Nexo

Nexo – Overview

Nexo has been around since 2018, and in that time it’s grown into one of the larger names in crypto lending, serving millions of clients who’d rather borrow against their holdings than sell them outright. Based in Switzerland, it positions itself less as a simple lender and more as a full wealth platform, borrowing sits alongside a card product, an exchange, and yield-earning tools, all under one account.

The core offering is the Credit Line, and it works the way a lot of people wish traditional credit worked. You deposit BTC, ETH, or one of the 90-plus other supported assets, and Nexo lets you draw against that collateral instantly, no credit check involved, since the loan is fully backed by what you’ve already put up. There’s no fixed repayment schedule either. You pay back whenever suits you, in part or in full, as long as enough collateral stays behind it.

Interest rates aren’t flat across the board, and that’s kind of the point. Nexo runs a tiered loyalty system, Base, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, based on how much of your portfolio sits in NEXO tokens. Climb the tiers and your rate drops, sometimes down toward 1.9% annually for Platinum clients, along with perks like higher cashback and lower FX fees. Stay at Base tier and you’ll pay more, though you’ll still get the same instant liquidity.

How much you can borrow depends on the asset. Bitcoin typically supports up to around 50% LTV, meaning $100,000 in BTC unlocks roughly $50,000 in credit, while stablecoin collateral can go as high as 90% since there’s no price volatility to hedge against. If your collateral’s value slips and your LTV climbs toward roughly 83%, Nexo starts sending alerts, and if it keeps climbing past that point, the platform automatically steps in with a partial liquidation, selling off just enough collateral to bring your position back to a safer level rather than wiping out the whole balance.

Nexo also rolled out something a little different recently called Zero-interest Credit, aimed at BTC and ETH holders who want liquidity without paying interest at all. It runs on a fixed term with built-in price floors and ceilings, so the loan can’t be force-liquidated mid-term the way a standard Credit Line position can.

Funding is quick on the crypto side, usually near-instant, while a fiat withdrawal to your bank typically takes one to three business days depending on where you bank. There’s also a referral program that pays out in BTC when someone signs up through your link and hits certain activity milestones, though availability depends on region and isn’t offered everywhere, notably not in the US or UK.