Hong Kong, Hong Kong, September 22nd, 2025, Chainwire
Crypto.com Capital, the venture investment arm of Crypto.com, today announced it has completed a strategic investment in Moonlander, the next-generation decentralized perpetual exchange built on the Cronos EVM and zkEVM. The investment will accelerate Moonlander's mission to deliver an unparalleled on-chain trading experience, featuring up to 1000x leverage, superior capital efficiency and institutional-grade security with social-first approach that reimagines speculation as a shared, community-driven experience
Moonlander is a decentralized perpetual trading platform designed for both professional traders and passive yield seekers. The protocol addresses two core needs in the DeFi market: providing access to high-leverage derivatives trading, a feature traditionally confined to centralized exchanges, and integrating robust passive income streams for liquidity providers. By operating on Cronos' dual-chain infrastructure, Moonlander leverages the scalability and low transaction costs of Cronos, making it an ideal venue for high-frequency trading.
At the heart of Moonlander's architecture is its innovative Moonlander Liquidity Pool (MLP) liquidity model. This shared pool of assets acts as the counterparty to all trades on the platform, maximizing capital efficiency and minimizing slippage for traders. For liquidity providers, the MLP offers a streamlined way to earn real yield, paid in CRO and other native tokens, derived directly from the platform's trading fees. Security is paramount, with the platform integrating real-time price feeds from PYTH oracle, ensuring market integrity and protecting users from price manipulation or abnormal liquidation risks.
Moonlander also believes that “Trading is Social.” Beyond core trading mechanics, the platform is building social-first tools like token-specific chat rooms, real-time leaderboards, and narrative-based markets tied to political events, macro trends, and internet culture. This positions Moonlander as the only derivatives platform actively bridging crypto-native culture and global speculation into a single, engaging user experience.
"Moonlander's team has demonstrated exceptional technical vision and the ability to execute on a sophisticated product that we believe can become a cornerstone of the DeFi ecosystem on Cronos. We are committed to providing the Moonlander team with the resources and network needed to help them reach their full potential." said Tommy Chan, Head of DeFi Investment at Crypto.com Capital.
The investment from Crypto.com Capital will be used to expand the Moonlander development team, enhance platform features, and launch a series of marketing initiatives to drive user adoption and liquidity. The platform has already demonstrated significant traction, with a Total Value Locked (TVL) exceeding $33 million and a cumulative trading volume surpassing $2 billion.
"We are thrilled to partner with Crypto.com Capital, a team that shares our deep conviction in the future of decentralized finance," said Athena, co-founder of Moonlander. "Building on Cronos was a strategic choice, offering us the perfect blend of security, speed, and access to a massive and engaged user community. This investment is a powerful endorsement of our technology and our mission to build the most capital-efficient and feature-rich derivatives platform in DeFi. Together, we will accelerate the next wave of financial innovation on-chain."
The native utility and governance token of the Moonlander platform, Full Moon (FM), was recently listed on the Crypto.com App, making it accessible to millions of users globally.
About Moonlander
Moonlander is a decentralized perpetual trading platform built on the Cronos EVM and zkEVM chains. It offers traders up to 1000x leverage on a wide range of crypto assets, powered by a capital-efficient Moonlander Pool (MLP) and secured by PYTH price oracle. Its native governance and utility token is Full Moon (FM).
For more information, visit https://moonlander.trade/.
About Crypto.com Capital
Crypto.com Capital is the venture investment arm of Crypto.com, dedicated to accelerating the growth of early-stage Web3 companies. With US$500 million earmarked for investment, the fund operates with a 'Founders First' approach, providing capital, strategic support, and access to Crypto.com's global ecosystem. Crypto.com Capital invests in visionary founders building the future of DeFi and blockchain infrastructure.
For more information, visit https://crypto.com/capital.
Contact
Danielle Hrin
Danielle.hrin@cronoslabs.org