Crypto holders are increasingly turning to loans collateralized by digital assets amid softer market conditions in 2026. Research data from CryptoQuant, which analyzed information from crypto-lender platform CoinRabbit, reveals a sharp rise in borrowing activity among both retail and high-net-worth investors. Retail users increased their average number of loans taken by 74% — from 30.8 to 53.5 loans per user between 2025 and 2026. Among high-net-worth investors, the increase was more modest: 18%, from 16.5 to 19.4 loans. This trend reflects crypto asset holders' desire to access liquidity without having to sell their assets. Crypto-collateralized loans require borrowers to post more assets as collateral than they receive in funds, reducing lender risk.
Repeat borrowing has become more common on the platform: the share of users taking multiple loans grew from 61.9% to 65.1%. Meanwhile, retail borrowers became more cautious, extending the interval between loans from 11 to 21 days. The collateral structure also shifted: among high-net-worth investors, Bitcoin's share of posted assets dropped from 57.8% to 30.5%, while privacy coin Zcash unexpectedly entered the top rankings with a 24.2% share after being entirely absent from the top 10 a year ago. CryptoQuant attributes Zcash's growing popularity as collateral to its significant price appreciation — the coin climbed from approximately $50 at end of 2025 to $800 in 2026. Monero, Chainlink, and Cardano also gained notable shares in collateral among high-net-worth investors. Retail users continued to favor XRP, though its share declined from 41.7% to 35.2%, giving ground to TRON, Stellar, BNB, Kaspa, and Velo.
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This material is prepared for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice or a recommendation.