30 billion. In March 2025, a governance proposal to reissue those tokens passed, restoring the original 100 billion cap. The Block reported that the new tokens go to a strategic reserve wallet with multi-year vesting. The vote was controversial, because large validators believed to be linked to Crypto.com decided the outcome while many independent validators opposed it.

What does Cronos crypto do differently from Ethereum?

Cronos runs the same kind of smart contracts as Ethereum, so wallets like MetaMask can connect to it using chain ID 25. The main differences are its smaller, invitation-only validator set, its Cosmos-based design and its close business ties to one company. Those trade-offs matter when judging how decentralized a network is.