Best Crypto Lending Platforms: Top Crypto Loans Programs

As bitcoin moves into the mainstream financial world, the demand for reputable cryptocurrency lending programs is on the rise as they are a great way for investors to earn dividends and get crypto loans. Let’s take the time to review the best crypto lending platforms to secure a loan and generate investment profits.

Earning By Hodling: Crypto Dividend Investing Platforms

By now, it should be no secret that smart investors make their money work for them. By placing your money in the right programs and platforms, it can quickly multiply.

We all know about savings accounts and stock markets. However, a growing number of decentralized finance (#DeFi) companies now offer a crypto dividend and investment platforms.

By taking advantage of these top bitcoin lending and crypto loans platforms, you can watch your cryptoasset savings multiply without actually selling your cryptocurrencies. Some of these offers let you invest crypto and earn interest directly, while other blockchain-based platforms give you the opportunity invest fiat and earn crypto as interest. No matter if you’re a borrower or lender, there are beneficial advantages to be had.

Simply put, yes, you can earn money just by hodling and generating a return on your investments. Keep reading to discover the best crypto dividend and investment platforms available today.

SALT LENDING – CRYPTO-BACKED LOANS

Salt is one of the best-known crypto lending platforms available today. The platform lets you use crypto as collateral to secure a loan ranging from $5,000 to $25 million.

This unique lending system serves as a convenient source of capital for those whose projects would otherwise be turned away by banks and other prospective investors. However, make sure you check interest rates before you take out the loan. Standard APRs range from 14% to 15.95%, which is significantly higher than any conventional lender.

Of course, the high APR is the trade-off for accessing an unconventional source of capital: you can potentially access an enormous amount of money without a credit check or similar steps.

You’ll need to deposit cryptocurrencies into Salt as collateral. Approved digital assets include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dash, Dogecoin, USDT and True USD.

Salt makes it easy to make an initial calculation showing you the typical APR, borrowing amount, and monthly payments. However, there’s a small disclaimer attached to this calculator:

“Loan Calculator does not constitute the offer, availability, or application for a loan. Loan options and terms selected may not be available in your jurisdiction, for your loan amount, and or collateral type. Loan Calculator assumes maximum use of “SALT Redemption” and all other applicable promotions.”

Why use Salt? Some people find it convenient to consolidate all of their blockchain-based assets to obtain one simple loan. The main advantage, of course, is that you can access funding you would not be normally able to get. Good luck trying to find a conventional bank willing to accept your crypto as collateral.

Salt, which stands for Secured Automated Lending Technology, also has its own native token called SALT. As a SALT token holder, you get access to preferential interest rates.

Salt also distinguishes itself from competitors on this page by focusing exclusively on lending. Here’s how the company sums up the main benefits of its platform:

“To repay the loan, you make monthly payments of principal plus interest. A loan gives you the flexibility to make big purchases, then pay it off at a pace that makes sense for you.” – SALT Team

Be sure to check out the SALT platform right here.

CRYPTO.COM – THE ALL IN ONE CRYPTO PLATFORM & WALLET

While SALT focuses mostly on loans, Crypto.com offers a multi-purpose platform and mobile application with all types of functions.

Having been established in 2016, one of its fundamental values is that financial autonomy should be an inalienable human right of anyone. As a result, Crypto.com provides its users with a wealth of different tools to give users the ability to buy, sell, trade, invest or borrow cryptocurrencies.

Just like the other platforms on this list, there are some added bonuses which come with being a stakeholder in the platform’s digital currency (MCO). These bonuses include improved interest percentage rates (increasing investments IR’s by more than 2% depending on the asset, and 4% lower for loans).

So what can you do with Crypto.com? There are 8 elements to the digital wallet.

You can set up and use a crypto or fiat wallet, for example. You can invest and track cryptocurrencies and assets, monitor payments made with the wallet, apply for a Visa crypto card, deposit crypto to obtain a loan, or deposit crypto to earn interest over time.

Crypto.com’s ‘Earn’ service lets users move any amount of their chosen crypto from their wallet to an escrow account within the app, then earn returns based on these holdings. These returns are paid to your crypto wallet weekly.

