Silvergate names Coinbase a custodian for bitcoin-backed U.S. dollar loans

Silvergate Capital (SI) says Coinbase (COIN) Custody will be a custodian for SEN Leverage, SI's product that provides institutional investors with access to capital through U.S. dollar loans collateralized by bitcoin.Through SEN Leverage, institutional investors get U.S. dollar financing by entering into a loan agreement with Silvergate Bank; Silvergate uses its payments network, the Silvergate Exchange Network ("SEN"), to fund the loans. The investor's collateral — bitcoin — is held by Coinbase Custody in a segregated cold storage account.SEN Leverage loan amounts start at $5M with an initial 12-month term, subject to credit approval. Each loan has the potential for renewal at the end of the term with interest calculated daily and due monthly.Silvergate's SEN Leverage became a full product offering in Q4 2020; the company's loan volume increased to $82.5M at the end of Q4 from $35.5M in Q3.