Lombard x Maple: Institutional Borrowers can Leverage LBTC as Collateral with Maple Direct

Lombard is pleased to announce that LBTC is a new collateral asset available to Maple Direct’s institutional borrower set, marking another major milestone in our mission to transform Bitcoin into a productive financial tool. This integration enables institutional holders of LBTC to borrow USDC against their LBTC through fixed-rate, short-term loans.

After a thorough collateral analysis—which included liquidity, technical reviews, and volatility assessments—LBTC has joined the ranks of other high quality collateral assets like BTC, ETH and SOL on Maple.

LBTC: More Efficient Collateral

BTC has long been used as a reliable collateral asset, but LBTC brings an additional advantage—it earns staking rewards. By using LBTC as collateral, borrowers effectively reduce their cost of borrowing. For example, if LBTC earns a 3% APY from staking while the loan's interest rate is 12% APY, the net borrowing cost is significantly reduced. This combination of borrowing and earning is a key differentiator that sets LBTC apart from traditional BTC collateral.

Today also marks the first loan using LBTC as collateral. An institutional borrower has successfully borrowed USDC against $14 million worth of LBTC, securely held in custody with Anchorage. The loan can be viewed in the Syrup app, the new DeFi product launched by Maple, which offers overcollateralized loans to top-tier counterparties in the digital asset ecosystem.

Interested in becoming a borrower with Maple? You can request to borrow here.

A New Era for Bitcoin as Collateral

“Bitcoin has been a passive asset for too long. With LBTC, institutional borrowers now have a way to unlock its full potential—not only borrowing against it but also earning yield simultaneously. Partnering with Maple, the leader in institutional digital asset lending, is a major milestone for us, as we continue our mission to make Bitcoin a productive financial tool in DeFi”, said Jacob Phillips, Co-Founder of Lombard.

This partnership not only strengthens LBTC’s position in the market but also demonstrates the continued demand for digital asset-backed loans through Maple. Joe Flanagan, Co-Founder of Maple, added,“LBTC represents a significant evolution in collateral assets. By offering institutional borrowers the ability to leverage Bitcoin while earning staking rewards, both Maple and Lombard are opening new avenues for asset activation in the digital economy. We're excited to onboard LBTC as collateral and look forward to supporting borrowers who are eager to take advantage of this innovative solution.”

LBTC: A Foundational Asset in DeFi

LBTC’s mission is to turn Bitcoin into an economically active participant in the trillion-dollar industry it gave birth to 14 years ago by seamlessly connecting it to DeFi. Since launching at the end of August, LBTC has rapidly become a foundational asset in some of the top yield-generating products across DeFi.

More than $300 million in LBTC is already deployed in DeFi, powering yield strategies on platforms like Pendle, facilitating lending on Morpho, Gearbox, and ZeroLend, and enabling options trading on Derive. For a full list of LBTC’s DeFi integrations, visit our WebApp.

About Maple Maple is a leading digital asset lending platform, empowering the digital asset economy with secure, innovative lending solutions. Lending opportunities are tailored to meet diverse liquidity needs, risk appetites, and return expectations and facilitated through Maple’s technology to provide real time monitoring and transparency. Scale your digital asset business confidently with flexible, cost-effective lending solutions sourced from Maple’s broad capital network.