Crypto Savings Accounts Are Coming to Fintech Firms That Use Wyre

Crypto payments startup Wyre is offering white-labeled savings accounts that dole out interest on crypto, the company announced Friday.

AccessTimeIconAug 14, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. UTC
Updated May 9, 2023 at 3:10 a.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Crypto payments startup Wyre is offering white-labeled savings accounts that dole out interest on crypto, the company announced Friday. 

Wyre’s client list includes startups including crypto custody firm Casa, wallet provider BRD and traditional enterprises such as banks.

  • What OnlyFans Stopping Sex Acts and Politicizing Payments Means for Crypto
    08:42
    What OnlyFans Stopping Sex Acts and Politicizing Payments Means for Crypto
  • Federal Reserve Proposes Guidelines for ‘Novel’ Banks to Access Fed Payments
    03:26
    Federal Reserve Proposes Guidelines for ‘Novel’ Banks to Access Fed Payments
  • You Can Buy a Tesla With Bitcoin, But It’s Not Easy
    06:35
    You Can Buy a Tesla With Bitcoin, But It’s Not Easy
  • Mastercard to Allow Payments With Cryptocurrencies
    04:56
    Mastercard to Allow Payments With Cryptocurrencies
  • "Partners of Wyre are able to offer their users a crypto savings account by simply creating a new savings sub-wallet via the Wyre API," the company wrote.

    The new product’s interest rates are meant to be more stable than interest rates at crypto lenders because Wyre will manage funds between MakerDAO, Compound and two centralized crypto lenders, said Jack Jia, Wyre’s vice president of business.

    Like most things in crypto, the interest rates at crypto lenders are vulnerable to market drops or borrower supply. With Wyre’s new savings product, called Wyre Savings API, the company is aiming “to offer stable yield that has the least counterparty risk,” Jia said. 

    For the new product, Wyre is only working with crypto lenders that have lending licenses, SOC1 and SOC2 audits and work with licensed custodians.

    “In the traditional markets we’re seeing a lot of instability and Treasury yields are down,” Jia said. “There are a lot more traditional financial institutions looking for yield.”

    In the initial stages of the product’s development, Jia’s team had envisioned releasing the product as a smart contract but chose an application programming interface (API) instead to make it more accessible to businesses unfamiliar with crypto, he added.

    As of Aug. 12, interest rates were 2.4% on bitcoin (BTC), 2.4% on wrapped bitcoin (WBTC), 3.3% on ether (ETH), 5.8% on USDC and 5.7% on dai. Wyre has plans to roll out more tokens in the future.

    Funds can be pulled out any time, and interest is accrued instantly and paid out weekly on the product, Jia said. 

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.