The amount of interest you can earn on these depends on the type of crypto you deposit, with stablecoins like Tether bringing in the highest returns (10-12%) and others like Bitcoin bringing in 6-8%.

You also gain more or less interest based on how long you intend to store your crypto. There’s a flexible version that pays 2 to 3% interest rates, for example, and a 3-month lock-in option that pays 6 to 12% interest rates.

Interest rates are also affected by how much MCO you plan to stake on the platform. If you stake 500 or more MCO ($1,500+), for example, you’ll unlock higher interest rates on your crypto holdings. You can even earn bonus rewards when staking less than 50 MCO ($150). All MCO tokens are returned to you after the staking period, so if you have some free capital, it’s a no-nonsense way to earn extra crypto.

Stakeholders of MCO also unlock benefits from the ‘Credit’ system within Crypto.com. Depending on much you plan on staking in conjunction with your loan, your interest repayments could range from 8% to 12%. While this isn’t the focus of Crypto.com, the company still allows you to borrow a maximum of $1 million in US Stablecoin in exchange for any of the supported cryptos within the platform.

Compared to others on this list, there’s a great degree of flexibility in what you can do within the mobile app, and it really incentivizes you to be a stakeholder in it with some excellent benefits. We haven’t even delved into the advantages that come with using its range of debit cards too.

For more information about the platform, be sure to read out in-depth article on it right here on MasterTheCrypto. Also, check out the platform for yourself and get investing right here.

CELSIUS – LOANS AND CREDIT FOR BLOCKCHAIN BACKERS

Celsius was initially established back in 2017 for a similar reason to Crypto.com: that users should not only have a higher level of autonomy over their money, but that they should also have other investment options beyond traditional banks.

Interest rates have been extremely low since the 2008/2009 recession, ranging from 0.5% to 2%. That’s why Celsius Network stands out: the platform emphasizes a flexible system of investment with more substantial annual returns for long-term investors.

These interest rates do fluctuate depending on a few factors, as we’ve come to expect from these kinds of platforms. But Celsius is a little different, in that the interest rates you can earn have an annoying tendency to fluctuate to some extent.

As part of a test of its mobile app, I had invested some money into stablecoins, specifically Tether, which initially enjoyed a 10.12% interest rate back in August. Since then, it has decreased from that to 9%; annoying, but not a deal-breaker.

These interest rates fluctuate based on the volume of tokens deposited into the platform by users at any one time. You can check this token volume on the app at any time.

These interest rates also depend on the kind of demand that exists for each of these tokens, with the lowest having a 2.75% rate, while stablecoins enjoy the highest standard of 9.02% for the time being.

One of the positives that you have with Celsius is that there is a lot more flexibility in how you invest. You’re under no obligation to invest them for an amount of time; meaning you can deposit more or withdraw funds at any time, and that any amount of crypto in your digital wallet earns interest immediately.

There are a few ways that you can improve your interest rates, both in borrowing and investing, and both involve the company’s dedicated crypto – CEL. The most immediate way is to agree to accept CEL as your chosen token for any interest that you earn, and it’s incredibly easy to do.

By pressing the toggle on each of specific cryptos, or on your account menu, you can increase the amount of interest you obtain by 1-3%. The other way is through increasing the crypto: CEL ratio, which refers to the amount of CEL tokens you have relative to the crypto you have invested.

This ratio is known as your ‘CEL Loyalty’ level and comes in three stages: Silver, Gold and Platinum, which gives anywhere from a further 10-30% to interest rates for investments, and the same for those looking to borrow money.

One of the issues that you will find with Celsius, however, is that there’s no fast way to purchase these cryptocurrencies. In contrast with Crypto.com, where you can send money to your wallet and trade for your crypto of choice. You’re limited to either purchasing any of these assets on other exchanges or using Changelly to transfer them over to the app.

While the more experienced user will have no problem changing money, this process can be intimidating for new crypto users.

Be sure to check out Celsius for yourself by visiting the website here.

