Asset-backed loans with no margin calls (2026 guide)
An asset-backed loan on Teller lets you borrow against crypto (BTC, ETH) and tokenized stocks (TSLA and more) without selling them. Unlike typical CeFi or DeFi lending, these are fixed-term, no-margin-call loans: a price dip won't trigger a forced liquidation mid-term. If you have no assets to pledge, a no-collateral loan, where you pre-qualify based on your profile, is the other path.
There are two honest ways to get cash without selling what you own. You either pledge an asset you already hold, or you borrow on the strength of your income and history with nothing locked up. This guide is about the first one — the asset-backed loan — and specifically the version that won’t liquidate you the moment the market wobbles.
What “asset-backed” means here
An asset-backed loan is secured by something you own. You keep legal ownership; the asset is held as collateral until you repay. On Teller, that collateral can be major crypto like Bitcoin and Ethereum or tokenized real-world assets like TSLA and other stocks, with the menu expanding over time. The point is simple: you get liquidity without triggering a taxable sale and without giving up your upside.
The margin-call problem
Most crypto-backed loans are liquidation-based. You borrow at, say, 50% loan-to-value, and a price line is drawn above your loan. If the collateral falls and your LTV crosses that line, the lender sells your collateral automatically — often at the worst possible moment, at the bottom of a dip. That is a margin call, and it is how borrowers lose assets they fully intended to keep.
A no-margin-call loan removes that trapdoor. The terms are fixed for the life of the loan: stay current on your payments and a temporary drawdown in price does not force a sale before maturity. You trade a slightly more conservative starting LTV for the certainty that a flash crash can’t wipe out your position.
Asset-backed vs no-collateral: which fits?
Teller supports both paths, and the right one depends on what you have and what you want.
| No-collateral loan | Asset-backed loan | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pledge | Nothing | BTC, ETH, TSLA & more |
| How you qualify | Wallet activity + income signals (pre-qualification) | Value of the asset you pledge |
| Margin calls | None (unsecured) | None on no-margin-call terms |
| Where funds land | Your bank account | Against your collateral, on-chain or to bank |
| Best for | Cash now with no assets to pledge | Liquidity without selling, keeping upside |
When an asset-backed loan is the better move
- You believe in the asset long-term. Selling BTC, ETH, or TSLA to raise cash means giving up the upside and potentially realizing a taxable gain. Borrowing against it doesn’t.
- You want predictable terms. A fixed term with no margin call is far easier to plan around than a position that can be liquidated on a bad afternoon.
- You have the collateral. If your net worth is mostly in assets rather than income, this is the cleaner path to liquidity.
When to take the no-collateral path instead
If you don’t want to pledge anything — or don’t have assets sitting idle — a no-collateral loan is the answer. Teller reads your wallet activity and income signals to tell you whether you pre-qualify, no collateral required. Nothing is locked up and there is nothing to liquidate.
Getting started
Connect a wallet to Teller to see which path you qualify for. If you hold crypto or tokenized stocks, the asset-backed flow shows what you can borrow against them with no margin call. If you’d rather not pledge anything, the no-collateral flow checks whether you pre-qualify. For the mechanics of borrowing against crypto specifically, see our guide on how to borrow against your crypto without selling.
Frequently asked questions
A loan whose terms are fixed for the duration: as long as you repay on schedule, a drop in the price of your collateral does not trigger a forced sale before the loan matures. Standard crypto-backed loans, by contrast, liquidate your collateral the moment your loan-to-value ratio crosses a threshold.
On Teller, asset-backed loans can be collateralized by major crypto like Bitcoin and Ethereum and by tokenized real-world assets such as TSLA and other stocks, with more assets added over time. The exact menu depends on the lender pool and your jurisdiction.
A no-collateral loan pledges nothing: you check whether you pre-qualify based on your wallet activity and income signals, rather than locking up an asset. An asset-backed loan pledges an asset you already hold so you can borrow against it without selling, keeping your upside.
Not mid-term on a no-margin-call loan, provided you stay current on the loan. The trade-off is a more conservative starting loan-to-value than a liquidation-based product would offer. Always read the specific loan terms before you borrow.
Yes. Because you are borrowing against the asset rather than selling it, any appreciation while the loan is open is still yours when you repay and reclaim the collateral.
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