Hey everyone, just sharing my 2 cents here!
a) Nexo remains one of the few survivors in the "crypto lending" space, while others like BlockFi and Celsius got wiped, badly! I give them credit for this.
b) Before obtaining its licenses, Nexo was initially backed by Credissimo, a Bulgarian "shark loan" company known for offering high-interest loans (EUR and BGN currencies). The founders of Credissimo started Nexo when they saw the opportunity in crypto.
c) Once Nexo secured its licenses, it distanced itself from Credissimo and was no longer "flying with its license".
d) Nexo initially offered dividends through its NEXO token, but since the SEC classifies that as a Security Token, they had to stop the practice and ended up paying a $45 million fine to the SEC. The token was then transformed into an "exchange token" where you earn higher interest if you chose to get paid by it.
https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023-11
e) How does Nexo generate interest on your deposits? They engage in market making and other hedge fund activities across various exchanges, typically with small exposures of $1-3M on those platforms - they wont admit to this, but I know that they trade on crypto.com and Binance, so I would assume with confidence that they trade o other exchanges too.
f) What happens if one of these exchanges goes bankrupt? Nexo's funds could get stuck, which may impact users.
Bottom Line ------ Remember, unless you're using DeFi, most exchanges commingle user funds for hedge fund and MM activities to generate interest. Eventually its a risk that you are willing to take, or not willing to take.
Funny thing: NEXO sued the Bulgarian Government:
https://www.reuters.com/technology/...lgaria-over-aborted-investigation-2024-01-24/