BLOCKFI – WEALTH MANAGEMENT PLATFORM

By the front page of its website, you can quickly tell that projects like BlockFi, Crypto.com and Celsius are cut from a similar bolt of cloth.

“For years, crypto investors haven’t had access to basic financial products in the blockchain ecosystem. BlockFi bridges this gap by providing access to high-interest crypto accounts and low-cost credit products to clients worldwide.”

Disrupting the conventional world of finance is the name of the game for BlockFi and others on this list. And much akin to Celsius, BlockFi focuses primarily on the twin areas of investment and lending, allowing the platform to provide competitive rates to both lenders and borrowers.

But how do these rates actually match up to others? Well, here is where it falls a little flat. Going from the company’s own website, users can benefit from interest rates up to 8.6 percent. While this is a highly competitive rate for cryptos like Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc. The same is not so true of stablecoins on platforms like Celsius and Crypto.com, which can earn investors upwards of 9-12% annually.

Even then, there is some contradiction between the website and reviews out there. With the company espousing that you can earn up to 8.6 percent, while users have argued that it’s more like 6.2%, which makes it only slightly better than the likes of competitors on this list.

The reason for some of this inconsistency is down to just how its compound interest is calculated. This is according to the company, at least.

“Our conversion rate is calculated through Gemini based on the last trade price.”

The other reason is that it depends on which crypto you invest. With Ethereum bringing in 4.1%, Bitcoin earning you 6.2%, while the stablecoin GUSD gets you the highest, which is 8.6%.

One of the fundamental problems that BlockFi also has is that its rates aren’t the best out there. You’ll find higher interest rates from other options on this list.

Another issue with BlockFi is that users have a limited number of options compared to competitors on this list. You only have three cryptos to choose from, which is great if you only hold major cryptocurrencies, but less attractive for those holding a range of altcoins.

While this is a bitter pill to swallow for users, BlockFi has some attributes that really gives it the edge over its opponents in the industry. The first of these being that users won’t need to lock up the various amount of company-specific tokens in order to unlock the best rates.

In addition, there are no fixed terms for any amount of crypto you want to invest within the platform.

One of the added positives that you have as well is the fact that BlockFi’s interest rates for loans are pretty competitive. While limited on what cryptos you can use for collateral, you can borrow up to 50% of the value of whatever you store using the platform.

This is made even better by the competitive interest rates on repayments, which start from 4.5%. Through this service, users can borrow anything from $15,000 for a maximum of 12 months.

While it sits at the middle/low end of the collective pack here for dividend yields, its loans are something to really consider.

For more information about BlockFi and the services it provides, check out the website right here.

NEXO – INSTANT CRYPTO CREDIT LINES

Nexo is one of only two businesses here that is a validated provider of bank/debit cards, giving it a rare edge over its other opponents. But where does it stand overall?

Having been founded back in 2017, Nexo is the latest business to come from a fintech company with more than 10 years worth of experience going for it so far. This decade of previous experience is inextricably linked to the world of investing and lending, both in the financial mainstream, and now for crypto holders.

“Over the past 10 years, we have been providing instant loans to millions of people across Europe. We believe that the expanding digital world helps improve our lives.”

While this is a good value and plan to have in place for an ever digitalizing world, it, much like Crypto.com and Celsius, requires you to be a stakeholder in its NEXO token to benefit from better interest rates. Without stakeholding, the interest rates for the currencies that it supports for the moment fall below expectations for those looking to get some good yields.

For one, while it does offer rates starting from 8% for fiat currencies and stable coins, rival platforms out there offer anywhere from 8.6% to 10% without any stake for the same. What’s more, Nexo doesn’t provide support for any cryptos outside of stablecoins for the moment, which narrows down users’ options from the start.

But when it comes to stablecoins, the platform does provide some flexibility in what users can invest within the platform. While the options are narrow for the time being, some digital assets are coming to the platform. Users can also vote on other potential cryptos.

So how do you make yourself some dividends on Nexo? It operates in a similar way to Celsius. You select whichever kind of crypto you would like to deposit, copy over the address you receive for that asset and send it from your digital wallet right to Nexo.

