Crypto.com has cut roughly 12% of its workforce as CEO Kris Marszalek frames the reduction as essential for enterprise-wide artificial intelligence adoption.
The Singapore-based exchange becomes the second major crypto trading platform in 2026 to explicitly tie job cuts to an AI-driven restructuring, following Gemini in February.
AI Pivot Claims Second Crypto Exchange
Marszalek announced the cuts on March 19, describing eliminated roles as positions that no longer fit an AI-first operating model.
With a workforce exceeding 4,000, the reduction translates to roughly 480 positions.
“Companies that do not make this pivot immediately will fail. Companies that move slowly will be left behind. Companies that move immediately and pair the best AI tools with top-performers will achieve a level of scale and precision that was previously impossible,” said Marszalek.
The announcement follows Crypto.com’s $70 million purchase of the AI.com domain in February, signaling broader ambitions around the technology.
Gemini set the template on February 5, cutting 25% of its staff while citing AI-driven productivity gains.
That move, however, coincided with market exits from the UK, EU, and Australia, and a $159.5 million quarterly loss.
A Broader Pattern Takes Shape
The exchange layoffs mirror a wider wave across crypto and fintech. Block Inc. cut nearly 4,000 jobs in late February, explicitly citing AI. Messari restructured around an AI-first model, and the Algorand Foundation cut 25% of staff, partly citing the rise of AI.
Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken have not announced comparable AI-pivot layoffs so far.
Whether the remaining teams at Crypto.com and Gemini deliver the promised efficiency gains will determine if this pattern accelerates.
