You may have heard the words CRO and CRONOS being thrown around in DeFi conversations lately, gaining the interest (and fomo) from many. Crypto.org’s public blockchain, Cronos, is a relatively new introduction to the DeFi world. While being open sourced and secure, the blockchain maintains low gas fees. Which means you can swap your tokens fees almost equal to those on BSC.
So I guess you don’t really give a shit about the blockchain’s technology and you’re ready to blindly ape your life savings. Fine. Here is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to bridge your funds from Binance Smart Chain (BSC) over to Cronos Chain (CRO) using the EVOdefi cross-chain token bridge.
1) Swap BNB to USDT
On Binance Smart Chain, assuming you are already holding BNB, swap your desired amount to USDT or USDC. You can do this on either PancakeSwap, PooCoin, or any other exchange/tool that allows you to swap out BNB.
2) Use a network Bridge
The next step you will need to use a cross-chain bridge that has both BSC and CRO networks available. I personally like using EVOdefi‘s bridge at https://bridge.evodefi.com/.
Within the bridging process, they also provide you with a small amount of tokens for the destination network so that you can swap out (since by default you’ll be holding 0 native network currency). In this scenario, EVO provides you with 2 CRO to start with for your first gas fees.
Alternatively, you can use ELK, but I’m already accustomed to using Evo’s bridge so let’s go with that for now.
3) Connect your wallet
- At the top right corner of the EVOdefi’s webpage, click “Connect Wallet.” This should prompt you to connect your BSC wallet (On MetaMask, a little notification window will pop-up).
- Click accept and set your “From” tab to BSC
- Set your “To” tab to CRONOS.
- Make sure “Recipient” is set to your current wallet address
4) Send USDT to Cronos
In the “Amount” field, enter the amount of USDT you would like to bridge over. EVOdefi’s bridge requires a minimum transaction of $11.50. Approve and send your transaction and you should be abled to see the steps and status of your transaction.
5) Wait
If you haven’t bridged before, you might have to learn a bit of patience. Bridging takes time and especially with newer networks, it can take some time. For my first bridge to Cronos from BSC it took me about 10 hours. Some have reported to received their USDT within the hour. Don’t panic and get nervous. Just relax and wait.
After you’ve successfully bridged your USDT over to CRO, you should be able to see something similar to the image below.
6) Add the CRO network to MetaMask
Click your MetaMask plugin (if you’re using a web browser) and click the network dropdown menu. At the very bottom you will find a button labeled “Add Network.” Clicking this will open a new tab for you to fill in the details of Cronos network.
Copy and paste the following:
Network name: Cronos
New RPC URL: https://evm-cronos.crypto.org
Chain ID: 25
Currency Symbol: CRO
Block Explorer URL: https://cronos.crypto.org/explorer/
After you’ve accurately filled in these details, hit “Save” and move on to the next step.
7) Swap USDT to CRO
- Now make sure you switch your MetaMask network to Cronos.
- Visit MMFinance and connect your wallet (top right corner)
- Go to the “Trade” tab and select Exchange (Or just visit here)
- Select USDT in the “From” tab.
- Select CRO in the “To” tab.
- Click “Swap“
Now you’re finally ready to lose your money on CRO tokens! Yay!
8) You’re ready!
Congratulations, you’re not finally holding CRO on the Cronos network and you’re ready to buy your first CRO token. MMFinance works the same way as PancakeSwap. So all you will need to do is get the Contract Address of the contract you would like to buy and swap your CRO for that token.
Reminder: Always keep a small amount of CRO to pay for your gas fees!
For charts, I normally use DexScreener.
Keep in mind, since the network is very new, majority of new tokens being deployed on the network are “Degens” (low liquidity, volatile, short-term). So do yourself a solid favor and only invest small amounts that you can afford to lose.
Hunting for plays on CRO? Follow our call channel where we post gems that we find on all chains including BSC, ETH, CRO, ADA, and AVAX, or come join us in our telegram community.