If there’s one net positive that comes with Nexo, and that is that users have all the ease of making deposits and withdrawals from any digital wallet without any hindrance. And if you’re one of those that are interested in being a token stakeholder, having a sufficient amount in your wallet allows you to make up to 30 percent more on your dividends.

So for those that are interested in Nexo, if you’ll be pouring crypto in as passive income. It stands to reason that you shell out a little more through Changelly (where you can buy Nexo) to maximize returns.

Be sure to check out the full website for Nexo right here.

YOUHODLER – “UNLOCK THE VALUE OF YOUR CRYPTO”

Emblazoned on its front page, YouHODLER is the ‘youngest’ of these crypto platforms, but also one of the more interesting ones to try out, as it just may have the edge over the others.

Having been established back in 2018, YouHodler provides its ‘Hodlers’ with a platform where they can simply store their assets while accumulating dividends from them. Along with being responsible for $15 million worth of processing for users, both its investment and loans products are ones to seriously consider.

While the website sports the footer that it accepts over 11 different digital assets, this primarily refers to obtaining a line of credit, while its savings services only support for USDC, Tether, and Bitcoin.

With that said, each has some pretty good rates and conditions associated with them. Firstly, if you wanted to secure a loan with YouHodler; you can choose between one of three plans, all of which provide different time-frames, LTV’s and interest rates.

• ‘HODLers Favorite’ – 55 percent Loan to Value ratio for a 120-day loan with a typical interest rate of 13 percent.
• ‘Anti-Crisis’ – This kind of loan is available on a 50-day loan with a fixed interest rate of 7 percent, with a more competitive Loan to Value ratio of 60 percent.
• ‘Bull Run’ – This is the shortest possible loan that’s available for borrowers, with the Bull run being a 30-day loan with a 7 percent interest rate and the best Loan to Value ratio of 85 percent.

What are we referring to when we use the term Loan to Value? It effectively means that the higher the percentage, the more money you can borrow, as it more closely follows the value of the digital assets you use as collateral.

So, as far as loans go, YouHodler appears to be a strong contender for those interested in borrowing against their digital assets. But how does the platform measure upon the subject of investments?

While the choices are slim on what you can invest using YouHodler, the interest rates consist of some of the more competitive out there. For example, investing Bitcoin over a 12-month window will earn you up to 4.8 percent annual interest. Meanwhile, investing one of the two stablecoins can net you 9.6 percent.

These rates make YouHodler one of the better platforms out there for investment, right next to Crypto.com and its staked investments.

Be sure to check out the platform right here.

INLOCK – CRYPTO LENDING POWERED BY ILK TOKENS

INLOCK is a crypto lending platform with its own native token called ILK. The platform lets you borrow money by putting crypto as collateral or earn interest by depositing money.

Inlock has a straightforward, no-nonsense interface. The front page of the website gives you two options: Get Credit or Earn Interest.

If borrowing money, you’ll click Get Credit, then select the amount you need. You can choose any amount: there’s no real limit as long as you’re willing to post the collateral. For collateral, you can use BTC, ETH, LTC, or BNB. You also select your overcollateralization rate. The more you overcollateralize, the lower your interest rate will be. You can also choose the duration of your loan, including 10, 30, 45, 60, 120, and 180 day loan periods. INLOCK will calculate your loan plan immediately, making it easy to see exactly how much you can expect to pay.

If you want to earn interest on your crypto holdings, meanwhile, you’ll click the ‘Earn Interest’ option. Choose the amount you want to lend (again, there’s no limit as long as you have the crypto to lend). Then, choose your annual interest rate and duration (15, 45, 80, 100, 200, and 300 day loans are all available). INLOCK displays your expected profit immediately, then posts your loan offer to their system.

Overall, INLOCK aims to offer a fast and easy crypto lending platform built on bank-grade security and powered by INLOCK tokens (ILK).

