How exchanges and Web3 games acquire users in 2026

In 2026, the cryptocurrency market is a place where strategies for getting new users must find a balance between quick growth and stricter compliance requirements. Singular’s data shows that customer acquisition costs (CAC) have been steadily rising, by 12% every year, in fields like mobile gaming. This is because platforms like Google and Meta have made ad rules stricter. In the EU, ads must fully comply with MiCA, and in the U.S., tokenized assets must comply with the Clarity Act. This change has made projects less likely to chase after speculative crowds and more likely to build engaged, long-term communities. Web3 games have even bigger problems, though, because their LTV-to-CAC ratios need to be 3:1 for them to be able to work in the app store.

What is the focus now?

Performance marketing is all about precision over volume. This includes on-chain attribution, community-driven referrals that use stakeholder incentives, and influencer ecosystems that are based on measurable ROI instead of short-lived hype. 

As global laws like the GENIUS Act make stablecoin operations more uniform, successful user acquisition strategies focus on privacy-first targeting to rebuild trust that was lost because of past data scandals. This article looks at how exchanges and games use these channels, with real-world data and comparisons to show what works in today’s competitive market.

Why user acquisition in crypto is different

Because of a mix of regulatory and behavioral factors, crypto’s user acquisition strategy is very different from traditional tech marketing. First, regulatory pressure makes the playing field uneven. The EU’s MiCA framework is now fully in place and requires campaigns that are specific to each jurisdiction. For example, geo-fenced ads that follow AML rules. The U.S. FinCEN guidelines under the Clarity Act limit promotions that don’t have MSB licenses. This makes things more complicated; a mistake can lead to fines of more than $1 million, as happened in recent SEC cases. Meta and Google have made it harder for projects to get new users. Now, projects have to switch to paid user acquisition campaigns that focus on verified entities.

Then there’s the KYC onboarding problem. 70% of the people leave the site during document verification because their priorities don’t match up. 76% of users value security, but privacy concerns keep early adopters from signing up. According to industry standards, this raises CAC by about 28% for medium-sized businesses. Token incentives change the game by making users into stakeholders through airdrops and staking. But they also hire mercenaries who leave when the pay goes down. Community-led growth is great here, and holders are spreading the word about the project on their own. But to keep people, you need to keep giving them value after the first spikes.

Volatility makes everything worse. According to the International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews, high volatility can cause FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to drive quick purchases, but sharp drops can make 68% of investors sell their holdings or leave the market completely. Unlike stable SaaS models, this makes The Lifetime Value (LTV) projections guesswork. Exchanges use volatility to get more trades, while games fight against hype fatigue. 

How crypto exchanges acquire users

Exchange acquisition is built around one goal: getting high-intent traders into a fee-generating relationship as efficiently as possible.

Crypto advertising networks

Exchanges use crypto-focused advertising networks to reach audiences already engaged with blockchain content. These networks distribute banner, native, and display ads across crypto news sites, data platforms, and community portals. For example, Bitmedia operates a crypto-specific ad network that allows exchanges to target users based on blockchain-related activity and audience data.

Referral and affiliate programs

Tiered commission structures, typically 30% to 50% of trading fees generated by a referral, turn existing users into a performance marketing channel. Exchanges pay commissions only when referred users generate trading fees. Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken have all scaled this model significantly, with professional affiliates building entire businesses around it.

SEO and paid media

High-intent search queries like “how to buy Bitcoin” or “lowest fee crypto exchange” represent users who have already decided to enter the market. Owning that organic real estate is a long-term play that most large Centralised exchanges (CEXs) have invested in heavily. Paid media runs alongside it, but with more friction. Google requires certification, and Meta’s crypto restrictions remain in place, limiting reach for platforms that haven’t secured relevant regulatory licenses.

KOL partnerships

Exchanges use Key Opinion Leaders on YouTube, X, and Telegram primarily for trust transfer. A walkthrough from a credible crypto figure does more to overcome security skepticism than most ad formats. The goal is to reduce the hesitation that stops a high-intent user from completing signup.

Gamification and VIP tiers

Daily check-in rewards and periodic trading competitions keep Daily Active Users (DAU) numbers healthy between market cycles. At the high end, VIP programs with tiered fee discounts and OTC (Over-the-Counter) access handle institutional and high-volume trader acquisition, a segment where one client can justify significant relationship investment.

