Earning Passive Income with Crypto — How to Start in 2025

Updated December 18, 2024
Written by Abhinav Agarwal
Fact-Checked By Vignesh Selvasundar
Editorial Note: The coinpress Marketing Editor Team provided a neutral viewpoint when creating the content. Though we receive commission for sponsored additions, this has no bearing on our assessments of the subject.
Earn Passive Income From Crypto

2025 is already on the threshold, so it’s just the right time to discover how to make passive income with crypto to improve your financial situation next year. Although this process requires less professional skills than trading cryptocurrencies, there are still a lot of factors to consider if you want to find your perfect option and avoid scams. Our guide is here to help you!

Key Takeaways

  • Staking, crypto lending, P2E games, and divided tokens are among the safest options for passive income generation with cryptocurrencies.
  • Usual mining requires at least a $3,400 initial investment, and it’s still not recommended to opt for digital assets such as Bitcoin.
  • Investing in stablecoins can help you deal with high market volatility.
  • Beginners are recommended to opt for centralized crypto platforms instead of decentralized ones.

What Is Passive Crypto Income?

A passive source of income provides a person with earnings without their active involvement. In the context of cryptocurrencies, many strategies allow you to earn money without spending your precious time in front of your monitor! However, it’s essential to consider your financial goals and risk tolerance when choosing a crypto passive income source.

Best Strategies to Earn Passive Crypto Income in 2025

If you want to generate passive income, you should review the list of the most popular strategies first. You are welcome to check our brief overview to choose the one that aligns with your expectations.

MethodProsConsEfficiency



Staking


Relatively low-risk strategy
Stable and predictable income
Perfect option for people who want to hold their cryptocurrencies
Low annual percentage yields
Long unstacking periods on some platforms
Moderate, depending on your initial investments



Yield Farming


High interest rates
Possibility to switch between yield farms platforms for higher income
Depending on market volatility
Challenging management of assets on multiple platforms
High but risky



Crypto Lending


Stable income
Diversification and flexibility
Counterparty riskHigh, but your borrowers may default on their loan



Liquidity Provision


Lower dependence on market volatility
Efficient price discovery
Possible impermanent loss
Complex management
High



Mining


Possibility to mine almost any popular cryptocurrency
High security and reliability
High electricity consumption
Service fees (for cloud mining)
Expensive hardware
Low or moderate, depending on the crypto you mine



Play-to-Earn Games


Robust control over in-game assets
Possibility to earn rewards without investments
Necessity to spend time in a game
Depending on the game’s popularity
Low



Dividend-Earning Tokens


Regular paymentsRisk of investing in a scam
Possible project failure
Moderate, depending on the project’s success



Airdrops and Forks


High income possibilities
Low initial investments
Higher scam risk
New tokens vulnerability
Moderate

Staking

Staking is one of the most popular sources of digital passive income, which is similar to keeping your money in a traditional savings account. Cryptocurrency holders lock their coins in special staking wallets, which generate interest as the funds remain untouched. The best places to open crypto “savings accounts” in 2025 are Binance, OKX, and ByBit. The most promising crypto investment opportunities include Cardano, Lido Staked Ether, and NEAR Protocol.

Yield Farming

Yield farms allow investors to earn returns by placing cryptocurrency in a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange (DEX) to provide liquidity for different crypto pairs. As a rule, this passive income crypto strategy allows you to earn rewards from trading fees and protocol incentives, which sometimes may lead to impermanent loss.

Crypto Lending

Another popular method for passive income generation is lending crypto, which involves placing your cryptocurrencies into a lending platform so other people can borrow them. While choosing a service for this strategy, you may come across centralized (Binance Loans) and decentralized (Aave) options. 

Centralized platforms are managed by companies and require you to pass the Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks. Novices often opt for them to earn a passive income because of professional customer support and advanced security.

Decentralized lending platforms rely on smart contracts that execute the loans. Considering that there is no central authority, this source of passive income demands more technical knowledge and risk tolerance but, at the same time, may offer lower trading fees.