COINLOAN – P2P LENDING ACROSS 12+ CRYPTOCURRENCIES AND FIAT CURRENCIES

CoinLoan is a peer-to-peer lending platform where you can borrow money or earn interest on money through a peer to peer (P2P) marketplace. Borrowers get money without selling their cryptoassets, while lenders offer loans and get competitive returns. Borrowers need to overcollateralize, and this overcollateralization requirement means lenders receive full repayment on time.

As with other good crypto lending platforms, CoinLoan.io makes it easy for borrowers and lenders to see the rates they’re going to pay or earn. Lenders can choose the amount they wish to invest (in EUR, BTC, ETH, LTC, XMR, TUSD, USDC, PAX, USDT, EURS, DAI, USD, GBP, EUR, or RUB), then the loan term (7 days, 6 months, or other). The interest rate is calculated by the platform (default of 12%), although lenders can choose an interest-only or principal+interest repayment option. CoinLoan will instantly calculate the amount of profit you can expect to make.

Borrowers, meanwhile, can enter their desired loan amount and collateral, choose their loan term, then see the total repayment amount.

Whether borrowing or lending with CoinLoan, it’s easy to see exactly how much you can expect to earn and pay. It’s all displayed transparently, and all loan conditions are automatically executed by the CoinLoan platform.

DYDX EXCHANGE – SILICON VALLEY’S FAVORITE CRYPTO LENDING PLATFORM

This uniquely-named exchange not only offers crypto lending and borrowing, but it also lets you trade like any ordinary cryptocurrency exchange. The San Francisco-based company describes itself as “the most powerful open trading platform for crypto assets”.

With dYdX Exchange, you can open short or leveraged positions with leverage up to 4x for trading, trading on margin with borrowed capital. Or, you can borrow any supported asset directly to your wallet using existing crypto holdings as collateral. As a lender, you can deposit funds to continuously earn interest over time, with variable interest rates always ensuring you get the market rate.

One of the biggest advantages of dYdX is that it’s a trustless system: there’s no need to trust the counterparty in any trades or loans. You remain in complete control of your funds at tall times.

Another unique advantage of dYdX is that you don’t even need to register for the platform or sign up. You can start trading immediately from anywhere in the world.

The secret to dYdX’s openness is its use of Ethereum smart contracts. The entire exchange is powered using Ethereum smart contracts. To date, over $105 million has been traded on dYdX. The company has also attracted some of the biggest venture capital names in Silicon Valley, including Andreessen Horowitz and Polychain Capital.

If you’re looking for an open platform where borrowers are matched with lenders in a P2P marketplace, then dYdX is one of the best options available.

DHARMA – EARN 4.7% INTEREST ON CRYPTO FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD

Dharma lets anyone earn 4.7% interest from anywhere in the world. Just deposit your money into the platform, then earn interest immediately.

As of November 2019, Dharma accepts deposits in Dai (DAI), which pays a 3.7% interest rate, and USD Coin (USDC), which pays a 4.7% interest rate.

Dharma promises to pay interest “at the speed of the internet” while also being “the easiest way to save money from anywhere in the world”. Wherever you’re located worldwide, you can make a deposit and earn interest instantly.

Dharma has made a big push to advertise itself to the non-crypto crowd. The company markets its lending and borrowing opportunity with slogans like “upload your money to the internet”, claiming that “Dharma can do things your bank can’t because Dharma is powered by special cryptocurrencies called stablecoins.”

Cutesy marketing aside, Dharma is one of the easiest ways to earn interest on your stablecoins. The main drawback, of course, is that Dharma’s interest rates aren’t nearly as high as its competitors. With interest rates of 4% to 5%, Dharma may have trouble competing against alternatives that offer 12% interest rates or higher.

NUO NETWORK – LEND AND BORROW CRYPTO WITHOUT GIVING UP CUSTODY

Nuo Network, found at Nuo.network, lets you lend and borrow cryptocurrency without actually giving custody of your crypto to a third party.

Nuo also offers unique crypto options you may not see with some of the larger providers listed here. You can borrow or lend USDC, DAI, ETH, BTC, SNX, and TUSD, for example. Lending and borrowing rates are all transparently disclosed upfront. SNX, for example, is currently available to lend at an APR of 8.4% and to borrow at an APR of 24.9%.

