Private credit
Loans to companies, financed on-chain: you provide capital to a lending pool and earn interest in return. Yields are usually higher than government bonds — and so is the risk: repayment depends on the borrowers, and funds are often locked for a fixed term.
Platforms in this category
EVM-native multichain protocol for on-chain asset management (pools/vaults) — credit, treasuries, real estate.
FigureUS blockchain lending giant (tokenized HELOCs/private credit on Provenance) with Figure Markets and YLDS — the first SEC-registered yield-bearing stablecoin, open to US retail.
Goldfinch 25 assetsPrivate credit protocol; Goldfinch Prime gives non-US retail access to institutional credit funds (Apollo, Ares, Golub) on Base — centrally managed via Heron.
Maple Finance 2 assetsOn-chain institutional private credit lending; retail access via permissionless syrupUSDC/syrupUSDT.
Midas 1 assetsBerlin-based RWA issuer offering institutional strategies (US treasuries, private credit, market-neutral crypto) as compliant on-chain tokens with no minimum investment for EU retail.
Securitize 2 assetsRegulated RWA tokenization stack (broker-dealer + transfer agent + ATS); the platform behind BlackRock BUIDL, among others.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the yield come from?
From interest that borrowing companies pay on their loans. It is higher than government bonds because default risk and illiquidity are priced in.
Can I exit early?
Often not immediately: many pools have lock-ups or notice periods. Check the pool terms before depositing.
What if a borrower defaults?
Defaults reduce the pool's value — in the worst case including your principal. Diversified pools and first-loss capital soften, but do not remove, this risk.