Coinbase has expanded its loan lineup with a new option that lets eligible users borrow up to 1 million dollars in USDC by putting their ETH up as collateral. The feature runs through the on‑chain lending protocol Morpho on Base and adds another layer to Coinbase’s growing set of crypto‑collateral products. How The ETH Loan Works The offer is available to users in the United States, except for New York residents, and lets them lock up their ETH to receive a USDC loan. The borrowing cap for this product s ...

Two Prime Lending issued record-breaking bitcoin-backed loans of $827 million in Q3 2025, bringing its total committed loan volume to $2.55 billion since launching in March 2024, the firm said on Thursday. The lending affiliate of investment adviser Two Prime has established itself as one of the largest bitcoin-backed lenders globally, serving institutions such as miners, hedge funds, trading firms, and digital asset treasuries. It received $20 million backing led by bitcoin (BTC) miner MARA Holdings (MAR ...

Core Insights - The new generation of digital asset institutions is increasing risk exposure and launching new forms of cryptocurrency lending driven by soaring digital asset prices [1] - The cryptocurrency market is recovering, with significant investor interest returning, aided by Bitcoin's price surge and support from political figures [1][5] Group 1: Emerging Lenders and Loan Products - Divine Research has issued approximately 30,000 unsecured short-term loans since December, targeting consumers in cash-strapped regions with loans under $1,000 at fixed interest rates between 20% and 30% [2] - Borrowers include individuals typically overlooked by traditional financial institutions, with a first-time loan default rate of about 40% [2] - Other startups like 3Jane and Wildcat are expanding unsecured credit lines, with 3Jane recently securing $5.2 million in seed funding to offer unsecured USDC credit lines on the Ethereum blockchain [1][2] Group 2: Technological Innovations in Lending - 3Jane is developing a new loan platform involving AI agents that can execute tasks based on user instructions, potentially allowing for lower interest rates [3] - Coinbase has partnered with OpenAI to create AI agents equipped with crypto wallets to enhance business functionalities [3] - Wildcat has provided approximately $170 million in loans, offering customizable, fixed-rate, low-collateral credit tools for market makers and crypto trading firms [3] Group 3: Historical Context and Market Dynamics - The cryptocurrency lending sector faced significant challenges in 2022, leading to defaults and bankruptcies, including the collapse of FTX [4][5] - Traditional financial institutions, including JPMorgan, are now considering lending against clients' crypto holdings, with Cantor Fitzgerald launching a $2 billion Bitcoin financing plan [5] - Unsecured loans currently represent a small portion of the overall cryptocurrency lending market, which is primarily dominated by institutions like Coinbase, Tether, and Galaxy [6]