All loans are customizable based on the needs of the borrower. Users can borrow long and short term loans at preferred rates of interest and tenure. All loans are collateralized using a smart contract, creating a trustless environment.

You can get started with Nuo Network instantly just by depositing ERC20 tokens into the platform. You can create a Nuo account with your Metamask / Web3 wallet, then start lending or borrowing immediately.

Because Nuo Network is non-custodial, all funds are locked in smart contracts during the loan. Nuo Network doesn’t directly handle any of the cryptocurrency. These funds are locked into the smart contract based on the terms of the smart contract. Nuo Network also claims to offer “bank-grade security and encryption” thanks to 256-bit SSL protection.

LENDABIT – P2P LENDING PLATFORM SUPPORTING BTC AND ETH

LendaBit is a P2P crypto lending and borrowing platform that lets you use crypto as collateral for USDT loans. LendaBit accepts BTC and ETH. Loans have no limits: as long as you have the crypto collateral, you can borrow any amount of money through LendaBit. Loan terms are available for 1 month, 3 month, 6 month, or 1 year periods.

LendaBit displays the daily and annual interest rate immediately upfront, making it easy for borrowers to see how much they’ll pay. Lenders, meanwhile, can earn interest rates of around 12% per year by lending USDT through the platform.

LendaBit registration is surprisingly fast. You can signup for the website within a minute. Then, make a deposit and confirm your lending terms, then complete the loan. That’s it.

ETHLEND – LEND AND BORROW SIX DIFFERENT CRYPTOCURRENCIES

ETHLend describes itself as “the world’s first crypto lending marketplace”. The platform offers crypto loan ranging from 1 to 12 months. Borrowers and lenders can use a range of different cryptocurrencies, including ETH, DAI, PAX, TUSD, USDC, and the platform’s native token LEND.

Once you’re ready to lend or borrow money through ETHLend, just browse the live marketplace for loan offers or loan requests. You can view the offers for each loan, then click ‘Take This Loan’ to immediately borrow. You can easily view the APR, collateral, loan amount, and other terms, then decide which loan to pick. Because it’s a P2P marketplace, lenders and borrowers compete against one another to offer the best possible terms.

ETHLend, as you might expect, is powered by Ethereum smart contracts. All funds are stored in a non-custodial smart contract during the loan. You can audit the smart contract at any time by checking the Ethereum blockchain. Plus, you remain in control of your own wallet and never have to trust funds to ETHLend.

UNCHAINED CAPITAL – BORROW ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY A HOUSE

Unchained Capital provides two core services: crypto vault storage and crypto loans. You can access multisignature cold storage vaults through Unchained Capital. Or, you can get a cryptocurrency-backed loan.

For lending, Unchained Capital works similar to the platforms above. There’s no need to use a utility token or membership plan, and you never have to complete a credit check. If you have bitcoin and are willing to use that bitcoin as collateral, then you can take out a loan in any amount through Unchained Capital.

Unchained Capital seems to cater to a higher-end audience than the typical crypto lending platform. The company claims their customers “borrow for everything from buying real estate to making a tax payment.”

Loans up to $1 million are approved within the same business day. Just complete the loan application, sign your contract online, receive funds, and monitor your collateral throughout the loan term. Funds are held in a 2-of-3 multisig wallet, with the three private keys held by you, Unchained Capital, and the lender.

BITBOND – TOKENIZED DEBT SECURITIES AND INSTITUTIONAL CAPITAL LENDING

Bitbond is a compliant platform for tokenizing debt securities. That’s a fancy way of saying that Bitbond lets you access tokenized versions of stocks, bonds, and other assets.

Bitbond sees itself as “the future of capital markets” because it allows banks, intermediaries, and brokers to digitize and streamline the bond issuance process. In fact, Bitbond can whitelabel its platform for all of these oragnizaitons.

The Berlin-based company recently made headlines for becoming the first company in Europe to issue a fully regulated security token (STO). Today, Bitbond’s three core products include:

Whitelabel for Banks and Intermediaries: Banks and intermediaries like real estate platforms and brokers can use Bitbond’s whitelabel solution to digitize and streamline the bond issuance process.

