Provider at a glance
- Category
- Crypto-Backed Loans
- Entity
- Not verified
- Official website
- saltlending.com
Independent rankingchecked How it works
Details
Scored 64 out of 100 under methodology 2026.10.18, from the evidence read in September 2026.
SALT Lending
Crypto-backed loans in the US
Crypto-Backed Loans
#3 Overall
Ranked #3 of 5 crypto-backed loans in the published ranking
64
ChainChoice Score
The ChainChoice Score, shown against 100: published scores run from 41 to 99.- High evidence confidence
Is SALT Lending right for you?
Right for you if these matter most
- Who sets the price that liquidates you, how long do you really get, and can they sell without telling you?6/10, the category best
- Which entity actually becomes your creditor, and does a register say it may lend?7/10, the category best
Look elsewhere if these come first
- If the lender fails, is it your bitcoin or theirs — and what may they do with it before then?1/10 here; Ledn scores 5
- Can you compute your total cost, at your tier, before you apply?5/10 here; Ledn scores 7
Not yet tested for your country. Markets it lists: United States, Portugal, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates. Restricted: Philippines.
to test where you can use it.
The rank above is the published one, the same for every reader. Find my best crypto-backed loan shows where it lands for you.
What will SALT Lending cost you?
Not priced on this basis
- Amount borrowed
- $10k
How safe is SALT Lending?
- Evidence: verified4 of 4 criteria rest on quoted, sourced receipts. Read September 2026.
- LicenceMiCA (EU): no register record on file here.
Alternatives to SALT Lending
Compare all 4- 2Ledn11 points above · stronger on collateral title and reuse (5 against 1)75
- 4Nexo11 points below · weaker on margin call and forced sale (1 against 6)53
- 5Milo12 points below · stronger on collateral title and reuse (4 against 1)52
For your setup
Find out if SALT Lending fits you
The rank above is the published one — the same for every visitor. Answer the category's questions and this section shows where SALT Lending lands for you, which criteria your answers weight up, and which stated needs the record does or does not meet. The published rank stays beside it.
- A few questions
- No account required
- Ranking-blind: no commercial input
- Personalised in under 60 seconds
Find my best crypto-backed loanNothing is inferred from clicks, popularity or commercial value.
Why this rank
Why SALT Lending ranks #3
Each strength is read from evidence on a 0–10 ladder and weighted as the published methodology states. The 32 objective points these produce (13.6 here) sit inside the score; availability, friction, trust record and measured data add the rest. Best in this ranking on 2 of 4.
4 published criteria · Σ weight 100
CriterionWeightStrength · 0–10ScoreContrib.MedianBestRankEvidence
341+1.094.05#4/5Loading evidence…
266+4.994.06#1/5Loading evidence…
225+3.525.07#3/5Loading evidence…
187+4.035.07#1/5Loading evidence…
Hairline = best in this ranking · tick = its median · a missing bar is "not scored", never zero
Margin−11behind Ledn, #2
RobustnessHoldsacross a one-point change to each of its 4 criterion scores, the re-run scores 62–66 and stays #3
Evidence4 of 4 scored4 quoted, 4 with a source link
What would move the rank
Each line is the ranking run again with one of SALT Lending’s criterion scores changed and every other value held: the smallest whole-point change on that criterion that moves its rank, and where the re-run puts it. Up to 4 climbs and 3 falls are listed, smallest change first. Nothing here is a forecast.
If the lender fails, is it your bitcoin or theirs — and what may they do with it before then? 1 → 7 on its ladder · passes Ledn+677#3 → #2
Smallest climb: “If the lender fails, is it your bitcoin or theirs — and what may they do with it before then?” 1 → 7 passes Ledn, #2.
