Founder: Max Kei (CEO)
Date Based: March 2024
Location of Headquarters: Lugano, Switzerland
Web site:
Public or Non-public? Non-public
Max Kei is a builder within the Bitcoin P2P area in addition to a seasoned banker, which makes him uniquely certified to create Debifi, a noncustodial, bitcoin-backed P2P lending platform that primarily serves establishments.
Kei’s work within the Bitcoin area started in 2017, when he first contributing to Hodl Hodl, which shortly grew to become a extensively used noncustodial P2P buying and selling platform.
In 2020, he helped the trade launch Lend at Hodl Hodl, the primary noncustodial P2P borrowing and lending product within the Bitcoin area.
The product gained traction in Latin America and Southeast Asia, the place it was used to facilitate microloans, whereas the likes of Preston Pysh (now Strategic Advisor to Debifi) took curiosity within the product and famend cypherpunk Adam Again additionally sang its praises.
In keeping with Kei, it’s the high-quality fame of the crew behind Lend at Hodl Hodl, a few of whom now work on Debifi, that’s attracting customers to Debifi.
“Plenty of lenders and debtors go to Debifi as a result of they know the crew has very intensive expertise,” Kei advised Bitcoin Journal.
“Persons are happy, as we’ve been by a number of bear cycles and managed to outlive,” he added.
“Now, we’ve taken the idea of Lend at Hodl Hodl and moved into the institutional area.”
From Banker To Bitcoiner
For 10 years earlier than discovering Bitcoin, Kei labored as a personal banker.
He resigned from his place earlier than “going full Bitcoin rabbit gap” on the finish of 2015, partially as a response to an expertise he had with one in every of his shoppers.
“A 12 months earlier than I stop, I used to be sitting in a gathering within the financial institution workplace with one in every of my shoppers and he was exhibiting me his cellphone and saying ‘You understand in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later, I’m not going to wish you as a result of I’ve bitcoin,’” recounted Kei.
The consumer then proceeded to ship $15,000 value of bitcoin to a contact of his in Brazil, in accordance with Kei, who thought to himself that his consumer was insane. Nonetheless, it didn’t take lengthy for Kei to understand that his consumer wasn’t loopy however, as a substitute, onto one thing.
“I began doing my very own analysis, and I shortly realized that Bitcoin is an actual factor,” mentioned Kei.
Kei pivoted to Bitcoin quickly after. Nonetheless, after spending eight years constructing within the Bitcoin area, he’s come to consider that banks will nonetheless have a task in a hyperbitcoinized future.
“Banks aren’t going to go away,” defined Kei.
“They may turn into infrastructure suppliers for Bitcoin corporations, for startups, for everybody. They’re nonetheless going to be a spine,” he added.
He realized this when banks and different monetary establishments started expressing curiosity in utilizing the Lend at Hodl Hodl product.
Differentiating With Debifi
Inside months of launching Lend at Hodl Hodl, establishments reached out to the Hodl Hodl crew requesting to make use of the platform.
“They mentioned ‘Hey, we wish to be out there for bitcoin lending,’” recalled Kei.
“However we didn’t wish to combine the world of microlending with the world of institutional lending. We realized we wanted to do one thing completely different. That’s how the idea of Debifi got here into existence,” he added.
In 2022, Kei started brainstorming Debifi. A 12 months later, they raised cash from enterprise capital corporations together with Ten31 and Timechain to construct a minimal viable product (MVP). By March 2024, Debifi was dwell.
The platform has been working in beta, and the official model will go dwell on the finish of the month. With that mentioned, Kei defined that Debifi is totally useful already.
“Simply because the product is in beta doesn’t imply that it’s not operational — it’s truly totally operational,” he mentioned.
And so this brings us to the following query: How precisely does Debifi work?
How Debifi Works
Debifi is each an internet site and a cell app, and the 2 work in tandem.
“We have now a really distinctive worth proposition is that the cell app acts as a key storage,” mentioned Kei. “The cell app turns into a pockets, storing your personal key, however it’s good to use the web site with the intention to have interaction in contracts.”
Once you signal a transaction, create an escrow for a mortgage, or repay a mortgage, you employ the cell app to take action.
Customers may decide to make use of the COLDCARD units (the Mk4 or the Q) instead of the cell app, and Kei hopes so as to add help for different {hardware} wallets as nicely.
“We wish to help Jade from Blockstream, Ledger units, Trezor units, the Basis Passport, and BitBox — all these good names — as a result of we wish to present flexibility for our clients,” defined Kei.
The collateral for Debifi loans is escrowed in a multisignature (multisig) pockets that includes 4 keys, three of that are wanted to log out on transactions.
“At Debifi, we have now a singular multi-signature setup,” mentioned Kei. “All loans are held in a 3-out-of-4 multsig pockets, whereas the usual is 2-out-of-3.”
The borrower, the lender and Debifi every maintain one key, whereas the fourth is held by AnchorWatch. Kei claims that having a fourth key held by a reliable establishment like AnchorWatch will increase safety dramatically.
“With two establishments holding keys, even when the lender’s and borrower’s keys are one way or the other compromised, you continue to must get another key,” mentioned Kei. “If we take away AnchorWatch and go together with a easy 2-out-of-3 mannequin, then we’d find yourself in a state of affairs the place attackers have two keys and the attacker doesn’t want a 3rd key.”
Debifi loans are overcollateralized (compelled liquidations happen if the worth of the bitcoin collateral drops beneath a sure degree, which varies primarily based on the settlement between the borrower and lender) and the typical APR is simply above 10%.
Kei defined that his crew’s analysis has proven that many are keen to pay the upper APR for noncustodial loans.
“Some time again, we talked with 300 Bitcoiners and we gave them a quite simple possibility: You may borrow custodially at an 8% rate of interest or you’ll be able to borrow noncustodially at 11% or 12% rate of interest,” he defined. “91% of individuals mentioned that they would like to carry their keys.”
Customers can take out loans as much as $1 million through the platform and the mortgage durations vary from three to 12 months. As of April, it will increase to 24 months.
Customers can borrow in U.S. greenback stablecoins, U.S. {dollars}, euros, and Swiss francs, and Debifi is engaged on including British kilos, Brazilian reals, and Mexican pesos to that checklist.
Debifi monetizes by origination charges, which it takes from the collateral put in escrow, and it has a dispute decision crew that helps to resolve mortgage reimbursement points and different issues.
What’s Subsequent For Debifi
As talked about, Debifi simply introduced on Preston Pysh as a strategic advisor in efforts to assist the corporate with networking and publicity. Pysh will even present recommendation on tips on how to enhance Debifi’s product.
The corporate additionally plans to associate with Blockstream’s Asset Administration (BAM) division. BAM will make the most of Debifi as a technical supplier for establishments seeking to provide bitcoin-backed lending merchandise.
Past that, Kei famous that various different vital partnerships are within the pipeline as nicely, and that Debifi will announce them within the coming months.
And he concluded with a pitch to all of the establishments on the market who could be excited about working with Debifi.
“Debifi helps you plug and play within the bitcoin-backed lending world as an establishment,” mentioned Kei.
“We give you all the mandatory infrastructure. We’ll onboard you, and we’ll information you with personal help. We’ll offer you all the mandatory instruments,” he added.
“Successfully, we’re going to be like a one-stop store. Not solely do you not should construct these things as a result of it’s already there, we carry you the purchasers, which we help you talk with straight. And one of the best half is that as a liquidity supplier, you don’t pay us something. Zero.”
It’s exhausting to not argue that Kei and his crew are onto one thing right here.