Capital Issuers: Corporations, governments, and startups can raise capital independently using Bitbond’s technology

Fund Operators: Bitbond claims to offer “the leanest securitization structure” for operators and issuers of mutual funds, alternative investment funds, and other assets. Bitbond reduces the complexity of these funds by issuing tokenized bonds. Investors can simply buy a token to invest in the fund.

Ultimately, Bitbond caters more to corporations seeking to raise funds instead of individual investors. However, it’s yet another crypto-focused funding option for those who need it.

BTCPOP – P2P LENDING PLATFORM BUILT ON REPUTATION, NOT CREDIT SCORES

BTCpop is a peer to peer lending platform built on reputation – not credit score. You can quickly get loans from other members or earn interest on your existing cryptocurrency.

BTCpop also supports a range of other services. You can launch an IPO on the platform, for example. BTCpop also supports basic cryptocurrency exchange, letting you swap cryptocurrencies in your account between tokens. There’s even a proof of stake pool you can join to earn extra income from your crypto holdings.

Getting a loan on BTCpop is straightforward. Just register an account, get verified, select your loan type, complete the form, and submit it. That’s it.

One of the unique features of BTCpop is that you can access instant loans with no collateral, although you’ll pay 30% APR. For collateral verified instant loans, you can drop the APR to 15%.

HELIO LENDING – USE BTC, ETH, LTC, AND XRP AS COLLATERAL FOR ANY LOAN

Helio Lending lets you use BTC, ETH, LTC, and XRP as collateral to access cash. The minimum loan amount is $1,000 and there is no maximum as long as you have the collateral. You can pay back the loan in anywhere from 1 to 12 months. Your APR is adjusted based on your loan to value (LTV). You can choose to repay the loan with interest-only payments or with principal and interest payments.

Helio Lending offers same day approval. After registering and being approved, you transfer your crypto collateral to Helio’s secure storage address. Then, the platform transfers fiat currency directly into your bank account. You make monthly payments, then ultimately pay off your loan.

Unlike other platforms listed here, Helio Lending does not allow you to lend your own crypto to borrowers. Instead, Helio handles all loans directly. There’s no P2P marketplace here.

CRED – HIGHLY-REGULATED CRYPTO LENDING PLATFORM

Cred, found online at MyCred.io, is one of the more reputable names in the crypto lending space. The company accepts 30 cryptocurrencies in total, which is more than any other lending platform listed here. Cred is also well-regulated and reputable: all loans are made or arranged pursuant to California Finance Lenders Law, and Cred has its own license number authorizing its status as a lender.

For added security, Cred has also partnered with BitGo (for custody) and Lockton (for insurance). Cred is also a founding member of the Universal Protocol Alliance. The company has also partnered with Bitbuy, TrueUSD, Bitcoin.com, Angelrock, and Uphold.

There are two ways to use Cred. First, you can earn money on your crypto holdings by pledging your digital assets to Cred and then earning competitive interest rates. Or, you can use your crypto as collateral to access USD, EUR, and other fiat currencies.

With Cred, lenders can earn 10% on their crypto holdings. Cred also has dedicated support staff for whales seeking to maximize their crypto holdings.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for a trusted and regulated way to maximize your crypto holdings by earning interest or using them as collateral, then Cred is one of the best options available today.

LENDINGBLOCK – PROFESSIONAL EXCHANGE OFFERING LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL TO INSTITUTIONS

Lendingblock is a securities lending platform for digital assets built on a professional trading exchange designed for institutional needs. The platform that you generate enhanced yields on a broad portfolio of digital assets. Users can also access institutional counterparties and a broad selection of digital asset and crypto markets from one convenient interface.

Lendingblock caters exclusively to institutional investors seeking to maximize the value of their crypto holdings. An institutional investor might use Lendingblock to bridge liquidity gaps through an institutional pool of digital assets to implement their market making or short strategies, for example. All loans are managed from an exchange-style interface that makes it easy to customize all lending terms.