Strengths
2 from the score dataWhere it leads
Best for readers who weight
- Who sets the price that liquidates you, how long do you really get, and can they sell without telling you? — 6/10, the category best
- Which entity actually becomes your creditor, and does a register say it may lend? — 7/10, the category best
Tradeoffs
2 from the score dataWhere it trails
Not for readers who put first
- If the lender fails, is it your bitcoin or theirs — and what may they do with it before then? — 1/10 against a category best of 5/10
- Can you compute your total cost, at your tier, before you apply? — 5/10 against a category best of 7/10
Record watch-outs
- That the collateral is not ring-fenced from SALT, and that SALT has stopped letting people take it out before. Three facts a borrower only meets after the bitcoin has moved. FIRST, the marketing page they read says 'No Rehypothecation Borrower collateral is only used to manage their loans.' (https://saltlending.com/personal/) and the binding Terms of Use they clicked through says the opposite: 'the lender's right to repledge, sell or otherwise transfer or use Stored Coins as provided in the Loan Agreement' - no counterparty named, no purpose bounded, no downstream prohibition, and the Loan and Security Agreement that supposedly bounds it is never published. Meanwhile SALT sells 'Market Rates Up To 10% APY' to accredited investors on https://saltlending.com/lend/ and no document a borrower can read separates the two books. The comfort clause that looks like protection - 'Stored Coins are not subject to the claims of Custodian's creditors' - is remoteness from SALT PLATFORM, LLC, the affiliate that holds the wallet, and the entity that owes you the coin back is SALT LENDING LLC. SECOND, SALT paused withdrawals on 15 November 2022 - its own words, on its own page - and the Terms of Use still let it happen again: the Custodian may 'suspend your access to the wallet' and 'extend, indefinitely, wallet Withdrawal Timeframes'. THIRD, the 'No Taxable Events Avoid a taxable event by not selling your Bitcoin.' promise on the product page is undone by the product's own default safety mechanism: Stabilization automatically SELLS the bitcoin for USDC when LTV hits 90.91%, costs 3% going out and 2% coming back, is labelled '(If Selected)' on the rates page while the Terms of Use pre-authorise it for every borrower with an outstanding loan (and SALT's help centre gives liquidation at a 5% fee as the only other outcome at 90.91%), and SALT may run it 'in a time and manner determined by SALT to be reasonable or convenient to SALT, whether or not it results in the best execution price for customers which SALT expressly does not guarantee' - and may trade with its own affiliate while doing so. SALT concedes the tax point itself in the sales copy for the paid escape hatch: 'No Tax Surprises With SALT Shield®, your collateral remains in your account'. And buying that escape hatch costs the borrower every withdrawal right they had: 'upon the purchase of SALT Shield®, no Collateral withdrawals shall be permitted until the Maturity Date regardless of the then-current Loan LTV or Lender's past practices.'
Competitive position
Where SALT Lending leads and where it trails
Rank on every objective dimension among the rows scored on it. A criterion in the top third of its pool is listed as a lead, the bottom third as a trail; the middle is neither. Popularity, size and commercial terms are not dimensions.
Availability#4 / 512.0 of 20 · best 14.0
Published criteria#4 / 510.2 of 30 · best 13.5
Friction#1 / 52.7 of 10 · constant here
Trust record#1 / 53.2 of 8 · constant here
Measured data#1 / 58.3 of 18 · constant here
Where SALT Lending leads
- Who sets the price that liquidates you, how long do you really get, and can they sell without telling you?#1 / 5
- Which entity actually becomes your creditor, and does a register say it may lend?#1 / 5
Where it trails
- If the lender fails, is it your bitcoin or theirs — and what may they do with it before then?#4 / 5
Closest alternatives
The 3 nearest rows by score
Nearest by published score in either direction. Each card states the criteria on which the two rows differ and the cost difference under the same scenario inputs; the compare arithmetic below shows why the higher one ranks higher.
Ledn#2 of 5 · score 75 · 11.0 points ahead
SALT Lending leads on
- Who sets the price that liquidates you, how long do you really get, and can they sell without telling you?6 vs 4
- Which entity actually becomes your creditor, and does a register say it may lend?7 vs 5
Ledn leads on
- If the lender fails, is it your bitcoin or theirs — and what may they do with it before then?5 vs 1
- Can you compute your total cost, at your tier, before you apply?7 vs 5
Largest single reason Ledn is ahead: published criteria (+5.7 display points).Scenario cost: Ledn has no verified pricing for this scenario.