How Web3 games acquire users

Web3 game user acquisition has gone through a visible correction. The projects that survived purely on airdrop hype mostly failed to retain players. Web3 games must prioritize seamless experiences to drive acquisition. As Travis Anderson of Trophy puts it:

“The key is to make Web3 gaming so seamless that users don’t even realize they are engaging with a Web3 game, contributing to the mass adoption of these innovative experiences.”

Quests and pre-launch community building

Platforms like Zealy and Galxe let projects build an audience before the game ships. Users complete tasks, such as following accounts, joining Discord, and testing builds, in exchange for future token or NFT allocations. This is mobile game user acquisition at the community layer, and it generates a financially motivated audience before there is even a product to critique. The weakness is the same as with exchange airdrops: a meaningful share of participants are farming with no real interest in playing.

NFT access passes

Genesis NFT collections serve as entry passes and can unlock in-game advantages or governance access. Holders have a financial stake in the game’s success, which turns them into organic advocates. When this works well, game user acquisition essentially runs itself post-mint. The dynamic is closer to a franchise model than traditional advertising.

Performance marketing 

The shift in the Web3 mobile game user acquisition stage over the last two years is the move away from crypto-forward messaging. Projects like NFL Rivals and Heroes of Mavia lead with gameplay, not blockchain. Users sign up via email or social login. The wallet comes later, once the habit is formed.

This opens TikTok, Instagram, and Google Play as viable channels, platforms that were effectively closed to overtly crypto-branded content. The standard 3:1 LTV-to-CAC benchmark from traditional mobile marketing is now being applied to Web3 titles running these cleaner funnels.

Gaming guilds

Guilds like Yield Guild Games onboard players in bulk by supplying the NFTs required to participate in play-to-earn titles. For developers, one guild deal can deliver thousands of active players at once. This structure has no equivalent in exchange marketing.

Exchanges vs Web3 games

While both use blockchain technology, their paths to increase user acquisition are distinct.

Where crypto UA is heading

Growth in 2026 depends less on first-day acquisition spikes and more on whether users remain active after onboarding and KYC. Exchanges are tightening affiliate quality controls and investing in KYC flows that clear compliance without destroying conversion. Web3 games are taking out the crypto jargon from their front-end marketing so they can reach more people through channels that actually work.

The acquisition playbook hasn’t gotten any easier. But the projects that are willing to build for long-term retention instead of short-term numbers are the ones that have something real to show for their money.

Benefits of promoting your project with Bitmedia

Partnering with Bitmedia gives exchanges and Web3 games a direct line into crypto‑native, high‑intent audiences you won’t easily reach on general ad platforms. Bitmedia’s network aggregates inventory across leading crypto publishers and finance sites, so your campaigns hit users already consuming blockchain news, market data and product reviews — audiences that are far more likely to convert into funded wallets or engaged players.

Practical capabilities that matter for Web3 UA

• Multiple ad formats: run text, image, responsive, or HTML5 banner ads to match each funnel stage – awareness, consideration, and direct activation.
• Precise performance tools: self‑serve or managed campaigns, real‑time reporting, and postback/S2S options enable measurement against on‑chain events and downstream KPIs, so you can optimize for true wallet actions (deposits, trades, staking).
• Audience quality and fraud controls: manual publisher verification, creative review, and anti‑bot measures reduce risky inventory and protect wallet‑connected users from bad redirects or scams.
• Flexible billing: support for fiat and crypto payments (including stablecoins like USDC) streamlines global billing and reduces FX friction for crypto teams.

PR, influencer & full‑funnel support

Beyond media buying, Bitmedia’s marketplace and PR services let you combine sponsored articles, native placements, and influencer collaborations with direct advertising – ideal for projects that need both credibility (whitepapers, deep dives) and quick on‑chain activations (promos, staking pushes). This hybrid approach shortens the path from discovery to deposit while preserving long‑term trust.

How to get started

If your goal is efficient on‑chain conversions without sacrificing compliance or creative quality, Bitmedia provides a fast way to test performance hypotheses across crypto audiences. Launch a self‑serve test, or request managed support to design a hybrid funnel that combines SEO/PR, paid web traffic, and targeted crypto placements for maximum impact.