Liquidity Provision

Liquidity pools work as reserves of different crypto assets locked in a smart contract. These cryptocurrencies may be used for various financial services, eliminating the need for intermediaries. Every time someone trades using a pool containing your assets, a transaction fee is charged. After that, this fee will be distributed among all liquidity provided to reward them for their investments. If you choose this way to earn passive income, opt for the platforms like Uniswap, PancakeSwap, and SushiSwap.

Mining

You can earn crypto passive income by constantly mining tokens and coins using powerful hardware. To assemble your home miner, you’ll need to spend at least $3,400 (for GPU, CPU, RAM, SSD, power supply, motherboard, frame, and cooling system) plus monthly payments for the increased energy consumption. 

Even if you build a powerful crypto farm, it’s still not recommended to focus on popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Their mining requires a lot of resources, so you may simply not receive a return on investment. It’s better to opt for Zcash or Clore. Plus, you may choose cloud mining platforms, which lend you the power of their hardware to perform crypto mining.

Play-to-Earn Games

The P2E games like Axie Infinity and The Sandbox allow you to earn while enjoying the gaming process. You can obtain NFT, the price of which may increase as a project becomes more successful. For example, a purchase of land in The Sandbox may be compared to a real estate investment, which you can further sell more expensively.

Dividend-Earning Tokens

Dividend-paying tokens allow their owners to generate passive income through crypto by getting regular rewards. The amount of money you receive directly depends on the success of a project you’ve invested in. Currently, the most attractive cryptos that pay dividends include KuCoin, NEO, and Bibox.

Airdrops and Forks

When a blockchain splits into two separate chains due to significant changes in its underlying code (typically initiated by the members of a crypto community), a hard fork occurs (as well as a new cryptocurrency). 

An airdrop is an event where users can get new tokens directly from a new crypto project to their wallets. Both of these opportunities allow you to earn passive income as you can get free coins or buy them at their initial price, which may increase with time. As it grows, you may start selling your tokens on DeFi platforms and stocks.

How to Choose the Best Crypto for Passive Income

If you want to earn passive income in crypto, it’s essential to invest in reliable and promising tokens and coins. As a rule, they should meet the following criteria:

  • Growing market capitalization
  • Secured network
  • Limited supply
  • Strong community and team
  • Support of innovative technology

The investment in assets that meet all these criteria is the best crypto passive income. And if you don’t have time to review coins and tokens, you can opt for the following cryptocurrencies:

  1. MATIC
  2. SUI
  3. RBLZ
  4. Ethereum
  5. Cardano

Risks of Earning Passive Income with Crypto

After learning about the most popular ways to generate passive income in crypto,  there are still some risks to consider. Here are the most common challenges investors may face.

Market Volatility

Crypto market volatility allows you to get high returns when you buy tokens at a lower price and sell them at a higher one. On the other hand, the situation may be completely reversed, leading to the loss of your investments.

If you want to create a reliable crypto passive income, invest in cryptocurrencies that are backed by robust use cases, active development, and well-established teams, as they are more resistant to volatility. Additionally, it’s essential to conduct continuous market research to find new possibilities and invest in different types of crypto to reduce your portfolio risk.

Security Risks

In most cases, generating passive income involves making investments on third-party platforms, which, unfortunately, may be hacked. If you opt for centralized services, you’ll need to pay fees but still be able to enjoy the highest-level security measures. Also, you can opt for decentralized platforms, which offer benefits like anonymity and the absence of third parties. However, these services are less resistant to hacking.

Platform Reliability

You certainly don’t want all your assets to disappear when a crypto platform just gets closed. The chance it happens is close to zero if you opt for a service with an excellent reputation and long history.  Unfortunately, both centralized and decentralized platforms may turn out to be scams, so thorough research is the only way to avoid losing your money.

Impermanent Loss

While generating passive income in DeFi (decentralized finance) liquidity pools, you may face impermanent loss. When it happens, the value of your assets becomes lower than it was when you allocated them. However, this loss is “impermanent” as the price may still return to the initial value due to market volatility. The best way to avoid this problem is to invest in stablecoins like USDT.

