Cronos CRO Supply to Increase 200% After Sudden Governance Reversal

While crypto governance is often framed as decentralized, major token holders continue to wield disproportionate influence over key decisions.

A high-stakes governance vote in the Cronos ecosystem wrapped up late Monday, approving a supply expansion from 30 billion CRO to 100 billion CRO over the next decade. The shift came after an unexpected last-minute swing in voting power.

For weeks, the community had overwhelmingly opposed the proposal. But in the final hours, a handful of influential CRO whales—holders with significant token reserves—tilted the results, securing approval for the supply increase.

Cronos, which operates in close association with Crypto.com, initially suggested reintroducing 70 billion CRO tokens that were previously burned in 2021. The move aimed to reinstate the network’s original 100 billion token supply and create a “Strategic Reserve.”

With an estimated value of $5 billion based on CRO’s $0.08 price at the time, the proposal was positioned as a means to strengthen U.S. crypto influence, accelerate ecosystem expansion, and fund a potential CRO ETF. Early voter sentiment, however, was largely against the plan, with 86% rejecting it in the first few days.

Despite the principles of decentralized governance, large token holders ultimately determined the outcome. The proposal struggled to reach the required 33.4% quorum for passage until Monday at 14:00 UTC, when a sudden 3.35 billion CRO vote pushed it over the threshold. The final vote tally: 61.18% in favor, 17.61% against, 20.11% abstaining, and 0.11% vetoing.

Validator support also shifted late in the process. By March 10, Starship and Falcon Heavy had endorsed the proposal, while opposition held strong at 77.97%, with 8.47% abstaining. On Monday, additional validators—Electron, Antares, and Minotaur IV—threw their weight behind the proposal, contributing a combined 3.2 billion CRO in voting power.

Shortly after the vote’s conclusion, the Cronos network completed a scheduled upgrade at 03:00 UTC on March 18, setting in motion a more than 200% supply increase over the next several years.

The market response has been sharp. CRO’s price has dropped 8.5% in the past 24 hours, reflecting investor concerns despite a relatively stable broader crypto market.