Vield Opens Bitcoin-Backed Lending Platform to Financial Firms

Vield has opened an Australian-dollar lending platform that lets banks, fintech companies, exchanges and digital-asset firms offer Bitcoin-backed credit through their own customer channels, adding an infrastructure provider to the market for crypto-collateralized borrowing.

The platform went live Nov. 10. Partners can refer customers to Vield or put their own brand on the loan product. A hybrid arrangement combines those approaches, while a full application programming interface (API) lets a firm connect Vield’s lending service to its own systems.

Loans are denominated in Australian dollars and carry a fixed annual interest rate of 13%. Terms can extend up to 12 months, and the maximum loan-to-value ratio is 50%. The minimum loan is $2,000, with a 2% origination fee. A 50% loan-to-value limit caps a loan at half the value of the pledged Bitcoin.

Vield supplies the lending operations behind the product, including credit assessment, compliance checks, custody, collateral monitoring and loan servicing. The company funds loans through private credit. Zodia Custody Australia stores the pledged Bitcoin offline under segregated, insured custody arrangements.

Vield holds Australian Credit Licence 526970 and is registered with AUSTRAC, Australia’s financial intelligence and anti-money laundering regulator. In an October 2025 private binding ruling, the Australian Taxation Office told Vield that using Bitcoin to secure a loan is not a capital gains tax disposal.

The platform is built for firms that want to offer borrowing through their own brands or systems. Coinbase’s Bitcoin-backed USDC loans give customers a borrowing option through Coinbase, while Ledger’s borrowing feature through Morpho markets makes borrowing available within Ledger Wallet.