Crypto.com didn’t arrive overnight. Nor did it stumble into mainstream relevance by accident or divine happenstance.
Founded in Hong Kong circa 2016, the company began life under the name “Monaco” with a clear mission statement: to make cryptocurrency usable in the real world (not just traded on screens).
At a time when cryptocurrency was still largely the domain of early adopters, developers, and in-the-know speculators with technical knowledge, Monaco’s founders saw payments as the missing link. The idea was simple yet bold – if crypto was ever going to matter to everyday people, it had to meet them where they were and function like traditional money.
The pivotal moment came when the company acquired the Crypto.com domain and rebranded accordingly. The name alone heralded a statement of ownership over the entire category, one confidently invested in the long-term vision rather than short-term hype.
From that point onward, Crypto.com expanded aggressively but methodically, building out a fully-fledged ecosystem that stretched well beyond a basic exchange. Trading, wallets, staking, NFTs, payments, and prepaid cards were all folded into a single user-friendly app experience, designed to lower the barrier of entry (and intimidation factor) that kept many would-be users on the sidelines.
Marketing played a significant role in this ascent, though it was never just about visibility.
Naming rights to major sporting arenas, partnerships with global sporting codes, as well as a presence across Formula 1, football, plus the UFC placed Crypto.com squarely in the cultural mainstream. Behind the spectacle, however, there was a growing user base drawn to the platform’s practical features.
In markets like Australia, Crypto.com established itself as a compliant, locally accessible exchange where users could trade directly in AUD, link cards to real-world spending, and interact with crypto in ways that felt increasingly normal.
Central to that strategy was the Crypto.com Visa Prepaid Card and its associated rewards programme. For years, this operated on a coloured-tier system tied closely to CRO token lockups. The benefits were real. Still, the structure could feel opaque and somewhat daunting, especially for newcomers unsure about committing capital for extended periods. As the crypto market matured and user expectations evolved, that model began to show its age.
Enter: the relaunched Level Up.
Not only does Crypto.com’s latest program update represent a philosophical shift, but also a structural one. The new system consolidates the old tiers into four clearly defined levels:
- Basic
- Plus
- Pro
- Private
Each tier is designed around use cases rather than status signalling, making it easier to understand where you fit and what you receive in return.
Basic remains free (apart from the standard maker/taker fees) and strips things back to fundamentals – for casual users or those just dipping a toe in, that alone removes friction and cost.
Plus and Pro, on the other hand, bridge curiosity and commitment, offering enhanced benefits without demanding a CRO lockup or any platform trading fees – users can instead opt into a monthly subscription, starting from US$4.99 and US$29.99, respectively – with local pricing visible directly in the app. This change dramatically removes friction and rewards participation as a service rather than a speculative bet.
The aforementioned benefits themselves are, as you will have probably gathered, quite tangible (and give you plenty of reason to stay within the Crypto.com ecosystem).
Cashback on spending via the Crypto.com Visa Prepaid Card now scales up to 5% depending on tier, turning daily purchases into a steady stream of rewards. For travellers, the inclusion of airport lounge access is particularly compelling – Pro members receive four complimentary visits per year, while Private members unlock unlimited access for themselves and a guest (a perk that traditionally sat firmly in the realm of premium credit cards).
Then there’s the global usability: zero FX fees on card transactions make the card genuinely useful overseas, alongside rebates on subscriptions like Netflix and Spotify.
Taken as a whole, the updated Level Up reflects how Crypto.com now sees itself: less as a pure crypto exchange, more as an everyday financial platform that just happens to be built on blockchain technology. The terminology has softened, the structure has simplified, and as for the value proposition? In case it hasn’t already been made painfully clear, it’s broader than ever.
Suffice it to say, cryptocurrency is no longer an all-or-nothing leap of faith. It’s something that you can seamlessly slot into your existing financial life.
Nearly a decade on from its founding, Crypto.com’s trajectory mirrors the maturation of the wider industry itself. What began as an attempt to make crypto spendable has evolved into a greater (and more ambitious) mission to make it liveable.
Take your wealth to the next level on the Crypto.com App and start your 30-day free trial of Level Up today.
This article is presented in partnership with Crypto.com. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Boss Hunting.
