Is 8lends Available in Your Country?
It is necessary to check whether the particular jurisdiction is supported. 8lends does not register the users who have residence in Russia, the United States, Iraq, Belarus, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Cuba, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Mali, or Afghanistan. If the investor is a resident of one of these 13 jurisdictions, the onboarding process stops when the eligibility phase is entered. If the investor has a different wallet address, unfortunately, that does not bypass jurisdictional constraints and legal requirements.
For the users who are eligible, 8lends offers registration and operation on a blockchain that is operated by Alpha Systems LLC. 8lends and works as a VASP under FSA SVG supervision. Maclear AG plays a different role, being a Collateral Agent and simultaneously a member of PolyReg SRO. PolyReg SRO is a self-regulatory organisation recognised by FINMA.
Before Your First Investment
| Step | What you need | What can block you |
|---|---|---|
| Check eligibility | Residence outside 13 jurisdictions that are restricted | Restricted jurisdictions block access |
| Register and pass KYC | ID, proof of address, verification through Sumsub | Expired documents, mismatch in the information, failed verification |
| Set up a non-custodial wallet | Compatible wallet and Base network | Loan seed phase, wrong wallet or network setup |
| Fund with USD and gas | USD on Base plus ETH for network gas | Insufficient ETH to pay transaction fees |
| Choose a project. | Review AAA-D rating, LTV, collateral, term, and BuyB status | No suitable project currently on the market |
| Make the first investment. | At least 100 USD | Failed or rejected blockchain transaction |
| Wait for pool closing and first payout. | Successful project funding | The pool takes longer than expected to close. |
These criteria assess both the investment suitability, giving different issues, and the readiness to technically organize the investment process in a way that is transparent enough. When the user completes the onboarding, they are granted access to the platform’s marketplace. However, it does not eliminate borrower credit risk completely.
How to Register and Pass KYC Verification
In order to register on 8lends, the user needs to create an account and complete their verification through Sumsub. The verification itself involves KYC checks and the legal requirements. The verification of the user is a completely separate process from borrower due diligence. If some document submitted by the user has expired or the verification has failed for another reason, the user needs to resolve those issues before moving forward with their wallet.
What documents do I need for KYC verification?
In order to pass a KYC verification, the user needs to have valid identity documents, proof of address, and a jurisdiction that is not restricted. The documents should be scannable, readable, and contain truthful information about the user in order to pass the platform’s checks.
How to Set Up a Non-Custodial Wallet for Base
After the user has successfully completed their registration, they need to link the wallet compatible with 8lends Base blockchain network. The most common option to do that is through MetaMask, which supports more than 90 compatible wallets that can work on 8lends.
8lends offers the users non-custodial wallets, meaning that the investors retain control over the funds in their wallets, having private keys for access to it. It is important to note that this also makes the investor responsible for operations with their wallet and the sharing of access to security information like keys. That is why, if the investor decides to send the money to a wrong account, these funds may be permanently lost.
8lends operational partners Maclear AG and Alpha Systems LLC do not hold the investor’s security keys and do not have the authority to restore them in case they are lost.
Do I need a digital wallet to invest in P2P lending?
Yes, the investor needs a digital wallet to invest in P2P lending if they are using 8lends. All the operations, including initial loans and repayments of the principal and, likewise, interest payments, are going through a non-custodial wallet on the Base. This is why the investor needs to check that the wallet is backed up correctly and that the Base is selected as the wallet’s network.
How to Fund Your Wallet With USD and Cover Gas Fees
Investing in USD on 8lends also requires a step of transferring the funds to the wallet on Base network. The investor also needs to have a small amount of ETH for the fees taken for the network’s gas. 8lends does not impose fees for the investors when they enter a project or are paid interest from the borrower; instead, the fee taken for the blockchain’s gas goes straight to the network rather than to the platform.
The summary of the fee structure can be perceived as a following outline:
1) The investor pays 0% fees for receiving interest or purchasing a claim. Instead, they pay blockchain gas. 2) The borrower is charged a fee of 3% from the pool. 3) The investor trying to exit earlier through the Secondary Market market is charged a fee of 10% if they successfully sell a claim to another investor. 4) The investor who buys a claim on the Secondary Market is charged 0%.
How to Choose Your First Project on the Marketplace
When the investor has successfully attributed funds to their non-custodial wallet connected to the Base, they can start the project selection.
The investor who is a first-timer on 8lends should focus on six parameters to make a weighted investment decision. These parameters include:
1) The internal platform’s credit rating from AAA–D. The platform assesses the borrower's creditworthiness by using a broad spectrum of the parameters (more than 40). The borrower who acquires a higher grade is assessed as having a lower credit risk. However, a higher credit score does not eliminate borrower risk and does not guarantee repayment.
2) Loan-to-value ratio on the collateral that backs the loans. LTV measures the relationship between the loan and its collateral using the following formula:
LTV = (Loan Amount / Collateral Value) * 100
3) The type of the collateral. Different types of collateral behave differently according to their varying liquidity, risk profile, and other factors. That is why determining whether a real estate object, a commercial vehicle, or business equipment is pledged as collateral is important.
