Purchase Celsius (CEL) with Singapore Dollar (SGD) easily at Switchere and benefit from fast, secure transactions.
Celsius Network, with its native CEL token, emerged as a major centralized finance (CeFi) platform designed to bridge the gap between traditional banking and the world of digital assets. Its primary function was to offer users the ability to earn yield on their cryptocurrency holdings and to take out crypto-collateralized loans. The platform operated on a custodial basis, managing user funds to generate interest income through lending activities to institutional borrowers. This model positioned it as a user-friendly alternative for crypto holders seeking to put their assets to work without navigating complex DeFi protocols.
The CEL token was the core of its loyalty and rewards system. As a utility token, holding and using CEL provided tangible benefits within the Celsius ecosystem, such as preferential interest rates for both earning and borrowing. Users could receive higher yields on their deposited assets and lower rates on loans, with rewards often distributed weekly in the form of CEL. This tokenomics structure was designed to incentivize user loyalty and drive demand for the native asset. However, the platform faced significant operational challenges and market pressures, which ultimately led to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, profoundly impacting its users and reshaping the narrative around risk in the CeFi lending industry.
Historically, the main way was indirect. Users in Singapore would use a fiat on-ramp on a regulated cryptocurrency exchange to buy a base asset like BTC or ETH with SGD via FAST transfer or PayNow. They would then transfer that asset to their Celsius Network wallet and use the in-app swap feature to convert it to CEL tokens, primarily to access higher yield rates and loyalty tiers within the CeFi platform.
The CEL token was a utility token designed to reward users. By holding CEL and achieving different loyalty tiers, users could access benefits such as bonus rewards on their yield-generating deposits, discounts on interest payments for crypto-backed loans, and higher rates for earning in-kind. Its value was intrinsically linked to the growth and health of the Celsius Network's CeFi services.
Yes. Any interaction with a fiat on-ramp to convert SGD to crypto on a centralized platform, which was a necessary first step, required full compliance with Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations. This involved identity verification mandated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to ensure secure and legal blockchain transactions.
Direct SGD/CEL trading pairs are virtually non-existent. Following the Celsius Network's bankruptcy filing, CEL was delisted from most major cryptocurrency exchanges. Any remaining liquidity is typically found on decentralized exchanges (DEXs) in pairs like CEL/WETH. Acquiring CEL now involves a multi-step process and is considered highly speculative due to the uncertain future of the digital asset and its underlying platform.
The foremost risk is that CEL is the token of a bankrupt entity. Its future utility is entirely speculative and dependent on the outcome of restructuring plans. Other major risks include extremely low liquidity, which can cause massive price volatility (slippage), the potential for further delistings from the few remaining trading venues, and the high probability that the digital asset may never recover any significant, utility-driven value.
Currently, the value of the CEL token is driven almost entirely by market speculation rather than fundamental utility. Price movements are influenced by news related to the Celsius Network's bankruptcy proceedings, potential recovery plans for creditors, and speculative trading by a small community. It does not reflect any active use-case for yield generation or loan discounts as it did previously.