Process
How it works: from enquiry to funding or settlement
How it works, in one line: you send an enquiry, we qualify it against the published criteria of third-party lenders and OTC desks, and where those criteria fit we arrange an introduction. The lender or desk then gives indicative terms, runs its own identity and anti-money-laundering checks, and documents the loan or trade directly with you. We do not lend, trade or hold collateral.
Key takeaways
- Six stages, two owners. We run enquiry, qualification and matching; the lender or desk runs everything after that.
- Identity checks on every placement. The lender or desk verifies you and, for an entity, its owners and controllers, before it lends or trades.
- The counterparty sets every term. Loan-to-value (LTV), margin-call levels, interest, price and settlement terms come only from the lender or desk.
- Your contract is with the lender or desk. Collateral, loan proceeds and trade settlement never pass through Crypto Loans HQ.
- No timeline is promised. The counterparty's onboarding and custody arrangements set the pace.
The six stages
Crypto Loans HQ runs the first three stages; the lender or desk runs the last three, with you.
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Send an enquiry
Tell us the asset (bitcoin, ether, a major stablecoin, or spot bitcoin or ether ETF shares), the approximate size, whether you want to borrow or to buy or sell, your country of residence and what kind of client you are. Do not send identity documents, account numbers, wallet addresses or passwords.
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Qualification
We check the enquiry against our working minimums (US$100,000 for loans, US$250,000 for crypto OTC trades) and against what lenders and desks publish about the clients, assets, sizes and countries they accept. We may ask how the asset is held or who would sign. An enquiry that fits no published criteria is not taken further.
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Matching and introduction
Where criteria fit, we identify lenders or desks whose published terms suit the enquiry: collateral accepted, custody model, size range, client types and jurisdictions served. With your agreement, which we ask for by email before anything is shared, we present the enquiry to them. We do not rank them or tell you which to choose.
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Indicative terms from the counterparty
The lender or desk, not Crypto Loans HQ, responds. For a loan: the amount, starting loan-to-value, margin-call and liquidation levels, cure window, interest structure and custody arrangement. For a crypto OTC trade: how the desk quotes, its settlement terms and any fees. Indicative terms are not an offer.
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The counterparty's checks and documents
The lender or desk runs its own identity verification and anti-money-laundering checks on every placement, including beneficial ownership for companies and trusts and, where it asks, source of funds and source of wealth. It then issues its own documents, which you sign directly with it. Take independent legal and tax advice first.
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Funding or settlement
For a loan, you move the collateral into the custody arrangement the lender's documents specify, and the lender pays the proceeds to an account in your name. For a crypto OTC trade, cash and crypto move between you and the desk on its settlement terms. Nothing passes through Crypto Loans HQ.
Who can enquire and the assets in scope are on who we work with. Advisers acting for a client should read crypto loan referrals for advisers.
Who does what at each stage
The split decides who you can hold to a term: a loan-to-value level or a settlement deadline binds you only if the lender's or desk's own documents contain it.
| Stage | You | Crypto Loans HQ | Lender or OTC desk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enquiry | Describe the asset, the size and what you need | Reads it and may ask follow-up questions | Not yet involved |
| Qualification | Answer the follow-up questions | Checks it against the minimums and published criteria | Not yet involved |
| Matching | Consent to the enquiry being shared | Presents it to counterparties whose criteria fit | Decides whether to engage |
| Indicative terms | Read and compare what you receive | Stays with the enquiry; sets no terms | Proposes the terms |
| Checks and documents | Give documents to the counterparty; take advice | Stays with the enquiry to documentation | Runs identity and anti-money-laundering checks; issues and signs the documents |
| Funding or settlement | Deliver collateral, cash or crypto as the documents require | Holds nothing and is not a party | Pays the loan proceeds or settles the trade |
| Crypto Loans HQ is not a party to any loan or trade, sets no terms and holds no assets. | |||
Identity and anti-money-laundering checks happen on every placement
Every placement goes through the lender's or desk's own identity verification and anti-money-laundering (AML) checks. There is no unverified route, and the checks come from law.
In the US, money services businesses must verify customer identification (31 CFR 1022.210). Institutions under FinCEN's customer due diligence rule must identify anyone owning 25 percent or more of a company customer, plus one controlling individual (31 CFR 1010.230). Transfers of US$3,000 or more carry sender and recipient details (31 CFR 1010.410(f)), rules FinCEN applies to convertible virtual currency (FIN-2019-G001).
UK cryptoasset businesses have had to collect, verify and share transfer information since 1 September 2023 (FCA), and must establish source of wealth and source of funds for politically exposed persons (Money Laundering Regulations 2017, regulation 35). In the EU, Regulation (EU) 2023/1113 has applied since 30 December 2024; above EUR 1,000, a provider should verify that a client controls the self-hosted address involved.
