8lends Minimum Investment and Average Return

Start with 100 USDC, earn a rate locked in on the day you invest, and keep every cent the borrower pays, since 8lends charges investors nothing.

The minimum investment on 8lends is 100 USDC. The return is 19–25% per annum in USDC, fixed for the entire loan term (4–16 months). The specific rate depends on the borrower's credit rating: the higher the risk, the higher the rate. The return is paid monthly (interest) plus repayment of the principal at the end of the term. There are no fees for the investor — all of the return paid by the borrower goes to the investor in full.

Minimum Investment — 100 USDC

The entry threshold on 8lends is 100 USDC per project. This makes the platform accessible to retail investors, not just large ones.

There is no maximum limit on the platform's side (the only limit is the size of the project pool)
You can invest in several projects at 100 USDC each for diversification
To invest, you need a balance in USDC + a little ETH for the gas fee

Return — 19–25% per Annum in USDC

The rate on 8lends is fixed, in the range of 19–25% per annum, denominated in USDC. This means:

The return is known in advance, at the moment of investing
The rate does not change during the loan term (unlike DeFi with variable rates)
Income is in dollars (USDC), not subject to crypto volatility

The specific rate for a project depends on the borrower's credit rating. See article How Credit Rating (Risk Scoring) Works on 8lends for more details.

What Determines the Rate for a Project

Factor	Effect on the rate
Credit rating (AAA–D)	Higher rating → lower rate; lower rating → higher rate
LTV	Higher LTV (less collateral coverage) → may mean a higher rate
Presence of Buyback	Projects with Buyback usually have a slightly lower rate (a charge for protection)
Loan term	Affects the final absolute return

Example of Return

An investment of 1,000 USDC at different rates for a term of 12 months:

Rate	Interest per year	Principal at the end	Total received
19%	190 USDC	1,000 USDC	1,190 USDC
22%	220 USDC	1,000 USDC	1,220 USDC
25%	250 USDC	1,000 USDC	1,250 USDC

Interest is paid monthly, the principal is returned in a single payment at the end of the term How Monthly Interest Payouts Work on 8lends for more details.

How Return Is Calculated over Different Terms

The rate is stated as an annual rate (APR), so on loans with terms shorter than a year the absolute return is proportionally smaller:

Term	Rate (annual)	Interest on 1,000 USDC
4 months	22%	≈ 73 USDC (220 × 4/12)
8 months	22%	≈ 147 USDC (220 × 8/12)
12 months	22%	220 USDC
16 months	22%	≈ 293 USDC (220 × 16/12)

Longer loans yield more absolute income but tie up capital for longer.

How to Increase the Effective Return

In addition to the base rate, 8lends has additional mechanics:

Proof of Loan — 4% of each investment, paid in 8LNDS tokens
First Investment Bonus — $30 USDC for the first investment of 100 USDC or more
Referral program — a bonus for invited investors

These mechanics are described in the Bonuses category. 8LNDS tokens have a separate value and risk profile — see the 8LNDS Token category for more details.

Realistic Expectations

The stated return of 19–25% is the loan rate provided that the loan is repaid in full and on time. The investor's actual portfolio return depends on:

Borrowers fulfilling their obligations — a default reduces the return on a specific project
Diversification — distributing across several projects reduces the impact of a single default
The timeframe for realizing collateral in case of default (1–12 months) — capital is frozen during this period

The platform's track record as of May 2026: 0 defaults since launch on 3 March 2025. This is not a guarantee of future results.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much will I earn by investing $1,000? At a rate of 22% per annum for a term of 12 months — about 220 USDC of interest per year plus the return of the 1,000 USDC principal. The exact amount depends on the rate of the specific project (19–25%) and the term. On loans with terms shorter than a year the interest is proportionally smaller.

Why does 8lends offer 19–25%, while banks offer 2–4%? This is P2B lending: the investor takes on the borrower's credit risk directly, without an intermediary bank. A bank would keep such a risk premium for itself. 8lends borrowers are businesses from regions with higher base rates, willing to pay for fast financing. See article What Is P2B Lending? for more details.

Is this the highest return among USDC platforms? It depends on the type of platform. Crypto-collateralized DeFi (Aave, Compound) usually offers less and at a variable rate. RWA platforms (Goldfinch, Maple) offer rates that vary across products and pools — on average lower due to a different risk profile of borrowers. 8lends, with a rate of 19–25%, is at the upper end of the RWA segment — owing to the type of borrowers and the risk profile. See article How 8lends Differs from Other RWA and P2B Platforms for more details.

Is the return guaranteed? No. The rate is fixed, but actually receiving the income depends on the borrower fulfilling its obligations. Collateral (RWA), credit rating, and Buyback on individual projects reduce the risk but do not eliminate it. Diversification across projects is the main way to manage risk.

Can I invest less than 100 USDC? No, 100 USDC is the minimum threshold per project. This applies to all projects on the platform.

Is the return calculated in dollars or in crypto? In USDC — a stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the US dollar. This means that the 19–25% is a dollar return, not subject to crypto volatility. For more about USDC, see article Why Does 8lends Use USDC?.

Does the investment size affect the rate? No. The rate is determined by the project's credit rating, not by the amount invested. Both 100 USDC and 100,000 USDC in the same project receive the same interest rate.