Nexo vs. Block Earner: Comparing crypto-backed loans in Australia

Selling your Bitcoin to cover a bill means giving up any upside if the price keeps climbing the moment after you sell. Crypto holders overseas have been working around that trade-off for years, and it's now available in Australia too — through Nexo’s Credit Line and Block Earner's Crypto-Backed Loans, both of which let you borrow against BTC, ETH, and other digital assets without selling them. 

Both are regulated consumer credit products, but the way each is priced and structured is different enough that the choice isn't just about the headline rate. Here's how the two actually compare.

What being licensed actually means for you

Both Nexo's Credit Line and Block Earner's Crypto-Backed Loans are regulated under Australia's National Credit Code, and both providers are members of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) — so if a dispute can't be resolved directly, there's an independent, free complaints service either way.

In practice, that licensing means every loan on either platform has to pass a responsible-lending assessment before funds are released, which is a legal requirement. 

The upside for borrowers is that this assessment is built around your collateral and financial position rather than the kind of deep credit-history review a bank runs for a secured personal loan, which is part of why approved applicants on either platform can typically get funded within hours rather than the days or weeks a traditional bank loan can take.

One credit line, or two separate loan products

Nexo frames its Australian offering as a single Credit Line with two ways of using it — Smart and Standard — that differ in how collateral is managed.

Neither has a fixed end date: you open it once and can draw down, repay, and redraw indefinitely, with your credit limit adjusting automatically as your collateral value changes.

Block Earner instead runs two separate loan products. Its Line of Credit is a 12-month facility with no scheduled repayments, renewable by rollover, which requires signing a new loan agreement, and potentially a new rate. 

Its Fixed Term loan runs for 3–5 years with mandatory monthly repayments and a rate locked for the term, more closely resembling a conventional personal loan.

Rates, fees, and loan size

Here's how the rates, fees and loan sizes stack up across both platforms:

• Nexo Smart Credit Line: 7.9%–16.9% p.a., as low as 0.9% under 20% LTV. No origination fee. Loan size US$50–US$2,000,000. Your actual rate depends on your Wealth Club tier and LTV band.
• Nexo Standard Credit Line: 9.9%–21.9% p.a., as low as 2.9% under 20% LTV. No origination fee. Loan size US$1,000–US$2,000,000. Your actual rate depends on your Wealth Club tier and LTV band.
• Block Earner Line of Credit: 9.50% flat, fixed for 12 months. 2% origination fee on the loan amount, also charged on redraws. Loan size $50–$5,000,000 AUD. Your actual rate depends on an individual credit assessment.
• Block Earner Fixed Term: 11.50% flat, fixed for 3–5 years. 2% origination fee on the loan amount. Loan size $3,000–$5,000,000 AUD. Your actual rate depends on an individual credit assessment.

Nexo's rate moves with your Wealth Club tier and whether your LTV sits under 20% — so 0.9% is the best-case floor, and it's one that gets easier to reach the longer you stay with Nexo. However, repaying early within 45 days triggers additional interest for the remaining period (21.9% p.a. for Standard or 16.9% p.a. for Smart Credit Lines), a detail noted directly on the Credit Line Repayment screen.

Block Earner quotes a flat indicative rate per product, then adds a 2% origination fee on top — a cost that Nexo's Credit Line doesn't carry at all, whether you're opening it or drawing more later.

Important note: Block Earner's rates, fees and loan terms above are based on publicly published information as of September 2026 and may change. Confirm current terms directly with Block Earner for the latest up-to-date information. 

Collateral: how much you can borrow, and against what

Nexo's Smart Credit Line accepts BTC and ETH at up to 50% LTV, plus around a dozen other assets (XRP, SOL, BNB, ADA, LINK, DOGE, SUI, ENA, PEPE, TRX among them) at up to 30% LTV. Its Standard Credit Line caps LTV at 40% for BTC/ETH and 20% for other eligible assets.

Block Earner accepts a narrower set: BTC and WBTC at up to 50% LTV, ETH at up to 40% (50% on its Fixed Term product), and XRP at up to 25% — and only on the Line of Credit, since XRP isn't eligible collateral for Block Earner's Fixed Term loans at all.

