AQRU Crypto Review

With the increase in the popularity and acceptance of cryptocurrencies many investors are looking for ways to earn from their digital assets, rather than just letting them sit idle. This has led to numerous crypto platforms that offer cryptocurrency investment opportunities.

One such platform is AQRU. In our AQRU.io review you will find out everything you need to know about this crypto platform and its investment services.

What is AQRU?

AQRU was launched in December of 2021 and is a cryptocurrency platform where people can deposit their digital assets and earn an attractive interest rate. They are located in Bulgaria and owned and operated by the financial services company, Accru Finance Ltd which is based in London.

Unlike many crypto platforms that offer a large variety of services, AQRU’s focus in almost entirely on interest earning accounts. If you are looking to borrow crypto check out an Oasis loan or some other lending platform as the is no AQRU loan service available on the site. They do however offer trading for a limited number of cryptocurrencies and stablecoins.

AQRU Services

AQRU offers a number of different services to their clients with the main focus being on earning interest on cryptocurrency deposits.

• AQRU Interest Earning Account: Investors can earn crypto in the form of interest on select cryptocurrencies and stable coins with an AQRU interest earning account. Rates range from 2.5% to 8% depending on the digital coin deposited. AQRU is able to generate high interest rates through lending to institutional and retail borrowers. They also support and participate in decentralized exchanges. The minimum investment amount for an interest earning account is $100
• AQRU Trend: AQRU Trend allows you to invest in the top ten cryptocurrencies with the exception of stablecoins. The AQRU algorithm moves more assets into these ten cryptocurrencies when the market is trending upwards and when the market is experiencing a downward trend, switches to USDC which is much less volatile. The portfolio is rebalanced between coin weightings every week based on the algorithm’s predictions. Minimum investment for AQRU Trend is $250.
• AQRU Ten: AQRU Ten lets you invest in a portfolio of the top ten cryptocurrencies by market capitalization with the pool weighted based on the market cap of each of the cryptocurrencies it contains. The portfolio is rebalanced every week to remain abreast of the top ten cryptos on the market as the value of the different cryptocurrencies change and some digital coins drop out of the top ten and others enter it. This gives the investor balanced exposure to the top ten cryptocurrencies by market cap in a single transaction. Minimum investment is $250.
• Yield-as-a-Service: Through a partnership with Protos Asset Management and aimed at institutional platforms, yield-as-a-service provides an entry point to multiple CeFi and DeFi investment opportunities including AQRU crypto staking, as well as the AQRU Trend and AQRU 10 products
• Crypto Exchange: AQRU offers a cryptocurrency exchange where you can buy and trade between a small number of cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and fiat currencies. The minimum exchange amount is $10

AQRU Rates

Whether you choose AQRU or another crypto platform such as WhaleFin, rates will vary depending on the particular investment tool chosen by the user. When discussing rates at AQRU, it is the return on your crypto deposit/investment that is being referred to.

Interest Rates

There are 2 cryptocurrencies and 3 stablecoins you can deposit at AQRU and earn interest on; Bitcoin, Ethereum, USD Coin, DAI and Tether.

Interest is paid and compounded daily at AQRU. Their interest rates are slightly less than those found on the Vauld crypto platform

Earn Rates

Aside from interest earning accounts there are two investment products offered by AQRU; AQRU Trend and AQRU Ten.

• AQRU Trend: The AQRU site claims to have received a return of 728% over 2 years when back-tested against market data from 01 July 2020 to 30 June 2024 which is pretty impressive. However, they also state on the site that “past performance is not indicative of future results” so your investment may not see the same rate of return. The minimum investment amount is $250 with no maximum set.
• AQRU Ten: No specific rate of return is provided for the AQRU 10 feature on their site although they do state that it outperformed a single-coin purchase of Bitcoin when back-tested against market data from 01 July 2020 to 12 July 2022. As with AQRU Trend the site also lets clients know that past performance isn’t necessarily indicative of future performance. The minimum investment amount is $250 with no maximum amount.