Regulatory Concerns

Not all countries have already legalized cryptocurrency, and it’s important to consider the situation in your area. Further, find out more about crypto tax policy. For instance, in the US, citizens have to pay up to 20% fee on long-term gains from cryptocurrency transactions. 

Step-by-Step: How to Get Started

Do you want to earn passive income with crypto ASAP? Follow these simple steps:

  1. Clearly define your financial goals and the budget you’re ready to spend to start generating passive income.
  2. Considering your possibilities, needs, and risk tolerance, choose the strategy that completely meets your expectations.
  3. Decide which cryptocurrencies you want to invest in. If you don’t want to suffer from high market volatility, it’s better to opt for popular coins and tokens or stablecoins.
  4. When choosing the platform, make sure its features allow you to implement your investment strategy and check out whether it supports the desired cryptocurrencies. Also, don’t forget to turn on the Two-Factor Authentication to protect your account.
  5. Create a hot wallet where you’ll be able to manage your crypto assets and convert them into traditional currencies or vice versa. It’s better to opt for established platforms like Binance. If you want to store your coins and tokens for longer than a month, opt for a cold wallet.
  6. Make your first investments and manage the performance of the chosen cryptocurrencies on the market. If you notice any suspicious activity, such as the possible closure of a project related to the invested assets, try to withdraw your money ASAP.

Of course, if you plan to start mining crypto, you also need to purchase hardware and learn the appropriate software. In case you want to start earning in E2P games, you’ll need to spend some time earning in-game assets.

Final Thoughts on Earning Passive Crypto Income

Each of the discussed strategies has both advantages and drawbacks, which you should consider before making an investment to secure some passive income. If you are a complete beginner, it’s recommended to opt for low-risk strategies like staking, as fewer risks are involved, and they allow you to learn the basics.

Also, if you are ready to reveal your personal data and pay higher fees, opt for a centralized platform, as they are typically more secure than decentralized ones. Additionally, check out your local crypto legislation regarding cryptocurrency to avoid legal issues. There is a lot to consider, but with knowledge and research, you can generate a stable income without any major issues.

Sources

The sources provided below can help you with the issues you may encounter with your first crypto investments.

  1. Beginner’s Guide to Binance Staking
  2. Binance Square
  3. What Drives Volatility in Bitcoin Market?
  4. Cryptocurrency Mining
  5. CoinMarketCap

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the safest strategies for passive income with crypto?

There are strategies that allow you to invest in cryptocurrencies without facing a significant risk of losing your money. Staking, popular P2E games, and crypto lending provide opportunities for stable passive income. Nonetheless, if you want to minimize the risks even more, invest only in stablecoins and use the services provided by a reputable centralized platform.

2. How much can I earn with crypto staking?

Your passive income with cryptocurrency directly depends on the chosen strategy, the sum of the initial investment, and the coins or tokens you’ve chosen. For example, if you opt for staking Solana, you can expect to earn 6.87% of your funds per year.

3. Is passive crypto income taxable?

As crypto generates passive income, it’s taxable in many countries. Thus, you must research your state’s legislation regarding cryptocurrencies before you try to earn passive income with crypto. Consider that the money you earn from tokens and coins isn’t taxable only in El Salvador, Singapore, Malaysia, and Malta.

4. What platforms are best for beginners?

Undoubtedly, centralized platforms are the best for beginners who want to create a crypto passive income source. It’s better to start with Binance, which is ideal for staking, lending, and investing in NFTs and dividend-earning tokens.

Abhinav Agarwal
A blockchain enthusiast, my expertise extends to marketing and advertising through which I was able to help a few notable startups in generating initial traction. Follow me on X at @abhinavagrwl94 and reach out to me at abhinav[at]coinpress.live
Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
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This content is purely for educational purposes and should not be considered as financial advice. Do your own research before investing in any crypto platform and only invest the amount you can afford to lose.