Nexo#4 of 5 · score 53 · 11.0 points behind
SALT Lending leads on
- Who sets the price that liquidates you, how long do you really get, and can they sell without telling you?6 vs 1
- Can you compute your total cost, at your tier, before you apply?5 vs 3
- Which entity actually becomes your creditor, and does a register say it may lend?7 vs 2
Nexo leads onNo scored criterion
Largest single reason SALT Lending is ahead: published criteria (+16.4 display points).Scenario cost: Nexo has no verified pricing for this scenario.
Milo#5 of 5 · score 52 · 12.0 points behind
SALT Lending leads on
- Who sets the price that liquidates you, how long do you really get, and can they sell without telling you?6 vs 4
- Which entity actually becomes your creditor, and does a register say it may lend?7 vs 5
Milo leads on
- If the lender fails, is it your bitcoin or theirs — and what may they do with it before then?4 vs 1
- Can you compute your total cost, at your tier, before you apply?7 vs 5
Largest single reason SALT Lending is ahead: availability (+15.6 display points).Scenario cost: Milo has no verified pricing for this scenario.
Against the leader
78 vs 64 · gap 14.0Why Figure ranks above SALT Lending
The compare workspace's arithmetic applied to these two rows. Each dimension's share of the gap is its weight × the difference, on the displayed scale — it reproduces the displayed gap of 14.0 to within rounding.
DimensionThisFigureGap share
Availability · 23% weight12.014.0−5.2, worse
Published criteria · 35% weight10.213.5−8.6, worse
Friction · 12% weight · constant here2.72.7same
Trust record · 9% weight · constant here3.23.2same
Measured data · 21% weight · constant here8.38.3same
Published criterionThisFigurePoints
If the lender fails, is it your bitcoin or theirs — and what may they do with it before then? · w3415−4.35, worse
Net6478−14.0
Your scenario
SALT Lending is not priced for this scenario
Interest on what you borrow at the published rate. Variable rates move; excludes origination and liquidation penalties. Change an input and every figure recomputes from the published rate; the published rank does not move.
interest/yr · default scenario — set your own
Amount borrowed · your input$10k
Rate read from the provider’s published pricing ↗ on 29 September 2026.
interest/yrCost is stated as interest/yr in USD; it is never a yield, never annualised, and it does not enter the score.
Not priced on this basis
Under the default inputs · USDCategory medianNot priced0 of 5 rows priced
Cheapest pricedNone pricedDifference not stated · availability not applied — set your country to filter
5 of 5 rows in this ranking have no verified rate for this scenario and are absent from the median, not counted as free.
Evidence
Evidence read 29 September 2026
One row per published criterion: the page each strength was read from, its source type by domain, the reading date and whether the file and the published table agree. Open a row for the quote and the receipt.
4 of 4 cells scored
Score evidenceVerified4 of 4 criteria reconstruct from receipts
4 of 4 criteria reconstruct from a quoted, sourced receipt equal to the published strength.Public receiptsReading…4 quoted with a source URL
The receipt file has not been read yet.Evidence confidenceHighcoverage and corroboration, never freshness
4/4 criteria scored, with 4 dated sources quoted.RobustnessHoldsrank #3 across every one-point re-run
Whether the position holds when one criterion score is changed by one point and the ranking is run again. It is always a re-run of the ranking, never an estimate.The newest evidence read on the platform is 3 November 2026; this category's reading is older. The scores stand as read on 29 September 2026.