Loan Rates

AQRU doesn’t offer a cryptocurrency loan product. You can check out a BTCpop review to learn more about a crypto platform that offers loans.

Wallet

AQRU doesn’t offer a personal wallet to their clients. They are a custodial site which means that they have complete control of their client’s digital assets once they have been deposited to the site. All of AQRU’s digital assets are stored in cryptocurrency wallets provided by Fireblocks, a respected crypto custody platform.

Cryptocurrencies

There are currently a total of 11 different cryptocurrencies supported by AQRU. The following is a list of the supported cryptocurrencies.

• Bitcoin (BTC)
• Ethereum (ETH)
• USD Coin (USDC)
• Dai (DAI)
• Tether (USDT)
• Dogecoin (DOGE)
• Fantom (FTM)
• Curve (CRV)
• Polygon (MATIC)
• Cronos (CRO)
• Uniswap (UNI)

Of the cryptocurrencies listed above, only Bitcoin, Ethereum, USD Coin, Tether and Dai can be deposited into interest earning accounts. Although this isn’t many compared to crypto platforms like MyCointainer which supports over 120 digital coins, AQRU does state on their site that they will be adding additional cryptocurrencies in the near future.

AQRU Fees

AQRU users will encounter a number of fees when making use of the platform’s services. In most cases no deposit fee will be charged. However, when depositing fiat currency via credit or debit card, there will be a fee charged by MoonPay, AQRU’s partner that enables credit and debit card transactions. No deposit fees are charged by AQRU.

Transaction Fees

Clients will be required to pay some transaction fees when using AQRU’s services. The following table shows the transaction fees for different services.

There is also a 0.35% commission fee for each transaction made on AQRU’s cryptocurrency exchange.

Withdrawal Fees

In some cases, investors will be required to pay a fee when withdrawing funds from AQRU. The following table shows the different withdrawal fees.

Fiat currency withdrawals are only available via bank transfer and only in Euros or GBP.

Opening and Funding an AQRU Account

Opening an AQRU account is a fairly simple process that should only take a few minutes.

• Click the AQRU “Sign Up” button
• On the displayed form provide your email address, a strong password. Select your preferred fiat currency from the dropdown list and check the box that indicates you are 18 years of age or older and agree to User Agreement and Privacy Policy. If you have a referral code, you may enter it in the provided field but it is not required.
• Click the “Create Account” button.

Once an account has been created you will need to go through a verification process for KYC purposes. This requires the following.

• Provide some personal information which will include name, location and current address among other things
• Submit a picture of an official identification document. This can be either a passport or National I.D card.
• Submit a liveness check video. This requires recording a short video in the App itself. You will need to recite 3 numbers displayed on the screen and move your head slightly
• Submit a proof of address document. This can be a utility bill or bank statement issued within the last 90 days or a government issued document that shows your current address

Verification is usually completed within 24 hours but can take up to 72 hours. You will be notified by email once the review of your verification information is completed. After the information is approved some funds will need to be deposited to your account. There are several different options for funding an AQRU account.

Bank Transfer: Investors can fund their account with either Euros or GBP via bank transfer. Euro bank transfers are done via the SEPA network and GBP bank transfers are done via FPS. Bank transfers are normally completed within 48 hours. They are similar to a bank-to-bank transfer and AQRU walks users through the process.

Cryptocurrency deposits: Deposits in cryptocurrency can be made using one of the following digital coins.

• Bitcoin (BTC)
• Ethereum (ETH)
• USD Coin (USDC)
• Dai (DAI)
• Tether (USDT)
• Dogecoin (DOGE)
• Fantom (FTM)
• Curve (CRV)
• Polygon (MATIC)
• Cronos (CRO)
• Uniswap (UNI)

Once the user has selected a cryptocurrency to deposit, they will be provided with a QR code and a wallet address to transfer to.

• Credit/Debit Card Deposits: Credit and debit card deposits are made through AQRU’s partner, MoonPay. Users can purchase any of the supported cryptocurrencies using US dollars, GBP or Euros.