Desks write the same into their terms: Kraken states that eligibility for its OTC desk is subject to AML and KYC requirements (Kraken, accessed September 2026).
| Item | Individual | Company or fund | Trust or estate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity | Government photo ID | ID for directors, signatories and controllers | ID for trustees or executors |
| Address | Proof of residential address | Registered office and place of business | Addresses of trustees or executors |
| Ownership and control | Not applicable | Beneficial owners (25% or more under the US rule) and one controller | Settlor, trustees and beneficiaries, as the firm requires |
| Authority to act | Not applicable | Board resolution or authorized signatory list | Trust deed, grant of probate or letters testamentary |
| Source of funds and wealth | How the asset was acquired | How the entity acquired the asset | How the trust or estate acquired it |
| Accounts and wallets | In your own name | In the entity's name | In the trust's or estate's name |
| A general description; each lender or desk sets its own requirements. | |||
What the documents should answer before you sign
The terms that decide what happens in a price fall or a lender failure sit in the margin and custody clauses. Make sure the documents answer, in writing:
- How loan-to-value is calculated, whether accrued interest counts, and which price feed values the collateral.
- The margin-call level, the cure window, the level a cure must restore, and whether liquidation is partial or total.
- Who holds the collateral, in what structure, and whether the lender may pledge, lend or otherwise re-use it (rehypothecation).
- For a crypto OTC trade: whether the desk acts as principal or agent, how its price is formed, and who delivers first.
The custody clause mattered most in the 2022 failures. Celsius's retail loan terms, as quoted by the bankruptcy court, let it "pledge, re-pledge, hypothecate, rehypothecate, sell, lend" collateral, and on 9 November 2023 the court held that collateral posted by retail borrowers who objected to the plan was property of the estate (In re Celsius Network LLC).
Published answers are compared in bitcoin loan margin calls and bitcoin loan rehypothecation and custody; how desks quote and settle, in what is OTC bitcoin trading.
Risk
Risks to weigh during the process
- Impersonation and advance-fee fraud. Fraudsters pose as introducers, lenders and desks. Crypto Loans HQ never asks you to send it crypto assets or money. Confirm any settlement instruction through contact details on the firm's own website; the FTC warns that crypto payments typically cannot be reversed.
- Settlement risk on crypto OTC trades. Until both legs settle, the side that delivers first is exposed to the other failing to deliver.
- Margin calls and forced liquidation. Once a loan funds, a price fall raises the LTV: past the margin-call level you must add collateral or repay, and past the liquidation level the lender can sell collateral.
- Counterparty and custody risk. If a lender fails, your collateral's fate depends on the custody and re-use terms you signed, as the Celsius rulings show.
- Tax on a liquidation. A liquidation is a sale of your collateral, and a sale is generally a taxable event.
See how bitcoin loan margin calls work and are crypto loans taxable.
General information, not advice. This page describes in general terms how an introduction to a lender or OTC desk works. It is not an offer to lend, to arrange a loan on particular terms, or to buy or sell any asset, and it is not investment, legal or tax advice. Terms are set only by the lender or desk. Take advice from a qualified tax adviser before borrowing against, or selling, a crypto asset. How we are paid.
Before you enquire
Eligibility
Who we work with
Client types, minimums, assets in scope and jurisdictions.
Check eligibility →Disclosure
How we are paid
Where compensation can come from, and the conflicts.
Read the disclosure →For advisers
Referrals from advisers
How advisers refer a client, and what stays confidential.
Read the adviser page →Primary sources
- 31 CFR 1022.210: AML programs for money services businesses
- 31 CFR 1010.230: beneficial owners of legal entity customers
- 31 CFR 1010.410: transmittals of funds
- FinCEN: FIN-2019-G001 (9 May 2019)
- FCA: the Travel Rule for UK cryptoasset businesses (17 August 2023)
- Money Laundering Regulations 2017, regulation 35
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1113
- Kraken: Introducing the Kraken OTC desk (dated 10 December 2025)
- In re Celsius Network LLC, No. 22-10964 (MG), opinion of 9 November 2023
- FTC: What to know about cryptocurrency and scams
- IRS: Frequently asked questions on virtual currency transactions
Questions about the process
Will the lender or desk verify my identity?
Yes. Every placement goes through the lender's or desk's own identity verification and anti-money-laundering checks, including beneficial ownership for companies and trusts. Crypto Loans HQ does not offer, and will not look for, a route that skips them. An enquiry that asks for one is not taken further.
How long does an introduction take?
No timeline is promised. The pace depends on the counterparty's response and onboarding checks, the documents you can provide and, for a loan, moving collateral into the lender's custody arrangement.
Does Crypto Loans HQ ever hold my crypto or the loan proceeds?
No. Collateral goes to the custody arrangement in the lender's documents, loan proceeds go to an account in your name, and crypto OTC trades settle between you and the desk. Treat any request to send assets to Crypto Loans HQ as fraudulent.
Can I approach a lender or desk directly instead?
Yes. Sending an enquiry commits you to nothing, and nothing stops you approaching any lender or desk directly. An introduction helps when you do not know which counterparties accept your asset, size, client type or country.
Private enquiries
Start with the asset, the size and what you need.
Say whether you want to borrow against bitcoin, ether or spot ETF shares, or to buy or sell in size. Where a lender's or desk's published criteria fit, we arrange an introduction. No outcome or timeline is promised.