Bitcoin Arbitrage Is Driving Demand for Cash, Crypto Lender Says
- Cash, equivalents rose to 37% of loans last quarter at Genesis
- Genesis Capital issued $3.1 billion in loans last year
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Cash was king among hedge funds and miners looking to take advantage of arbitrage opportunities and add leverage during the fourth-quarter downturn in cryptocurrency prices.
Genesis Capital said cash and equivalent loans as a percentage of outstanding loans increased significantly for a third consecutive quarter in the three months ended Dec. 31. The loans represented 37.2% of the New York-based lender’s active loan portfolio at the end of last quarter, up from 31.2% in the third quarter and 14% a year earlier. Loans in Bitcoin dropped to 47% of the portfolio, from 63% at the end of June, around when the largest cryptocurrency’s price peaked for the year.