Crypto Holders Turn to Loans as Markets Cool in 2026: CQ
Crypto holders relied more on loans backed by digital assets as market conditions weakened in 2026, according to research from CryptoQuant.
The report analyzed data from crypto lender CoinRabbit. It found higher borrowing activity among both retail and high-net-worth users.
Borrowing Activity Rises
Crypto-backed loans allow holders to access cash without immediately selling their digital assets. Borrowers usually pledge more collateral than they receive, but falling prices can trigger liquidation or require more collateral.
According to the report, retail users recorded the biggest change in borrowing activity during the period. Their average number of loans rose 74%, from 30.8 per user in 2025 to 53.5 in 2026, while high-net-worth users rose 18%, from 16.5 to 19.4.
Repeat borrowing also became more common across the platform. The share of users taking multiple loans increased from 61.9% to 65.1%. Retail borrowers waited an average of 21 days between loans, compared with 11 days previously.
Beyond borrowing activity, collateral preferences also shifted, particularly among wealthier users. Bitcoin’s share of pledged assets among high-net-worth users fell from 57.8% to 30.5%, while Zcash reached 24.2% after not appearing among the previous top 10.
CryptoQuant linked part of Zcash’s rise in collateral use to its sharp price rally. Zcash climbed from about $50 in late 2025 toward $800, while Monero, Chainlink and Cardano also gained larger shares among high-net-worth collateral.
You may also like:
- Bitcoin’s 4-Year Cycle Could Be Changing: Willy Woo Reveals What Could Replace It
- 8 in a Row: Ripple (XRP) ETFs Record Another Green Week but Warning Signs Return
- Bitcoin Holders Just Cashed Out 110,000 BTC in Profits: Is a Bigger Price Drop Coming?
Shifting Asset Preferences
Retail users continued to rely heavily on XRP as collateral during the period. However, its share fell from 41.7% to 35.2%, while Bitcoin remained close behind. TRON, Stellar, BNB, Kaspa, and Velo also entered the mix.
Meanwhile, the assets users traded most frequently changed during the period as market conditions shifted. Tether and Bitcoin remained the two largest assets by volume, while USD Coin moved into third place. Flare, Ether, and Ondo also entered the top 10.
Solana, Stellar, and Shiba Inu dropped out of the top 10 by trading volume. Together, these changes show that users adjusted both their borrowing and asset preferences during the weaker market period.
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
You may also like
US stock index adjustments to take effect next Monday: Bloom Energy (BE.US) and Everpure (P.US) to be included in S&P 500, changes also for mid- and small-cap stocks
Bloom Energy, Illumina, and Everpure will be included in the S&P 500 index, while several other companies will be added to the S&P 100, S&P MidCap 400, and S&P SmallCap 600 indices.
Is the Federal Reserve repeating the 2022-style rate hikes? Bank of America warns: Rates may return above 5%, suggests shorting two-year U.S. Treasuries.
Bank of America warns: With Waller at the helm, the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates above 5%, potentially repeating the events of 2022.
OpenAI is expected to burn over $278 billion in cash by 2030, with a revenue target of $350 billion over the same period.
OpenAI is expected to generate up to $278 billion in negative free cash flow over the next five years, driven solely by computing power and infrastructure, with cumulative spending projected to reach approximately $856 billion by 2030. The company anticipates revenue of $350 billion in 2030 and $36 billion in 2026, with total revenue from 2026 to 2030 amounting to around $840 billion.
Crypto prices
More