If your collateral is anything other than BTC or ETH, Nexo's asset list gives you a lot more to work with. If you're specifically collateralising BTC or ETH, the LTV ceilings are close either way.

What happens if your collateral drops in value

On Nexo's Standard Credit Line, an LTV above 60% triggers a formal default notice, with at least 30 days to add collateral or repay before anything is sold. 

On its Smart Credit Line, you pre-authorise Nexo to sell only as much collateral as needed to bring your loan back to health once LTV passes 90%. It’s a lot more headroom before that threshold is ever reached in the first place.

Block Earner runs graduated health bands that differ by asset. For BTC/WBTC, LTV under 55% is "healthy," 60–64.9% triggers a repayment notice, and 65%+ triggers a 30-day default notice; ETH and XRP use different, lower thresholds again. If no action is taken within that 30-day window, Block Earner sells enough collateral to bring BTC/WBTC loans back down to 55% LTV.

Repayments

Nexo's Credit Line has no mandatory monthly repayment on either variant — repay whenever suits you, in crypto, stablecoins, or by bank transfer, and your available credit refreshes automatically once you do. 

Block Earner's Line of Credit works the same way within its 12-month term, but its Fixed Term product requires monthly repayments for the life of the loan, with no early repayment fee if you want to close it sooner.

Which shape fits how you'd actually use it

If you want one facility that stays open indefinitely, scales up automatically as your collateral grows, and lets you hold a wider mix of assets as security, Nexo's Credit Line is built around exactly that. 

If you specifically want a fixed multi-year term with predictable monthly installments — closer to how a conventional secured personal loan works — Block Earner's Fixed Term product is shaped for that instead.

Frequently asked questions

1. Does my Nexo Credit Line ever expire or need to be renewed? 

No — it stays open for as long as you want it. There's no term to reach and no rollover paperwork to sign. Block Earner's Line of Credit, by comparison, runs on a 12-month term and needs a new loan agreement to continue past that.

2. Will opening a Nexo Credit Line cost me anything upfront? 

No origination fee applies to opening a Nexo Credit Line, and you only ever pay interest on the amount you've actually drawn. Block Earner charges a 2% origination fee to open a loan, and again each time you redraw additional funds.

3. What happens to my credit limit if my crypto goes up in value? 

It increases automatically — Nexo recalculates your available credit as your collateral value rises, so you can simply request more funds without a new application. Redrawing on a Block Earner loan, by contrast, involves a fresh 2% origination fee on the redrawn amount.

4. Is there a minimum amount I need to borrow? 

Nexo's minimum is $50 on the Smart Credit Line and $1,000 on Standard. Block Earner's Line of Credit also starts at $50, but its Fixed Term loan has a $3,000 minimum.

5. Can I mix different cryptocurrencies as collateral on either loan? 

Yes on Nexo you can combine multiple eligible assets as collateral on one Credit Line and swap between them without closing it. Block Earner's Line of Credit also accepts multiple assets (BTC/WBTC, ETH, XRP), but its Fixed Term loan only accepts BTC and ETH.

Digital asset prices are highly volatile. Borrowing against digital assets involves substantial risk, and you may lose some or all of your collateral if its value falls or market conditions change. Approved applicants only — credit criteria, terms, fees and charges apply on both platforms.

Nexo's Credit Line is provided by Nexo Individual Loans Pty Ltd (personal clients) or Nexo Loans Pty Ltd (corporate clients), serviced under Australian Credit Licence 567308, and managed by Nexo Australia Pty Ltd as an authorised Credit Representative (CRN 580430). Nexo Australia is registered with AUSTRAC as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (Reg. No. DCE100843695-001); this registration is for AML/CTF purposes only and is not an endorsement.

This article is general information only and doesn't take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Rates, fees and product terms shown are as published by each provider as of September 2026 and are subject to change — confirm current figures directly with each provider before making a decision. Read the applicable Target Market Determination, Credit Guide and Terms and Conditions on each provider's website before borrowing.