How Crypto Lending Works: Where the Interest Comes From
What Is Crypto Lending?
Crypto lending means lending assets you hold, such as USDT or USD, to borrowers in the market. At the end of the term the borrower repays the principal and pays interest. On Bitfinex this market is called the funding market (Funding), and the borrowers are mostly traders who need funds for margin trading.
How USDT Lending Works
USDT lending takes three steps:
- You keep your funds in your Bitfinex Funding Wallet and place a funding offer, setting the amount, term and minimum acceptable rate.
- When a borrower accepts your terms, the offer fills and the funds are lent out for the agreed term.
- At maturity your principal is returned to your account, and interest is paid at the rate your offer filled at.
For the details of offers, fills and repayment, see How the Bitfinex Funding Market Works.
Where Does Lending Interest Come From?
The interest is paid by borrowers. Many traders want a larger position, so they borrow funds from the market and pay interest for it. The funds you provide are what gets lent out, and what borrowers pay, after Bitfinex’s fees, is your lending income.
How Crypto Lending Rates Are Set
Lending rates are set by market supply and demand, and no one can fix them in advance. When many people want to borrow and few are willing to lend, rates rise; when funds are plentiful, rates fall. The rate you enter when placing an offer is a minimum acceptable rate: the offer only fills when the market rate reaches or exceeds it.
To see how rates have actually moved, use the historical rate lookup.
Stablecoin Passive Income: Where It Comes From and Where It Stops
Lending stablecoins such as USDT earns the borrower interest described above, which is why it is often called stablecoin passive income. It is not a fixed deposit, though:
- Returns are not fixed: Rates float daily with supply and demand, so today’s rate says nothing guaranteed about tomorrow’s earnings.
- Risk remains: This includes borrower default as well as exchange and API key security. See Is Bitfinex Lending Safe?.
Are Lending Returns Fixed?
No. Rates float daily with market supply and demand: they rise when demand is high and fall when it is low. So returns are not fixed and not guaranteed. Please read the risk disclosure and consider how much risk you can bear before deciding how much to lend.
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