228 million CROs were destroyed, 1.167 billion was released last month: reserves outpace destruction

Cronos Community Resolution: Game between the destruction of 228 million CROs and the release of strategic reserves

The Cronos community has reached an agreement to destroy 228 million CROs and use the revenue from the two new products for future buybacks. At the same time, approximately 1.167 billion CROs will be released every month from network strategic reserves. These two data are closely related, and it is the ratio between them that determines whether destruction can have a substantial impact at the supply level.

Cronos (CRO) is a native token of the Cronos blockchain, which was born out of the ecosystem of trading platform Crypto.com. The token is used to pay online transaction fees, participate in pledges, and serve as a discount tool for platform products. Owning a CRO means that its value depends on two core factors: market demand and new supply.

Analysis of CRO price trend this week

According to CoinGecko data, as of around 6 a.m. on Friday, October 9, the CRO price was 0.0538 euros. The decline has been 12.2% in the past seven days and 3.5% in the past 24 hours. Although the cumulative decline in the past 30 days has been only 3.0%, recent declines have been mainly concentrated this week. The current market value of CRO is approximately 2.66 billion euros, ranking 39th in the CoinGecko ranking.

The highest price this week is EUR 0.0622 at around 1pm on Monday, October 5th; the lowest price is EUR 0.0527 at around 8pm on Thursday, October 8th. From the high to the current price, the decline is about 13.6%; the recovery from the low is about 2%. For reference, CRO's all-time high of € 0.793 occurred on November 23, 2021.

This week's trend is included in the overall market correction background.

The timing of price lows coincides with the overall market weakness on Thursday. Therefore, CRO is not bucking the trend, but follows the market's simultaneous decline, with greater fluctuations. This price trend reflects the market's judgment of the nature of decisions: decisions related to supply usually work on a monthly basis rather than within a week-long trading cycle.

Destruction executed: 228 million CROs transferred to permanent destruction address

The voting on the two proposals ended on October 3, and the results were announced on October 4. Proposition 36 takes 228 million CROs from the so-called "community pool" and sends them to a destruction address on the Cronos POS chain. The so-called destruction address refers to an address without a known private key. Any funds transferred to that address can no longer be moved and are regarded as permanently withdrawn from circulation.

This procedure is not implemented for the first time. In the previous four rounds, 50 million CROs were destroyed. Together with this round, the total number of CROs destroyed through this program has reached 428 million. Blockonomi estimates the 228 million CROs to be worth approximately US$15 million; based on Friday morning prices, it is approximately 12.3 million euros. The difference in prices is due to fluctuations in CRO prices since the adoption of the resolution.

We reported on the ongoing vote on October 1, when the results were not yet available. Now that the results have been settled, the question that arises is: What do these destroyed quantities mean relative to the total supply?

Take effect Proposition 37: Ult and Cronos Launch revenue for monthly buybacks

The second resolution has more far-reaching implications. Proposal 37, titled "CRO Repurchase and Destruction of Product Revenue," received a support rate of 99.78%. It promises to convert all revenue from both products into CROs in the market and subsequently destroy them. Repurchase operations will be performed on a monthly basis on the chain, and each operation will require the transaction hash to be published for verification.

These two products are still young. Cronos Launch went online on September 15, and the trading app Ult went online on September 17. This means they have all been on the market for less than three weeks. Specific revenue data has not yet been released, so the actual effect of the repurchase program is still unknown. Just knowing that 100% of the revenue is not enough to explain the absolute size of the revenue.

Why publishing transaction hashes is important

Transaction hashes are unique identifiers of operations on the blockchain. The hash value is published for each repurchase, making this promise something that can be quantified and verified rather than relying solely on trust. For the holder, this is the only part of the decision that can be verified without internal information. Since the first monthly cycle has not yet arrived, there are no relevant records yet.

Strategic reserve: 70 billion CROs and approximately 1.167 billion monthly releases

Another aspect of the calculation involves earlier resolutions. In March 2025, the Cronos community voted to mint 7 billion new CRs and place them as strategic reserves in escrow accounts in the Cronos POS chain. This essentially reversed the destruction measures in 2021 and restored the total supply to a level close to 100 billion CROs.

This reserve is not freely available, but follows a linear release mechanism. According to the governance proposal, approximately 1.167 billion CROs will be released approximately every 30.4 days at a time, managed by regularly unlocked accounts in the Cosmos SDK. There are differences on the release period: one interpretation puts it at five years, with a total of 60 monthly batches; other reports point to a total of ten years because they calculated an expired lock-up period. Since public information cannot resolve this disagreement, a different statement is reserved here.

In addition, the dates for specific batches are not as fixed as they appear on the overview page. The next date listed by CoinGecko is October 17, releasing 1.17 billion CROs, or 1.2% of the total supply. However, when modeling the same reserve, a data provider clearly pointed out that monthly releases are only estimates and no specific dates are listed. For holders, the monthly rate is documented, and the exact date is only an assumption of the tracking tool.

