Native CRO is the native currency of the Cronos POS Chain, which enables near-instant CRO transactions with minimal fees. ERC20 CRO tokens are created and hosted on the Ethereum blockchain, where ETH network fees are required to carry out crypto transactions.
Cronos POS Chain is a public, open-source and permissionless blockchain - a fully decentralized network with high speed and low fees, designed to be a public good that helps drive mass adoption of blockchain technology through use cases like Payments, DeFi and NFTs.
Cronos POS Chain has the following key-value propositions:
Learn more about the Cronos POS Chain here.
Native CRO and ERC20 CRO are different crypto assets, although sharing the same token name, symbol, and fiat value (1 native CRO = 1 ERC20 CRO), please ensure you understand the differences and confirm with your recipient or receiving wallet when you’re transacting CRO.
Difference | Native CRO | ERC20 CRO |
Chain | Cronos POS Chain - CRO | Ethereum - ERC20 |
Address Format | Starts with "cro..." Memo is required for sending native CRO to a centralized wallet | Starts with "0x..." |
Network Fee | In CRO: ≈0.001 CRO (≈0.0002 USD if CRO at $0.2 USD) | In ETH: ≈0.025 ETH (≈$45 USD if ETH at $1800 USD) |
On-Chain Confirmation | 10 seconds | 5 to 30 mins depending on the ETH network traffic and fee tier |
Token Utility | CRO Staking in Cronos POS Chain | SWAP on Ethereum Network |
Withdrawal Fee via Crypto.com App or Exchange | 0.001 CRO | 200 CRO |
How do I receive native or ERC20 CRO to DeFi Wallet?
Go to your home screen
Tap [Receive]
Select CRO
You will see 2 tabs - “CRO” and “ERC20”, choose the corresponding chain tab based on your use case of CRO on DeFi Wallet
Copy / share the QR code of your CRO address with your sender
Please note that you don’t need to provide a memo for your sender to receive native CRO on your DeFi Wallet.
Why is there no memo for the Crypto.com DeFi Wallet native CRO receive address?
Crypto.com DeFi Wallet is a decentralized (non-custodial) wallet where you’re the one and only custody of your wallet and crypto-assets. Your native CRO address is unique to you and isn't shared with other wallet users, that’s why there isn’t a memo in addition to your native CRO address to identify your wallet.
How do I send native or ERC20 CRO from DeFi Wallet?
For sending native CRO on Cronos POS Chain:
Go to your home screen / CRO wallet
Tap [Send] and select CRO if you enter via the home screen
By default, the chosen option should be [Cronos POS] chain
Paste/scan the QR code of the CRO address of your recipient
Double-check whether your recipient address requires a memo to receive
Tap [Next]
Enter the send amount and tap [Send]
Review your recipient address (and memo if applicable), send the amount, estimated network fee, and the total amount
Tap [Confirm to send]
Authorize the send transaction with your passcode (and 2FA code if enabled)
See the pending to be sent screen and wait for the on-chain confirmation of your native CRO sending
For sending ERC20 CRO on Ethereum Network:
Go to your home screen / CRO wallet
Tap [Send] and select CRO if you enter via the home screen
Select [ERC20] to send your ERC20 CRO via the Ethereum Network
Paste/scan the QR code of the CRO address of your recipient
Tap [Next]
Enter the send amount and tap [Send]
Review your recipient address, send amount, estimated network fee, and total amount
Tap [Confirm to send]
Authorize the send transaction with your passcode (and 2FA code if enabled)
See the pending to be sent screen and wait for the on-chain confirmation of your native CRO sending
When is a memo required for sending native CRO?
Follow the checklist below to decide whether a memo is required for your recipient
Ask your recipient whether there is a memo for the native CRO address.
Is the receiving address generated by a centralized or decentralized wallet? (The recipient will own the recovery phrase if it’s a decentralized wallet, in which case a memo is not required)
If you are still unsure, we strongly advise you to send a small test amount first to ensure your recipient is able to receive the crypto.
We will not be able to locate/reverse the funds if you fail to include the memo when sending the native CRO to a centralized wallet.
How can I convert my ERC20 to native CRO via DeFi Wallet?
To convert your ERC20 CRO to native CRO on the DeFi Wallet, please follow the instructions of the in-app CRO Migration Tool. Please note that you can’t convert native CRO back to ERC20 CRO via the CRO Migration Tool, so please consider your use cases carefully before the migration -
Native CRO is required for Cronos POS Chain Staking via DeFi Earn
ERC20 CRO is required to perform swap on Ethereum Network
If by any chance you need to convert your native CRO back to ERC20 CRO, a workaround will be to deposit your native CRO to our centralized platforms - Crypto.com App or Exchange and choose to withdraw CRO as ERC20 tokens.