Frequently asked questions

What we are, and are not

Is Crypto Loans HQ a lender, a broker or an OTC desk?

None of those. It is an introduction service: it qualifies an enquiry, matches it to third-party lenders and OTC desks whose published criteria fit, and stays with it to documentation. It is not a lender, an OTC desk, a custodian, an exchange, a broker-dealer or an adviser, it sets no terms and it holds no client assets. Advisers referring a client should read crypto loan referrals for advisers.

What does the service cost, and who pays you?

Compensation may come from the lender or OTC desk an enquiry is introduced to, as an introduction or referral fee, or from the client under a written agreement, or from both. No fee is payable by you unless you have agreed it in writing first, and that agreement comes before an introduction. The model is not settled yet: how we are paid sets out the conflicts and the rules.

Do you ever hold my bitcoin or the loan proceeds?

No. Collateral goes to the custody arrangement named in the lender's documents, loan proceeds go to an account in your name, and a crypto OTC trade settles between you and the desk. We never ask you to send crypto assets or money to Crypto Loans HQ, and never ask for a seed phrase, private key, password or two-factor code. Treat any such request as fraudulent.

Eligibility, minimums and assets

What does the service not cover?

Unsecured or no-collateral loans, DeFi flash loans, lending crypto out for a return, tokens other than bitcoin, ether and the major stablecoins, and vested or locked tokens. Mortgages are covered editorially only, and no mortgage enquiries are taken. Retail-sized borrowing sits outside it too: several lenders publish minimums of US$5,000 or less on their own sites.

Who is the service for?

Family offices, founders and early employees with concentrated positions, companies holding bitcoin in treasury, miners, funds, estates and executors, high-net-worth individuals, and the advisers acting for them. It is built for positions where the mechanics of a loan or a large trade matter in money terms. Retail-sized borrowing is not what it is for: several lenders publish minimums of US$5,000 or less on their own sites.

Where are the minimums and the asset list set out?

On who we work with, in full: the working minimums of US$100,000 for a crypto-backed loan and US$250,000 for a crypto OTC trade, the client types, the assets in scope (bitcoin, ether, USDC, USDT and spot bitcoin or ether ETF shares), and the places this service does not reach. Those floors are our own for taking an enquiry further, not a lender's or a desk's, and meeting one does not mean an enquiry will be placed.

How an introduction works

How does an introduction actually work?

In six stages. You send an enquiry; we qualify it against the working minimums and what counterparties publish; where criteria fit and you consent, we present it to them; the lender or desk responds with indicative terms; it runs its own identity and anti-money-laundering checks and issues its documents; then it funds the loan or settles the trade. How it works sets out each stage.

What will a lender or desk ask me for?

Government photo identification and proof of address for an individual. For a company or fund: identification for directors and signatories, beneficial owners and one controlling individual, and evidence of authority to act. For a trust or estate: the trust deed, grant of probate or letters testamentary. Most firms also ask how the asset was acquired, which is source of funds and source of wealth.

What happens to my enquiry after I send it?

It is read and checked against the working minimums and what counterparties publish. With your agreement, which we ask for by email before anything is shared, it is presented to lenders or desks whose criteria may fit. The form emails the enquiry and stores nothing else. No automatic acknowledgement is sent and no timeline is promised, and an enquiry that fits no published criteria is not taken further.

Borrowing against bitcoin

Do you decide how much I can borrow, or does the lender?

The lender, always. Crypto Loans HQ sets no loan-to-value (LTV) ratio, no rate and no size, and makes no decision on any of them. What it can tell you is what lenders published: starting LTVs clustered around 50% in September 2026, with some offering 20%, 30% or 40% options and others up to 75%. Terms depend on the lender, the collateral and the borrower, and are set only by the lender. How do crypto loans work compares the published bands.

What happens if the bitcoin price falls?

The loan-to-value ratio rises. Past the lender's warning level you are notified; past the margin-call level you must add collateral or repay part of the loan, commonly within a published cure window of 24 or 48 hours; past the liquidation level the lender sells collateral. Some lenders sell only enough to restore a target ratio, others enough to repay the whole balance. Bitcoin loan margin calls has the published thresholds.

Can a lender lend out or re-use my collateral?

It depends on the contract, which is the only place the answer lives. Several lenders publish that collateral sits with a custodian and is not re-used. Ledn publishes a narrower position: collateral on its custodied loans may only be re-posted to an institutional funding partner or a Ledn-sponsored financing vehicle. The retail loan terms of Celsius, as quoted by the bankruptcy court, allowed it to pledge, re-pledge, rehypothecate, sell or lend pledged assets.

Will you advise me on tax?

No. Crypto Loans HQ is not a tax adviser and gives no tax advice, and nothing on this site is a tax strategy. What it publishes is general information, sourced and dated, on what tax authorities have and have not said about loans, collateral and liquidation. Are crypto loans taxable sets out what four tax authorities have and have not said.

Large trades and crypto OTC desks

How large does a crypto OTC trade have to be, and how does it settle?

Our working minimum is US$250,000. Desks publish their own: Kraken states a US$50,000 minimum in its support article and US$100,000 on its bitcoin OTC page (Kraken, accessed September 2026). Settlement terms differ. Cumberland states that all trades with it settle post-trade once you are an approved counterparty, while Gemini describes intraday delayed net settlement as an alternative to pre-funding.

Why use a crypto OTC desk instead of an exchange?

Size. A large order resting on an exchange order book moves the price against you as it fills, which is why desks describe their role as transferring risk with minimal market impact. Cumberland states that it is a principal trading firm that trades for its own account at its own risk, charges no fees as a principal, and prices from index prices, liquidity, volatility and its own position.

Identity checks and jurisdictions

Can I do this without identity checks?

No. Every placement goes through the lender's or desk's own identity verification and anti-money-laundering checks, and they come from law: in the US, money services businesses must verify customer identification, and firms under the customer due diligence rule must identify anyone owning 25 percent or more of a company customer. There is no unverified route, and an enquiry asking for one is not taken further.

Which countries do you work with?

This website is not directed at retail consumers in the United Kingdom, or at any person in a jurisdiction where the introductions it describes would be unlawful. We do not market to persons in Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam or the Philippines. Lenders draw their own lines too: Xapo Bank states that its lending is not available to residents of the United Kingdom or Australia.