Today we’re proud to announce a partnership with CENTRE Consortium to accept USD Coin (USDC) as collateral.

A product of a collaborative effort between, Coinbase, Circle, and the CENTRE Consortium, USDC is a new stablecoin backed by the US dollar. According to Coinbase, “One USDC is a 1:1 representation of a US dollar on the Ethereum blockchain” and “each USDC is 100% collateralized by a corresponding USD held in accounts subject to regular public reporting of reserves.” From a credibility standpoint, Circle has partnered with accounting firm Grant Thornton LLP to conduct monthly audits of US dollar reserves backing the number of USDC tokens in circulation.

Why add USDC?

We’re constantly evaluating and analyzing new collateral options to determine how a given collateral will benefit our customers. Typically, we base our decision to add a new collateral type on a number of factors including the voting feature on our borrower portal. In this case however, we deliberately chose to add USDC in direct response to the market volatility we’ve recently experienced.

When there’s volatility in the market, it directly impacts your LTV, which can result in an undesired loss of collateral. We’ve heard your feedback regarding the need for transfer options that can be implemented on nights, weekends, and holidays. We’re adding USDC to the mix because we want you to keep your crypto, markets don’t.

By adding USDC we’re providing a quick, easy way for you to stabilize your LTV when there’s a rapid drop in the market. Given it’s backed by the US dollar but isn’t wholly tied to the U.S. banking system, you can transfer USDC as collateral at any point in time to bring your LTV back down. Now, rather than waiting for the bank to open to lower your LTV with a wire transfer, you can take immediate action when you notice your collateral is declining in value due to market volatility.

With the addition of USDC, SALT now offers loans backed by Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, DOGE, and USDC — you can secure a loan backed 100 percent by a single collateral type or combine them in a way that works for you.

Interested in applying for a loan? Sign up here. Or visit saltlending.com to learn more about SALT’s offerings.

Read more about the USDC Ecosystem.