Let's face it, if you have your money in a traditional savings bank account, you're probably not earning much interest. If your account is seeing an interest rate of more than 1%, you're doing good. If you often mumble to yourself, "There's got to be a better way," then maybe it's time to explore alternative ways to put your idle cash to use in returning higher yields.
While crypto interest accounts are still considered controversial by many, they’re one way to make your money work for you. So, what is a crypto interest account? That's a great question. Read on to learn more about how you can earn interest with your cryptocurrency and discover the best platforms to use.
What is a crypto interest account?
A crypto interest account works the same way as a bank account. You deposit your funds to the bank, which then lends it to borrowers who need liquidity. However, instead of fiat currency like USD or GBP, you're using cryptocurrencies.
When you open a crypto savings account, you're investing digital assets like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), or Ripple (XRP). The lending platform then loans out your crypto, giving you a percentage of the earned interest in exchange.
Getting started with a crypto savings account
Before you start throwing your money into the first platform you hear about, it might be wise to do some research and compare your options. Here are some factors to consider before you make a final decision.
Security
Chances are good that the FDIC will not insure any platform you use. As a result, safety and security should be paramount. Think about the financial stability and reliability of the platform. An important question to ask might be “How are my funds protected?” before trusting the company with your money.
Purchase Methods
While it's not as hard as it used to be, turning your good old US dollars into digital currency can be a challenge. Does the platform you're considering allow you to purchase cryptocurrency using your debit card, credit card, or bank account? That will be the easiest way to get onboarded onto the crypto market.
Coin Support
Even though crypto interest accounts support many cryptocurrencies, no platform will allow you to earn compound interest on every single token out there. Additionally, if you already hold a certain digital asset, you should select a platform that supports it.
Top Crypto Interest Accounts
So, where should you invest your digital assets to start earning? Below are a few of the top centralized crypto interest account platforms in the industry.
BlockFi
If you're looking for some of the best returns in the market, then you might consider a BlockFi interest account. As of July 1st, interest accounts with BlockFi are earning up to 7.5% APY. There are also no minimum balances, so you can open an account with an amount that makes you comfortable.
In addition to high rates, BlockFi users have access to features like crypto-backed loans, cold storage custodial services, and in-house cryptocurrency exchange. With BlockFi, users earn interest on popular digital assets like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Tether (USDT), Litecoin (LTC), and many others.
Users in all 50 states and international countries have access to BlockFi, unless they are sanctioned by the United States. However, BlockFi interest accounts are not available to residents of New York.
Celsius
The Celsius Network is another popular crypto interest account platform that offers high return rates and even sign-up bonuses. In addition, users have access to loyalty programs that pay rewards with the platform's native Celsius token (CEL). Celsius requires no minimum deposits, and makes interest payments every week.
With interest rates as high as 8% on cryptocurrencies like Polkadot (DOT), Dash (DASH), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and Binance USD (BUSD). Celsius is a great crypto interest account option. Plus, you can withdraw your funds anytime you need, giving you the freedom to invest your digital assets on your terms.
Celsius supports countries from around the world, except for those that have financial sanctions or embargoes placed on them by the US, UK, or EU. However, if you are a US citizen, bear in mind that you cannot take out loans, won’t have access to CelPay, and cannot earn interest on your CEL tokens.
Nexo
Nexo's crypto interest accounts offer up to 12% returns on 20 different crypto assets. Users on the platform receive daily interest payouts, but the highest returns are only available for those who are part of the Nexo loyalty program. These are users who hold the native NEXO token.
In addition to earning interest on your digital assets, users also have access to crypto lending, a platform exchange, and the Nexo card, which allows you to borrow against your crypto credit line in real-time. If you're looking for a platform that supports stablecoins, Nexo is an excellent option. You can use TrustToken (TUSD), Dai (DAI), USD Coin (USDC), Tether (USDT), and many others.
The Nexo platform offers its services to countries around the world, including its Earn and Instant Crypto Credit Line products. Unfortunately, there are countries that Nexo does not support.
