Crypto.com is a Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange that provides crypto buying, selling, and trading services via its website and mobile app. The platform operates with the mission to accelerate global crypto adoption. Since its inception in 2016, Crypto.com claims to have grown consistently, expanding operations to 100+ countries, serving 150+ million users with over 400 tradeable assets.

While it allows beginners to get onboarded to crypto with fiat currencies (conventional money), professionals are catered to via advanced products like derivatives, including futures (betting on future crypto prices) and perpetual swaps (futures trades without an expiry date).

[Note: In January 2022, Crypto.com experienced a security breach, leading to a loss of around $34 million worth of crypto assets. All affected users were reimbursed.]

Crypto.com: Key Points

• Claims to serve 150+ million customers in over 100 countries
• Requires know your customer (KYC) verification for complete access
• Support for over 400 crypto assets
• Offers 24/7 customer support via live chat and a help centre
• Emphasizes compliance and security standards, including well-known certifications and regulatory licenses

History of Crypto.com

Founded as ‘Monaco’ in Hong Kong in June 2016 by Kris Marszalek, Bobby Bao, Rafael Melo, and Gary Or, Crypto.com started with the idea to bridge traditional finance (TradFi) with cryptocurrencies, focusing on crypto payments and trading. 

In 2018, ‘Monaco’ was rebranded to Crypto.com, expanding its scope to a full-fledged exchange and a Visa debit card program. It moved its headquarters to Singapore, operated by Forix DAX Asia, a subsidiary owned by its Malta-based parent company Foris DAX Markets, Inc.

Over the years, Crypto.com has grown consistently to offer a range of products, including spot trading, margin trading, derivatives, staking (locking up crypto for rewards), an NFT marketplace, and institutional services. This growth has been supported by regulatory approvals and licenses worldwide, including:

• Australian Financial Service License (AFSL) in December 2020, from Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board (permits offering financial services related to digital assets classified as financial products, including exchange services).
• Money services business (MSB) registration with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (FINTRAC) of Canada and with the United States’ Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in 2020 (permits virtual currency dealing, exchange, and transfer services in Canada; allows money transmission, including virtual currency exchange and transmission in the US). 
• In August 2022, the Crypto-Asset Business Registration from the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (permits offering cryptoasset services and products, including exchange, under AML compliance).
• Markets in crypto-assets (MiCA) license from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), enabling expanded services in the European Union, in January 2025 (allows exchange of crypto for money/other crypto, order reception/transmission/execution, transfer services, and custody/administration on behalf of clients).
• License to offer derivatives by Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) in March 2025 (permits derivatives products including futures, perpetual swaps, and Contracts for Difference “CFDs”, plus USD fiat deposit/withdrawal; extends existing VASP for exchange, brokerage, custody, etc.).
• Approval from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for a margin derivatives trading license in September 2025 (allows offering of margin derivatives trading on crypto, including perpetuals, plus exchange, clearing, and intermediation services).

Crypto.com: Functions and Services

Crypto.com provides a range of crypto services, catering to users of different experience levels. The main Crypto.com mobile app offers beginner-friendly features like buying/selling, simple spot trades, staking, and NFTs, plus derivatives such as CFDs, and CFTC-regulated margined products (including perpetuals and futures) in select regions like the US. In contrast, the separate Crypto.com Exchange provides advanced spot/margin trading, full derivatives like perpetual swaps/futures, and bots, available globally but with restrictions in some jurisdictions. 

Let’s look at some of Crypto.com’s key offerings below:

• Buying and selling: Users in supported regions can deposit funds in local currency, via known methods like Mastercard, Visa, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, and convert to crypto.
• Spot trading: Ideal for beginners, this is basic trading that allows users to exchange one crypto for another or a fiat currency like USD. 
• Derivatives: For more advanced traders, the platform offers derivatives like perpetual swaps and futures that let them speculate on crypto assets’ future price movements without actually holding any. 
• Trading bots: Automate predefined strategies round-the-clock, without any personal intervention. For instance, you can trade fixed amounts at regular intervals, buy low and sell high, and minimize slippage (the difference between a trade’s expected price and actual price) on large orders.
• Staking: Lock up coins like Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Cosmos (ATOM), Cardano (ADA), and others to secure their blockchains, and receive staking rewards at annual percentage rates (APRs) of up to 20%. 
• NFT marketplace: Crypto.com also comes equipped with a marketplace for buying, selling and creating non-fungible tokens (NFTs – digital collectibles). 

• Subscription plans: Crypto.com offers subscription plans to avail zero trading and foreign exchange fees, higher staking rewards, and more perks. The available plans are Plus ($4.99/month or $49.90/year), Pro ($29.99/month or $299.90/year), and Private (starting at a 12-month $50k staking requirement)

Is Crypto.com safe to use in 2025? 

Crypto.com shows a strong commitment to security through its operational practices and regulatory compliance. The majority of funds are stored offline, in cold storage, and KYC verification is mandatory for using the platform’s services. Withdrawal to new external addresses requires whitelisting, two-factor authentication (2FA), and a passkey, adding multiple protection layers. 

The exchange maintains independently verifiable proof of reserves (PoR), confirming fully-backed customer assets at a 1:1 ratio. Additionally, it provides detailed steps to help customers verify their funds’ safety.

The PoR verifies Crypto.com holds enough crypto reserves to match or exceed customer deposits, covering in-scope crypto assets like BTC, ETH and others. It verifies that they have 1:1 or better backing (reserves equaling or exceeding customer balance liabilities). Notably, a third-party audit was done by Mazars under ISRS 4400 standards, with the report available from December 2022 on the Crypto.com website.   

Furthermore, Crypto.com holds International Organization for Standardization’s ISO 22301:2019, ISO/IEC 27701:2019, ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certifications, as well as Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) v4.0 Level 1 Service Provider compliance, underscoring its focus on security, privacy, and compliance.

While all these safeguards are extensive, no crypto platform can be termed entirely risk-free. Hence, it’s always better to maintain healthy safety practices like setting strong passwords and monitoring accounts closely. 

Additionally, beginners should approach derivatives, leverage, and trading bots with caution, as they can amplify losses via market volatility, liquidation risks, interest costs, and strategy-specific failures (for example, in margin or automated trades). 

Notably, in January 2022, Crypto.com suffered a security breach, with attackers making unauthorized withdrawals worth nearly $34 million from around 400 accounts. The platform claims to have paused withdrawals and was back online within 14 hours. All impacted accounts were fully reimbursed.

Crypto.com FAQs

Is Crypto.com available in the U.S.?

Yes, Crypto.com is currently available via its mobile app across 49 states in the U.S., including California, Alaska, Texas, Florida, Montana, and New Mexico.

Does Crypto.com have a mobile app?

Yes, Crypto.com allows users to trade on the move via its mobile apps downloadable from both the Google Play Store (for Android devices) and the iOS App Store (for iOS devices).

How transparent is the exchange in case of system issues?

Crypto.com claims to maintain a regularly updated system-status page where users can view all ongoing issues and past incidents in real-time. 

Does Crypto.com have 24/7 customer service?

Yes, Crypto.com provides round-the-clock customer service via live chat on its website and mobile app. An AI bot handles common queries, with the option to escalate to a human agent (wait times may apply). The exchange also has a detailed help centre with extensive information on the platform’s features and services.

What are Crypto.com’s fees?

Spot trading fees start at 0.25%/0.5% and decrease with increasing monthly trading volume and Cronos (CRO – Crypto.com’s native token) holdings. Deposits are free, and withdrawal fees vary by coin.