Bringing cryptocurrency to every wallet By Alejandra Gallegos Rivera

Cryptocurrency and blockchain may seem like a complex topic, but CRYPTO.com (formerly known as Monaco) is endeavouring to make it accessible for everyone. We spoke to Co-Founder Bobby Bao (BCom, 2011), to find out more about how they are changing the financial technology landscape.

Monaco was founded in 2016 by Bao and his business partners Kris Marszalek, Rafael Melo, and Gary Or, and earlier last month it was rebranded as CRYPTO.com. The company is a pioneer in making traditional finance products like, debit cards, credits cards and investment portfolios, compatible with cryptocurrency and accessible for consumers. The MCO Visa card is an example, offering customers the chance to spend cryptocurrency anywhere Visa is accepted, competing with the best debit and credit cards on the market. The card is currently in the final stages of its launch in Singapore, closely followed by Europe and the US.

As Co-Founder and Head of Corporate Development of CRYPTO.com, Bao’s focus is on making things simple for their customers:

“We wanted to introduce something new to the existing cryptocurrency industry for the everyday consumer. Since founding the company, our mission has been to put Cryptocurrency in Every Wallet, meaning that anyone should be able to use cryptocurrency without knowing all of the deep technical details behind this relatively new technology. As we accelerate the global development and adoption of cryptocurrency, we are redefining how money is being moved, spent and invested. CRYPTO.com perfectly captures this sentiment and marks a natural progression of where our company was already heading.’



- Bobby Bao

Earlier this year Bao was named in Forbes Asia’s 30 under 30 for his strategic role in the advancement of cryptocurrency and the success of CRYPTO.com. As a University of Melbourne alumnus, he credits his undergraduate studies not only with helping him develop his technical skills, but also motivating him to make positive contributions to the industry and larger community.

“I was inspired to bring something new to the world by thinking creatively and with innovation. This motivation has served me well as I have helped build CRYPTO.com, an out-of-the-box financial services company, from the ground up.”

Bao says the dynamism of his role as Head of Corporate Development helps him stay driven by seeing his team grow along with working and meeting people with the same interests and goals.

"Working alongside people who are similarly motivated to change the industry has been an overall amazing experience. I’ve witnessed our small team grow more than ten times in size in ten short months. Beyond our team, I travel constantly and attend industry events where I get the opportunity to meet even more people who are also driven to make a difference. My co-founder Kris Marszalek, CEO of CRYPTO.com, has inspired me to work smarter and has influenced the way I go about business. Working so closely with an experienced entrepreneur who has twice grown his companies from $0 to $100 million in revenue, has made all of us passionate about building a product that everyday consumers love, and in turn, a company that is changing the cryptocurrency industry for the better.”