Comparison of destruction and additional issuance: 428 million pieces against a single month batch

It is now possible to compare the two data side by side. Cumulatively, 428 million CROs were destroyed through community programs, spanning five batches. The monthly amount released from stocks was 1.167 billion CROs. Compared with the two, the monthly release is about 2.7 times the total historical destruction. Based on the circulation of 49.5 billion CROs, this means that the monthly dilution rate is approximately 2.4%, while the latest round of 228 million CROs only accounts for less than 0.5%.

This comparison has an important premise that must be made clear before reaching a conclusion: unlocking and releasing does not mean selling. Tokens enter the disposable range of reserves, and their subsequent destination depends on the decision of the reserve manager. Only when the token enters the market will the actual selling pressure form. In contrast, 228 million came from community pools, that is, positions that have never entered circulation. Both actions are supply mechanisms; neither automatically creates buying or selling pressure.

The remaining problem is the order of magnitude. A buyback program backed by revenue from two products that were only three weeks on the market is countering a release rate of billions per month. To achieve a net supply reduction, revenue from these products must reach levels that currently do not have any overt infrastructure support. Therefore, buying a CRO through a regulated cryptocurrency exchange is effectively buying a supply system that is expected to continue to grow.

Circulation supply and dilution effect: 49.5 billion pieces in circulation, totaling nearly 99 billion

Basic data makes the situation clearer. According to CoinGecko data, there are approximately 49.5 billion CROs in circulation, with a total supply of just under 99 billion. As a result, about half of the existing supply has not yet reached the market. Dilution describes exactly this: When new tokens are added and demand does not grow simultaneously, the share of individual tokens in the overall inventory declines.

The 428 million CROs that have been destroyed account for 0.43% of the total supply. This is a measurable quantity, but not enough to change the relationship between circulation and total inventory. Reserves remain a key factor in balancing this relationship, and according to the resolution, pledge rewards are also dependent on reserves: terms (including lock-in periods and reward levels) remain unchanged, backed by reserves, and continued issuance will decline.

This week's key price review

There are three values this week that will help you observe trends in the next few days. Resistance above was Monday's high of 0.0622 euros, where the last rally ended. Support below is a low of 0.0527 euros late on Thursday, with current prices slightly above this. The current price of € 0.0538 lies in between.

These prices are only an observation, not a price target. They only show where transactions have occurred and do not predict the location of the next transaction. These data should be used as a reference for setting personal boundaries rather than as a basis for prediction.

CRO's investment path, custody and holding period: Issues for investors to pay attention to

For German investors, there are four practical points to pay attention to. The key is how you get the token, not the result of the vote.

Providers and their authorizations: Since the entry into force of the EU MiCA regulation, German crypto service providers need to obtain authorization from crypto asset service providers, and the old banking law licenses are no longer sufficient. Before purchasing, please check whether your provider has the authorization and whether it supports CRO transactions. Tradability and authorization are two separate issues.

Pledge and its essence: Pledge means locking in the token for a period of time and earning income from it. According to Cronos's resolution, the gain comes from reserves, not profits. The lock-up period means that you cannot exit at will when the market falls. Anyone involved in the pledge should be aware of the duration of the token lock-up and the source of the reward.

Custody method: Tokens deposited on the exchange are under the control of the exchange. In August 2026, after its ecosystem protocols were attacked, Cronos conducted a block rollback, suggesting that the chain itself could intervene. Self-custody is the obvious option for large positions, but it requires the holder to assume full responsibility for managing the private key.

Holding period: In Germany, currently privately held crypto assets need to meet a one-year holding period, and the proceeds from subsequent sales are tax-free. Although canceling the deadline is under discussion at the political level, it has not yet been decided. Pledge rewards need to be handled separately and included in tax in the year in which they are generated. Please record your purchase date during the period applicable.

Calculate the parts not covered: pledged issuance and circulation without destruction

After the resolution, there are still three blank spots that are not covered, which is why the destruction of 428 million CROs will not lead to a supply crunch. First, the revenue of the two products has not been announced, so the amount of repurchase is unknown. Secondly, there is a contradiction in the source of the reserve period, resulting in unclear end time of monthly release. Third, pledge rewards continue to be paid out of reserves, so one part of the system is still increasing supply, while another part is decreasing supply.

In contrast, the execution process is verifiable. The first monthly repurchase cycle has not yet arrived. If a published transaction hash appears, the quantity can be accounted for and compared to the monthly batch. If they do not appear, it will be a more warning message.

Summary and recommendations

CRO destruction: 428 million have disappeared, 1.17 billion have been followed up every month

• Put the first repurchase cycle on the schedule: This is the first evidence to test whether the resolution translates into actual quantity. Also record the purchase date and amount of your own positions, because the holding period starts from the purchase date; using a tax-enabled portfolio tracker can process this data in real time rather than remedy it afterwards.
• Pre-pledge inspection terms: The key lies in the lock-up period and the source of rewards (here reserves). Before locking in a token several months, please compare it with other pledge options.
• Decide where to store tokens: For positions you want to hold for the long term, the private key should be in your own hands; a hardware wallet isolates the position from the exchange's control. For small amounts of money that you want to move frequently, exchanges are still a more convenient choice.

(As of October 9, 2026. This article does not constitute investment advice. Price and fee structures may change; please check terms with your provider before purchasing.)