Lendingblock also offers full API support, making it easy to integrate Lendingblock into your existing setup.

XCOINS – SECURED LOANS THROUGH A SEAMLESS MARKETPLACE

xCoins is a bitcoin buying platform that also supports bitcoin loans. All xCoins loans are secured loans, which means the borrower pledges cryptocurrency as collateral for the loan to secure it.

xCoins is a peer-to-peer platform where anyone can be a borrower or a lender. When a borrower requests a bitcoin loan, the platform matches the borrower with a lender. It’s an automatic and seamless process with no communication required between the lender and borrower.

To finalize the loan, the borrower will make a payment directly to the lender on the lender’s PayPal payment page. After the payment is made, bitcoin is automatically transferred to the borrower’s wallet. Then, the borrower makes payments based on the term of the loan.

COMPOUND FINANCE – OPEN SOURCE LENDING PROTOCOL BUILT INTO EXISTING CRYPTO WALLETS

Compound, found online at Compound.finance, is an open-source, autonomous protocol built for developers. The platform aims to be the ultimate crypto lending platform for the open financial system. You can invest through Compound or borrow money.

You can interact with Compound directly through the platform’s official website. However, a number of major platforms have already integrated the Compound protocol, including Zerion, Coinbase WEallet, InstaDapp, Huobi Wallet, Argent, DeFi Saver, and Dharma, among other platforms. You may be able to access Compound’s loan marketplace directly from the wallet you already use.

Compound is powered by its native cTokens, which are ERC-20 tokens that represent your balance in the protocol. These tokens accrue interest over time. When you hold or receive a cToken, you can borrow from the Compound protocol.

GENESIS CAPITAL – INSTITUTIONAL DIGITAL CURRENCY LENDING

Genesis Capital is a digital currency lending platform catered to institutional investors. The company is an affiliate of Genesis Trading, the highly-regulated New York-based crypto exchange launched by the Winklevoss twins.

Today, Genesis Capital gives institutions the ability to borrow BTC, ETH, LTC, and other digital currencies in large sizes over fixed terms. Institutions can use this capital to solve all types of problems, including:

• Institutional market making, allowing the institution to gain additional liquidity to support on-exchange or OTC market making
• Gain capital to use for algorithmic or high-frequency trading strategies
• Hedging or speculation, shorting the spot market to hedge portfolio risk or derivative positions
• Access alternative liquidity for remittance or other miscellaneous working capital uses

Genesis Capital has a minimum loan size of $100,000. Fixed duration loans range from two weeks to six months. There’s optional call protection, and USD collateral is accepted to back the loan. It’s all delivered in a regulated and trusted environment subject to federal MSB/FinCen regulations.

In addition to traditional loans starting at $100,000, Genesis Capital lets institutions execute large block short sales through Genesis Trading. Minimum short sale size is $250,000, and institutions can initiate short sales across multiple currencies. It’s all accessible through Genesis Trading’s OTC platform, which is available after onboarding through Genesis Capital.

FINAL WORD ON TOP CRYPTO LENDING PLATFORMS

We will be updating this cryptocurrency lending review with more blockchain-based loan providers to earn dividends and interest on your cryptoassets. For now, please leave us feedback on the 22 best crypto lending services and share your experiences so others can learn the pros and cons of these bitcoin-centric loan offers.

By investing your cryptocurrency in one of the platforms above, you can earn interest rates as high as 8% to 12%. While there are always risks involved of giving up your private keys, using a trusted third party provider from the list above can be a solid option to earn bitcoin by gaining interest or securing a collateralized loan. Borrowers, meanwhile, can post crypto as collateral while paying interest rates ranging from 5% to 15%. As the price of Bitcoin continues to climb (especially per some expert forecasts), it may be a smart idea to put a portion of your crypto holdings into one of these programs that empower you to earn while hodling.

A few years ago, there were no websites where users could lend or borrow crypto to earn interest. Today, these platforms are safer and more accessible than ever. Bookmark this review as we will be sharing much more how-to use guides and tutorials regarding the top crypto lending platforms.

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