The dichromium(III)-containing heteropoly-16-tungstates [Cr(B-β-SiWO)] (1) and [Cr(B-β-GeWO)] (2) were prepared via a one-pot reaction of the composing elements in aqueous, basic medium. Polyanions 1 and 2 represent the first examples of Cr-containing heteropolytungstates comprising the octatungstate unit {XWO} (X = Si, Ge). Magnetic studies demonstrated that, in the solid state, the two polyanions exhibit a weak antiferromagnetic interaction between the two Cr centers with J = -3.5 ± 0.5 cm, with no long-range ordering down to 1.8 K. The ground-state spin of polyanions 1 and 2 was thus deduced to be 0, but the detection of a complex set of EPR signals implies that there are thermally accessible excited states containing unpaired spins resulting from the two S = / Cr ions. A comprehensive electrochemistry study on 1 and 2 in solution was performed, and biological tests showed that both polyanions display significant antidiabetic and anticancer activities.