Reading the evidence ledger…
CriterionSourceTypeReadFreshnessStatusReceipt
If the lender fails, is it your bitcoin or theirs — and what may they do with it before then?strength 1 · weight 34Report an error—29 September 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.Who sets the price that liquidates you, how long do you really get, and can they sell without telling you?strength 6 · weight 26Report an error—29 September 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.Can you compute your total cost, at your tier, before you apply?strength 5 · weight 22Report an error—29 September 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.Which entity actually becomes your creditor, and does a register say it may lend?strength 7 · weight 18Report an error—29 September 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.How you can lose money here, and what the ranking scores
- Oracle failure (SALT Lending 6/10): a wrong price or outcome liquidates or settles a position.Scored by Who sets the price that liquidates you, how long do you really get, and can they sell without telling you? · 26%
- Insolvency failure (SALT Lending 1/10): the firm or issuer that owes you cannot pay.Scored by If the lender fails, is it your bitcoin or theirs — and what may they do with it before then? · 34%
- Regulatory failure (SALT Lending 7/10): no licence where you are, or a forced market exit.Scored by Which entity actually becomes your creditor, and does a register say it may lend? · 18%
Not assessed by this ranking: Control failure, Liveness failure, Custody failure, Execution failure, Exit failure, Information failure. A high place says nothing about these; the Methodology tab says what each means. Also scored, as cost, quality or a summary of several families: Can you compute your total cost, at your tier, before you apply? (22%).
Facts
facts, not scoresWhat the record publishes
- Pricing
- Rate card, verbatim from https://
saltlending .com /rates-and-fees / (HTTP 200, 107,531 bytes, loaded anonymously 29 September 2026), unchanged from 2026-08-19: "30% LTV Conservative 7.49% APR 8.24% APR - fixed 3 yrs 8.49% APR - fixed 5 yrs"; "50% LTV Standard 8.75% APR 9.50% APR - fixed 3 yrs 9.75% APR - fixed 5 yrs"; "70% LTV Max liquidity | SALT Only 10.50% APR Not Offered Not Offered" (the pipe is page text); "Available APR's 7.49% to 10.50% APR" with "**APR is inclusive of interest and origination fees, where applicable". Fees, same page: "0% Origination Fee Prepayment Fees Custody Fees Withdrawal Fees"; "1.5% Processing fee for Payments with Cryptocurrency (if not enrolled in Auto-Pay)"; "2% Conversion (Post-Stabilization - If Selected)"; "3% Stabilization Fee (If Selected)"; "5% Liquidation Fee (If Selected)"; the SALT Shield fee has no number ("This optional upgraded feature's pricing is based on total collateral, LTV, and remaining loan term length to qualify."). Terms, same page: "Loan Minimum $5,000", "1, 3, or 5 year terms", "Loan is repayable at any time with no penalty". The same page's footer example sits below the card's own 7.49% floor: "a one-year $10,000 loan with a rate of 6.00% APR would have 12 scheduled monthly payments of $861" (framed as illustrative). STILL CONTRADICTED on SALT's own guide https:// saltlending .com /understanding-ltv-margin-calls-bitcoin-backed-loans / ("Published on March 26, 2026", HTTP 200, 29 September 2026), which prices the same three tiers at "Interest rate: 8.95% (~9.95–12.95% APR — Subject to change without notice)", "Interest rate: 9.95% (~10.95–13.95% APR — Subject to change without notice)" and "Interest rate: 13.45% (14.45% APR — Subject to change without notice)". SALT's help centre (faq.saltlending.com, 29 September 2026) adds that the 3% and 5% charges are the two outcomes of a margin event at 90.91% LTV ("based on your margin event selection") and that "There is no missed payment fee at SALT."SALT Lending — official page at saltlending.com ↗ · 29 September 2026 - Prices published in
- USDSALT Lending — official page at saltlending.com ↗ · 29 September 2026
- Licences held
- Not published
- Compliance level
- partial
- Regulatory note
- BOTTOM BAND ON TWO INDEPENDENT 0-2 TRIGGERS, THEN A MANDATORY BAND DEDUCTION.