4) The term of the loan. Projects generally run for 4–16 months, with a longer term meaning that the investor generally accepts that their principal will remain attributed to the loan for a longer period of time.
5) BuyB badge. Those projects that have this specific badge provide an additional layer of security. Buyback allows the loan originator to repurchase the loan in case of the borrower’s prolonged delinquency of more than 60 days.
6) Interest rate. The platform’s interest rates for the projects fluctuate between 19% and 25% APR. The interest rate is paid to the investor in USD. 8lends typically gives fixed interest rates for the projects on the market.
How much do I need to start investing in USD?
The investor needs a minimum of 100 USD to start investing on 8lends. Besides, the investor needs to have some ETH to be able to pay network gas fees. A threshold of 100 USD represents a minimum functional amount that the investor can use to purchase one claim on 8lends. 8lends may also offer some investors an investment bonus of 30 USD on their first purchase in case relevant terms apply to their situation.
What Happens After You Invest for the First Time?
After the investor has purchased a claim for the first time and by the time the transaction has been confirmed, the investment would still remain pending. The pending will be resolved only after the funding pool has successfully closed and the loan then becomes active.
The investor then starts getting regular interest payments (on 8lends, monthly), with the first payment attributed to the investor’s wallet by the closure of the first month after the loan has become active. Afterwards, the payments continue regularly until the claim reaches maturity. At this stage, the borrower is expected to repay the principal in one bullet transaction.
When do I get my first interest payment?
The investor will normally get their first interest payment one month after the loan has become active. In case the pool takes a longer timeframe to close, the first payment date would be readjusted according to that.
Fees and What You Actually Pay
The investor has to pay no platform fees to 8lends if they want to fund a project or receive monthly interest payments. The platform fees apply to the sellers who want to exit earlier via the Secondary Market, and to the borrowers when a fee of 3% is charged from the successfully funded pool. The only unavoidable transaction uses ETH value taken from the investor’s wallet to pay for the network gas on Base.
Typically, early liquidity is not guaranteed because the investor is expected to hold the claim until maturity. If the investor manages to attract the interest of another buyer on the Secondary Market, a fee of 10% will be charged upon successful sale whereas the buyer will not be charged anything. That’s why it is necessary to treat the Secondary Market as an on-demand exit mechanism.
What Is the 8LNDS Proof of Loan Reward?
Every step in this guide reduces friction, not risk: investing on 8lends still means capital is at risk, returns depend on borrower repayment, and platform bonuses in 8LNDS are not part of the loan's fixed return.
8LNDS is not the same as monthly interest payments towards the lender under an established loan agreement. Proof of Loan means that the investors can receive 8LNDS in the equivalent of 6% of the investment amount. The vesting structure behind the 8LNDS distribution is effectively 2.5% attributed to the investor immediately and an additional 2.5% attributed every week on the timeframe of 39 weeks.
8LNDS are separated from the claims purchased by the investor and should not be treated as part of the APR of a particular project. The value of 8LNDS can fluctuate while the APR remains fixed for the duration of the loan. Receiving 8LNDS is effectively different from the repayment of the principal upon the claim’s maturity and from the interest payments.
Vetted borrowers, defined protection
On 8lends, investors fund real SME loans using USD, receiving monthly interest at fixed rates. Every transaction — investment, interest payout, principal return — is recorded on the Base blockchain and publicly verifiable.
Each borrower passes 40+ due diligence criteria assessed by Maclear AG and is rated AAA–D before listing. Loans are backed by real-world collateral and selected projects include BuyBack protection — returning 100% of principal if a borrower delays beyond 60 days.
FAQ
What is the minimum investment?
The minimum investment on 8lends is 100 USD for one project. The investor may purchase additional claims and attribute more funds to the project if they consider it an appropriate action in the future.
Do I need a digital wallet?
Yes, the investor needs a non-custodial digital wallet compatible with the Base network. The most common solution used by 8lends users is MetaMask with 90+ compatible non-custodial wallets. The investor carries responsibility for using and storing the security keys that grant access to the wallet itself.
When do I get my first interest payment?
The investor gets their first interest payment in a month after the pool has successfully closed. Then, the investor gets monthly interest payments upon the claim’s maturity.
Are there fees for investors?
No, 8lends does not charge the investor any fees for purchasing claims and receiving interest. The only necessary expense is the gas network fee for the Base network charged in ETH.
What happens if the borrower is late?
If the borrower is late for more than 60 days, Maclear AG, as an independent Collateral Agent may start the legal enforcement of the collateral. If the project has a BuyB badge, the loan may be either repurchased or the money from the collateral may be distributed between the investors on a pro-rata basis.
Explore open 8lends projects — SME loans secured by real-world collateral, legally registered through an independent Swiss collateral agent.
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