Crypto is no stranger to controversial proposals sparking bitter divides—Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash stand as prime examples. While improvements have reduced the likelihood of hard forks, disagreements still surface. This week, Crypto.com is the talk of the town. The exchange has made a bold gamble that’s rattling its community by proposing the “unburning” of 70 billion CRO removed from circulation in 2021.

During the “Golden Age,” CRO prices surged by over 500% to nearly $1. Yet, in recent years, CRO has been freefalling, slipping as competition intensifies and crypto users search for the next 100X meme coin on Solana.

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Crypto.com Has A Plan To “Unburn”

In February 2021, Crypto.com burned 70 billion CRO, slashing its total supply from 100 billion to 30 billion.

This outpaced similar efforts by Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Tron, all aiming to reduce their circulating supplies over time.

The intention was clear: create scarcity, mirroring the Bitcoin model.

With fewer CRO in circulation and steady demand, prices spiked from roughly $0.06 to over $0.95 by November 2021.

Coincidentally, this “Golden Age” aligned with aggressive marketing, including Crypto.com securing naming rights to a top stadium.

Moreover, bolstered by the DeFi boom, the CRO market cap peaked above $24 billion, cementing its status among the industry’s elite. However, as crypto prices tanked and DeFi momentum faded, CRO crashed in 2022.

To counter this and pivot to new opportunities, even catalyzing demand, Crypto.com introduced SIMD-0036 on March 3, 2025, proposing to “reverse” the 2021 burn.

Under this plan, the team will create a “Cronos Strategic Reserve” and reissue 70 billion CRO over the next decade. By doing this, they will restore the original 100-billion-token supply.

New tokens will be gradually released, rewarding validators securing and confirming the mainnet.

Additionally, there is an initiative to create a $5 billion fund to fuel AI development, boost ecosystem growth, and push for spot CRO ETFs.

Today we are unveiling the blueprint for an A.I. agent-powered ecosystem on Cronos

The roadmap supports Cronos’ vision as the chain where A.I. agents can interact and transact autonomously.

Easy-to-use A.I. tools and major protocol improvements will drive a… pic.twitter.com/75abidGfyg

— Cronos (@cronos_chain) November 6, 2024

Controversial, Crypto.com justifies their proposal saying it isn’t technically a new token issuance but a strategic reallocation.

Nevertheless, the community sees it differently and not boarding. There is stiff opposition.

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Community Backlash and CRO Dump

Early Mintscan data shows nearly 60% of CRO holders support SIMD-0036, with voting open until March 17. If this trend holds, the plan is likely to pass.

On X, users some call this proposal “dodgy”, arguing it undermines the scarcity that drove CRO to $1 in 2021.

Feels so dodgy. https://t.co/n7DkLLNKGE / CRO team to reissue 70 billion tokens into their own war chest (or own pockets) that were burnt in 2021

At current CRO token price, it’s almost an injection of $7b

So new narrative for projects to reissue burned supply now? https://t.co/LFoEHfsSMF pic.twitter.com/oqDPd9xMC3

— Hanbonjovi (@hanbonjovi) March 3, 2025

CRO prices reflect this unrest.

After a brief spike to $0.10 on March 3—catalyzed by President Donald Trump’s crypto reserve announcement over the weekend, CRO is back in red.

At spot rates, CRO is changing hands at $0.072, and if this trend continues today, it may fall below $0.068 to multi-year lows in a bear trend continuation formation.

Presently, bears have erased Q4 2024 gains and hit 2025 lows last week. A rejection on March 17 could stabilize CRO, possibly pushing prices back to February highs.

On the flip side, if the proposal passes, it could trigger a massive sell-off as holders exit on dilution fears.

The post Crypto.com Wants to Release 70 Billion CRO into Circulation, and the Community Is Having None of It: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on 99Bitcoins.