Crypto.com Nabs History-Making AI Ethics Certification – Here’s Why

Crypto.com becomes the first digital asset platform to earn ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification, the global standard for AI management systems. A historic compliance move.

Crypto.com just did something no other exchange has pulled off. On February 16, 2026, the platform secured ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification, the world’s first international standard for an Artificial Intelligence Management System. Nobody in the digital asset space had done this before, according to the company’s official announcement.

Historic. That’s the only word for it.

The certification sets binding requirements for how organizations build, run, and govern their AI tools. Transparency, accountability, ethical deployment; every piece gets audited under this standard. Crypto.com cleared every bar. What makes that even more interesting is that most companies outside crypto haven’t cleared it either.

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The Man Who Drove This Certification Home

Jason Lau, Chief Information Security Officer at Crypto.com, didn’t frame this as routine. Security and privacy are core to what we do, particularly as we scale AI-driven infrastructure, he said in the official statement. Lau described the certification as a testament to responsible AI and industry leadership, not just a compliance checkbox.

AI governance is becoming a global flashpoint right now. Regulators everywhere are tightening expectations around machine learning deployments. Crypto.com moved well ahead of that pressure.

@BSCNews posted on X calling it a breaking development, Crypto.com obtained ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification, becoming the first digital asset platform to meet the international AI management system standard. BSCNews also pointed out that the company now sits among a very small group of global early adopters of this newly introduced benchmark. That context is worth sitting with for a second.

What the Standard Actually Demands

It’s not a one-time audit. ISO/IEC 42001 is a living governance system, it requires ongoing improvements to how AI risks are identified, managed, and reported. Societal impact, ethical handling, and accountability structures are all part of the package. An organization either runs that system continuously or it loses the certification.

Kris Marszalek, co-founder and CEO, was direct about what this means. We’re proud to lead on safety and security standards, he said in the official announcement. He described the certification as the latest step in building a trusted environment for Crypto.com’s global user base, and a meaningful one as the platform keeps expanding its use of AI tools.

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That stack of existing certifications Crypto.com already holds is worth noting here. ISO/IEC 27001 for information security. ISO/IEC 27701 for privacy. ISO 22301 for business continuity. PCI: DSS compliance. SOC 2 Type 2. And now AI management governance sits on top of all that. The new certification adds a critical governance layer over its use of cutting-edge technology, the company said.

First-Mover Status in a Compliance Race

Founded back in 2016, Crypto.com has built its identity around compliance in a sector that normally treats regulation as an obstacle. The AI certification adds another layer to that argument. Hard to dismiss a platform that voluntarily pursues governance standards before regulators even demand them.

The exchange also independently checks in at Tier 4 on both NIST Cybersecurity and Privacy Frameworks, the highest possible level. Most traditional financial institutions haven’t reached that mark.

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As BSCNews noted on X, the certification signals that structured AI oversight is running across the company’s operations, not just one department or product team. That distinction separates this from a press release play.

Every AI system Crypto.com develops and deploys must now meet the governance requirements embedded in the standard, per the company’s own official statement. That’s an operational commitment with teeth, not just an announcement. And as of the time of writing, no other digital asset platform holds this certification. First to move in a compliance race tends to matter. Crypto.com just put distance between itself and the field.