Best Crypto Lending Platforms for 2022

A crypto loan is a way for traders to receive liquid funds without selling their cryptocurrency. Instead, they use their digital assets as collateral for a cash or stablecoin loan.

Individuals may choose to take out a crypto loan instead of selling because they expect their crypto asset’s value to increase or because they want to hold the asset long enough to avoid short-term capital gains crypto tax rates.

Custodial crypto (CeFi) loans

Centralized finance (CEFi) loans are custodial; a central entity takes custody of collateral. In this situation, a trader cannot access his or her collateralized assets; the lender controls the assets’ private keys.

The takeaway here is that although custodial crypto loans are still far more accessible and affordable than traditional loans, they still depend on a centralized lending provider to enforce their terms. Around 80 percent of crypto loans are currently custodial, but this ratio is changing quickly.

Non-custodial (DeFI) crypto loans

Decentralized finance (DeFi) loans are non-custodial. Rather than depending on a central organization to enforce the terms of the loan, they depend on smart contracts. If a trader takes out a DeFi crypto loan, the trader retains control of their assets’ keys—unless they default on the loan.

DeFi platforms cannot directly lend fiat currency; traders receive stablecoins that can then be exchanged for cash. DeFi loans tend to have a higher interest rate than custodial loans.

Compared to the process of applying for a traditional loan, applying for a crypto loan requires relatively little. Credit checks are typically not required; rather, the amount of the loan you will be approved for depends upon the amount of collateral you are able to use. The loan-to-value (LTV) ratio is the ratio between the amount of the loan and the value of the collateral. If you put up $10,000 worth of crypto as collateral and receive a $6,000 loan, your loan’s LTV ratio is 60 percent. Because crypto markets are volatile, LTV ratios on crypto loans are typically low.

Unlike assets held in traditional financial institutions, crypto accounts are not covered by the FDIC. Consequently, there is no federal insurance on any crypto asset in the event an exchange fails. With this in mind, there are three primary types of risk inherent in crypto loans.

Technical risk

As in all cryptocurrency trading, there is a risk that protocols break down because of a technical problem or hacking. This risk is somewhat higher in non-custodial loans, since all DeFi activity is completely algorithmically governed.

Counterparty risk

The FDIC requires all traditional banks to maintain a certain level of liquidity; crypto loan providers are not subject to this requirement. If the market crashes, an unexpectedly large number of clients default on their loans, or if a platform breaks or is exploited, the crypto lending platform may find itself without the liquidity to return a borrower’s collateral.

Margin calls and forced liquidations

To prevent illiquidity during market downturns, lending platforms will issue margin calls or force liquidations. If a cryptocurrency’s value drops to a point where many borrowers’ LTVs are too high for the platform to maintain, the platform will inform borrowers that they must increase the value of their collateral or risk liquidation.

If the call is not met, the platform may liquidize enough of the collateral to bring an account’s LTV back to the maximum allowed ratio. In this case, a trader will have forfeited that portion of their deposit, will have incurred capital gains or losses, and may be charged transaction and broker fees.

If a crypto loan is managed properly and all parties uphold the terms of the loan, the parties should not incur any taxes. The IRS considers cryptocurrency to be property, and, as in traditional trading, using your property as collateral for a loan is not considered a cryptocurrency trade or sale and therefore is not a crypto taxable event.

However, there are several potential crypto loan scenarios that could affect your taxes.

Crypto loan fees

Providers charge borrowers interest fees on their loans. These fees can range from around 1% APR to over 12% APR. If you use your loan for investment or business purposes, you may be able to write off these interest fees on your taxes.

Contact a tax professional for more guidance about business deductions.

Failure to pay back the loan

If you don’t pay back your crypto loan, the lender may liquidate all or part of your asset to recoup its losses. This could result in capital gains or losses for you, even though the lender retains the proceeds.

Forced liquidation

As mentioned above, if collateral is liquidized because of an unmet margin call, the borrower will be subject to capital gains tax on any increase in the collateral’s value between the time of its purchase and the time the lender sold the asset.

Self-repaying loans

Self-repaying loans, like those offered on Alchemix, do result in taxes owed. This is because the structure results in what is called “debt cancellation income.”

Ready to investigate which crypto loan is right for you? Read our recommendations for the best DeFi and CeFi lending platforms.

Aave is a giant in the DeFi lending space, with markets on Ethereum, Polygon, Optimism, Fantom, Arbitrum, and Avalanche. In addition to regular crypto loans, Aave offers uncollaterized flash loans (which it pioneered), short-term fixed interest rate loans, an AMM market. It boasts high LTV rates and low borrowing rates.

Lenders to the protocol deposit their funds and receive aTokens in exchange, which accrue interest. Interest rates for stablecoins are between .5% and 1.3%.

Compound was one of the first DeFi lending platforms, and has remained a relatively safe option for investors. It operates only on ETH, so investors can only lend 10 types of tokens, a much lower number than many competing platforms. Compound also has a somewhat steep learning curve, as its interest mechanisms work differently than most. However, it is a good option for those looking to earn compound interest.

Interest rates for stablecoins are between .6 and 1.3%.

Mango V3 is a project on the Solana chain for low-latency lending, borrowing, swapping, and trading. It stands out for three reasons: first, it allows leveraged trading, meaning you can use borrowed funds for up to 10x leveraged trades on the Serum DEX ecosystem or 20X on Mango’s perpetual futures books. Second, it allows cross-trading. Third, through MangoDAO, Mango V3 has a $70 million deposit insurance fund.

In 2021, Mango had incredible interest and borrowing rates. However, Mango’s leveraged trading should be approached very cautiously; margin trading is risky, particularly in the volatile crypto market. It is quite possible to end up owing much more than you ever deposited. Currently, stablecoins are earning between 1% and 3% for depositors.

Nexo is one of the most popular CeFi lending platforms. It may be a good choice for more conservative investors, because it offers $375 million of insurance on all custodial assets. The platform has $13 B in assets and more than 3 million users. Nexo’s LTV rates are typically slightly higher than average CeFi loan providers. Borrow rates cap out at 13.9%, while on the lending side, you can make up to 17% APR. 

Among CeFi lenders, Unchained Capital stands out because it doesn’t rehypothecate (loan out again) funds. Additionally, it has a multisig collaborative custody model, which gives borrowers more transparency into their assets and increases security. In this system, accessing collateralized assets requires three private keys. One is controlled by the borrower, one by Unchained Capital, and one by a third-party key agent.  

Unchained Capital only offers bitcoin loans and only lends in the United States. Additionally, to use the platform, borrowers must use a hardware wallet. Its higher security comes with a somewhat higher barrier to borrowing: it has lower LTV rates and higher interest rates than most CeFi providers.