- Supported chains
- Not published
- Markets served
- United States, Portugal, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates
- Primary markets
- Not published
- Restricted markets
- Philippines
- Operating limits
- Not published
- Availability note
- SALT's "Where can we lend?" page (saltlending.com/map-list, read 29 September 2026) says "We offer lending services in many jurisdictions across the globe!" and lists 47 US states plus D.C. (not New York, North Dakota or South Dakota; Maryland, Mississippi, Vermont and Washington are marked for business loans only), "Puerto Rico", "Brazil", "Portugal", "Switzerland", "United Arab Emirates", "New Zealand" and "Northern Mariana Islands" under "Personal and Business Loans", and "Canada", "United Kingdom", "Viet Nam" and "Australia" under "Business Loans" only. Its "Ineligible Jurisdictions" page lists 86 excluded locations.
No confirmed legal entity is on file for this record. Nothing is inferred from the brand name.
If something goes wrong with SALT Lending: where to complain, and where to report a scam
Loading the routes for your country.
How this page is reviewed
Reviewed means this product in this category was read against its sources on or after that date; every ranked category is re-read at least every 45 days. Models research, extract and parse. A deterministic engine ranks. Every quote passes an adversarial refute pass.
Accountable for this review: Mathias Siemonsmeier, Founder.
How we review · Review calendar · Corrections log · How we make money
History
What the record carries
Changes to published ranks are recorded in a ledger; every step and its cause is listed on the rank-history page. The entries below begin with the current verified snapshot, then the methodology versions whose changes applied to this category, newest first.
8 methodology entries
- 29 September 2026Current verified snapshot · methodology 2026.10.18Score 64, #3 of 5. 4 of 4 criteria scored. History starts here; earlier values are not interpolated.
- 10 October 2026
2026.10.8When nothing serves your country, the list shown for reference is the published ranking · platform-wide- fixed The reference list shown when nothing serves your country is the published order with the published scores, and a build check now fails any such list out of that order or with a score the ranking does not publish.
- fixed The explorer prints an overall rank only for a row the published ranking holds; a country entrant such as Coinbase Commerce for US merchants shows no overall rank.
- changed Published orders do not move. Country results change only where nothing serves the country: in India bill pay keeps Bitcoin Well first and now shows Strike second, as published; 35 such runs across all categories and countries now match the published list exactly.
- 10 October 2026
2026.10.6A criterion you require re-scores the rows that meet it · platform-wide- changed The explorer sends each criterion you require, at any band, as fit_required with your other answers; region, licence, chain and fact filters stay filters. On /best, a required criterion joins For you as a marked preference does, which needs your country; Overall stays the published ranking, filtered.
- added Every published criterion has a golden case as the explorer sends it (require:<criterion>), so the order a requirement gives is replayed and gated as the published order is, and a change to it needs an entry here.
- 16 September 2026
2026.09.15Dimension scores carry tenths, and eleven more categories are re-read from primary sources · platform-wide- changed Dimension scores resolve to tenths of a point (O-04b), and weightedTotal is rounded to six decimal places before the order is read. 518 published scores move across 107 categories that were not re-read; none of them moves by more than 4 points, and most move by 1.
- fixed 66 published scores change in the eleven re-read categories, against a verbatim source each. The largest moves are Reflexer RAI (−16), Beefy and Unrekt (−11), Aztec (−10) and Golem (+9) — all of them rows whose sources had moved since their last read.
- changed Published order moves in 38 of 119 categories and three #1s change: smart_contract_audits (Zellic → Certora) and travel_rule_compliance (Sumsub Travel Rule → CodeVASP) on the finer resolution, kyc_compliance (Veriff → Sumsub) on the re-read.
- added availabilitySource (O-04g): for a reader who states a country, a row whose availability in that country rests on a region tag its record gives no source for sorts below every sourced row. It is inert in every order published here, which states no country.
Methodology 2026.10.18, the same published run every visitor sees · receipt crypto_backed_loans:salt_lending:2026.10.18:f177a3b32ad7
Are you SALT Lending? Reply to this verdict, or send evidence, ask for a correction or claim the listing. Every message gets a public ticket number; none of it changes a rank unless a public page or a signed statement supports it.