Gemini
This crypto exchange started by the Winklevoss twins offers returns on your digital assets of up to 7.4%. The cool thing about Gemini Earn is that you can move your funds back and forth between earning interest and trading whenever you want. They're not locked up so you have access to them when you need them.
Gemini also supports plenty of cryptocurrencies, such as Dai (DAI), Gemini dollar (GUSD), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH). Additional features on the Gemini platform include the Gemini credit card and the Gemini crypto wallet.
Gemini is available in more than 60 countries around the globe. These countries include the United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Australia, South Africa, and many others.
Coinbase
Last on our list of top crypto interest account options is Coinbase. This popular cryptocurrency exchange also gives users a way to earn interest on their digital currencies. While it's not going to offer the financial services associated with other crypto interest platforms, it does offer an easy way for beginners to start investing their digital assets.
There are a few other features available through Coinbase, including a crypto wallet, a mobile app, and "Coinbase Earn," which pays you to learn more about how cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology works. In addition, Coinbase lets you earn interest on digital assets like Cosmos (ATOM), Algorand (ALGO), Dai (DAI), and Tezos (XTZ).
Coinbase supports more than 100 countries worldwide, so no matter where you are, there’s a good chance you can use the platform. Prominent countries include the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and India.
Turbocharged yields in deFi
Earning 10% is nice, especially compared to the interest rates you see with traditional banks and financial institutions. But what if you could get returns in the high double digits or even in the triple digits? Sounds preposterous — but not so fast. Meet yields in DeFi.
There are many popular yield options in Defi offering high rates of return. Where can you find these rates in the crypto market, and how do you go about getting them? Let's find out.
Yield Farming
If you haven't heard of yield farming, then there's a good chance you haven't been paying attention to the crypto market lately. Basically, yield farming is a way to put your digital assets to work and generate the greatest possible returns on those assets. Even simpler: make more crypto with your crypto.
Some people compare yield farming to staking, but it's a little more complicated than that. When you stake a digital asset, you're more than likely participating in the blockchain's proof-of-stake consensus algorithm, which helps secure the network. Yield farming is all about liquidity. However, both result in being rewarded for putting your crypto to use.
Most platforms use either Ethereum ERC-20 or Binance BEP-20 tokens as rewards distributed to yield farmers. The goal of a yield farmer is to find the best possible returns at any given moment on a decentralized exchange. As a result, many farmers will move their funds from protocol to protocol, looking for the highest yield.
Yield farming is a popular way to put your crypto to work, so it's not surprising to see high APYs. Platforms like Compound, SushiSwap, Unagii, and Yearn are all popular options for yield farming.
Liquidity Pools
Another great way to earn returns on your crypto is through a liquidity pool. A DeFi liquidity pool is a smart contract that locks up your assets to provide liquidity to the tokens on the exchange. Those who provide tokens to the smart contract are liquidity providers.
The purpose of a liquidity pool is to provide a nearly unlimited supply of liquidity for traders on the platform while simultaneously lowering gas fees. However, to earn rewards, you want to be a liquidity provider. In exchange for providing liquidity with your tokens, you get a portion of all transaction fees. The amount you get is directly related to the amount you've contributed.
Like yield farming, it's not unheard of to see liquidity pools that offer APYs in the triple digits. If you're interested in putting your digital assets to work in a liquidity pool, you might check out Uniswap, PancakeSwap, Curve, or Bancor.
The choice is obvious, right?
It's safe to say that it no longer makes sense to lock up your funds in an old, boring savings account. You're lucky if you sniff a 1% return on your funds. However, with crypto, you can let your digital assets work for you, earning you much more than you'll ever see with traditional finance.
With yield farming and staking platforms like Unagii, you can deposit your funds and let the app get to work. All you have to do is choose your preferred crypto, and they'll take care of the rest. Plus, you'll get a nice, healthy return — so nice that you'll wonder why you waited so long to get started.