Mobile & App

In addition to its web platform AQRU can be accessed by its mobile app. The app is available for iOS and Android devices and is available at the Apple App Store and on Google Play. Both the web platform and app are user-friendly and easy to use. Anything that can be done on the platform from a PC or laptop can also be done using the mobile app.

AQRU Referral Code

When first-time users are registering to the site, they are given the option to enter a referral code. By entering the referral code, a user can claim 100 USDC. The following is the process and code for claiming 100 USDC.

• Register to the site. On the registration form enter the code “FMFGZ5” in the provided field
• Make a total investment of at least $2000 within 60 days of being verified
• Maintain the investment in the same product for 6 months from the time of initial investment

Security

AQRU has a number of measures in place to ensure the security of their platform and user’s assets. The platform’s cryptocurrency assets are stored in wallets provided by Fireblocks and these crypto wallets are encrypted using multi-signature technology. AQRU employs two-factor authentication (2FA) and SSL encryption for more security and has an insurance policy should assets be stolen

Access

AQRU is accessible by most countries around the world with a few exceptions. At AQRU USA residents are prohibited from using the services. Other countries where AQRU is not available are Afghanistan, Algeria, American Samoa, Belarus, Bolivia, Central African Republic, China, Cuba, Ecuador, Guam, Qatar, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, U.S. Virgin Islands, Western Sahara, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Palestine and Puerto Rico.

AQRU Alternatives

There are several alternatives for crypto interest earning accounts available to investors.

• YouHodler: YouHodler offers interest earning accounts with competitive rates for over 50 different cryptocurrencies including BTC, ETH, USDC, USDT and DAI. Another service offered is crypto backed loans and users can trade 50+ cryptocurrencies on the platforms exchange. They are available in around 180 countries but those excluded include the U.S and Germany.
• Nexo: Investors can deposit 33 different digital coins to interest earning accounts at Nexo. Higher interest rates can be earned by including Nexo’s native token in their portfolio on the platform. Nexo also offers crypto backed loans and a cryptocurrency exchange. The platform is available in most countries.
• BlockFi:  offers interest earning accounts for 48 different cryptocurrencies. Additional services available include crypto backed loans and a cryptocurrency exchange. The platforms interest earning accounts are available in most countries but not in the U.S.

AQRU vs Celsius

Until recently Celsius compared quite favorably with AQRU. Investors could deposit over 40 different cryptocurrencies in interest earning accounts, which is far more than the 5 digital coins accepted for interest earning accounts at AQRU. Celsius also supported 19 different fiat currencies including US dollars, GBP and Euros. Aside from interest earning accounts other products available included crypto backed loans, a crypto exchange, credit card and the Celsius platforms own native token CEL. AQRU’s services are limited to interest earning accounts and two different investment features.

However, in July of 2024 Celsius filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, accounts were frozen and services and features on the platform are currently unavailable. Whether or not Celsius will be able to weather their difficulties remains to be seen, but as of now it looks as if AQRU would have been the better choice.

Is AQRU legit?

AQRU is owned and operated by Accru Finance Ltd, a financial services company that is registered and regulated in Bulgaria, England and Wales which qualifies them as an authorized virtual assets provider. Shares of AQRU PLC are traded on London’s Aquis Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol AQRU. While they are a relatively young company, AQRU is a legitimate crypto platform.

Contact & Support

Customer support is available at AQRU through the platforms live chat feature as well as via a contact form provided on the site. They can also be reached by email at help@aqru.io. The response time is fairly quick through any of these channels. AQRU also provides a FAQ and Help Center that answers many common questions. The crypto platform maintains social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and a few other platforms.

Conclusion

AQRU offers competitive interest rates for several cryptocurrencies. The platform is easy to use and available in many different countries. They take security seriously and assets are insured against theft. Although they only offer interest earning accounts for a limited number of cryptocurrencies, they are well worth a try if you are interested in generating a passive income from one of the supported digital coins.