Updated: Vauld Pays the Highest Earn Rates in Crypto: What You Should Know

Michael Kim
6 min readMar 6, 2022

Vauld pays 12.68% APY on USDC, USDT and BUSD. Rates which are far above competitors Celsius, Nexo and Crypto.com.

The crypto industry is full of firms offering so-called yield, earn, staking or interest returns to customers.

I will explain why Vauld is well worth your attention.

Vauld offers the highest interest rates on the most popular stablecoins and cryptocurrencies

*Celsius pays lower rates on BTC and ETH once deposits exceed a certain amount. All rates are for interest in the same coin, not the platform token (which can be higher). Crypto.com pays higher rates if purchase their CRO token and lock-up for 3 months (no early withdrawals).

The rates for Vauld and Crypto.com reflect the rates applicable for a one month term deposit.

However, Vauld provides flexibility by allowing users to instantly break the term deposit at any time and still earn interest for the period. In such case, the (still high) “flexible access rate” will be instantly applied for the entire deposit period.

For example, if I deposit USDC on Day 1 into a fixed term deposit and break the term on Day 15, Vauld will still pay the basic rate of 9.41% APY on my USDC for this 15 day period! This is still much more generous than Celsius and Crypto.com!

In summary, using a one-month deposit of USDC as an example, Vauld will pay you:

  • 78.5% more than Celsius
  • 26.8% more than Nexo
  • 58.5% more than Crypto.com

I’m interested in this because I’m constantly seeking to optimise my returns. That said, I’m not suggesting you put all your eggs in one basket — this is crypto and so diversification is key.

Moveover, Crypto.com announced it will be, as at 4 April 2022, basically halving its interest rates for all users, for all holdings beyond USD 30,000! The comparison will soon grow more stark. Verifiable here: https://crypto.com/product-news/changes-to-crypto-earn

Vauld is backed by the most prestigious venture capital investors in the world

1. Pantera Capital

Vauld is backed by Pantera Capital, a prestigious investment firm which itself was founded in 2013 as the United States’ first blockchain hedge and venture capital fund. Pantera has also backed Coinbase, FTX, Circle, Ripple and so on.

Pantera Capital was originally known for being founded by the former Tiger Management Head of Macro Trading and CFO Dan Morehead. Tiger Management is one of the world’s most successful investment firms.

Verifiable here: https://panteracapital.com/portfolio/

2. Valar Ventures

Vauld is also invested by Valar Ventures, a venture capital firm founded by famed Silicon Valley entrepreneur Peter Thiel. Peter Thiel first made his name as the founder of PayPal and went on to found Palantir as well.

Verifiable here: https://valar.com/

3. Coinbase Ventures

Coinbase itself has invested into Vauld. Why compete, when you can invest into your competitors and benefit from their growth instead?

Verifiable here: https://www.coinbase.com/ventures

Why is this important?

The answer lies in the prestige, track record and high standard of due diligence performed by these investors, which we, as users, can draw comfort from.

These institutional firms will only invest into Vauld, and ally their brand with Vauld, after having performed extensive due diligence:

  • Detailed background checks on all Vauld senior management personnel e.g. any litigation, any hidden criminal past and any past bankruptcies or financial issues.
  • Detailed review of the personal and professional lives and characters of the founders by a professional investigative firm. This will be supplemented by the venture capital firm’s own invaluable network of contacts.
  • Accountants review Vauld’s financials and identify any discrepancies.
  • Law firm reviews that all records are in order, all documentation is tied together and that there are no hidden legal or regulatory issues.

The above is a gross summary. How do I know this? Because I worked for a venture capital firm myself for several years. Indeed, I wouldn’t feel comfortable placing my money with a firm in the crypto-space if it hadn’t received proper venture capital funding from serious investors.

In my opinion, Vauld’s investment by renowned institutional venture capital firms is a serious badge of approval.

Strong track record: no loss of customer funds

Vauld has never lost any customer funds, nor have I identified any losses through my reviews of online resources. There has also been no known or reported cybersecurity breach or successful hacking attempt. Vauld has been operating without any security issue or loss of customer funds since 2018. This is a long time in the crypto world.

Vauld has also partnered with BitGo, one of the most famous crypto custodians, as its custodian of funds.

This gives me confidence in the overall security of their business and protection of customer funds.

Priority customer service with tiering

The more you use and deposit with Vauld, the higher standard of service you receive. It’s possible to immediately schedule a support phone call with the customer support team at a time that suits you. At larger amounts, you can even schedule calls with the founders themselves!

This is unparalleled customer access in the crypto industry and other crypto firms should take note. I’ve certainly been frustrated by a so-called 24/7 customer service which is in reality just online chat bots.

All that said, it’s worth mentioning that the user interface is incredibly simple and easy-to-use. There is both a mobile app and website so you can quickly access from your mobile phone as well as your desktop.

I haven’t personally had any issues so far.

Vauld’s founders are public figures

This is crypto after all and there is always FUD. Unlike some other firms and many DeFi protocols, Vauld’s founders are known to be Darshan Bathija and Sanju Kurian. They have given multiple interviews on behalf of Vauld to the media.

I get some comfort from this, as it means it would be very difficult for the founders to steal funds without recourse from their customers or the authorities.

Here is an interview by one of the founders with Fortune so you can get to know Darshan, one of the founders, better: https://www.forbesindia.com/audio/forbes-india-daily-tech-conver-sation/darshan-bathija-cofounder-and-ceo-of-vauld-on-ambition-of-building-the-revolut-of-the-crypto-world/72979

What else should I know?

  • Near-instant deposits and withdrawals with zero fees. Vauld only passes on any network gas fee.
  • Vauld has around 200,000 customers (by reference to interviews with the founders and business updates to its customers like me).
  • Vauld is available globally including the USA. It is at an early stage in its global expansion plan.
  • Vauld employs 2FA security (e.g. Authy / Authenticator) and anti-phishing codes.
  • Vauld also operates a token swap / trading platform, which has been rumoured (but not confirmed) to be the provided by Binance.
  • Vauld supports a surprisingly large number of cryptocurrencies.
  • Headquarters are in Singapore. Singapore is a global centre for the crypto industry.

Vauld Referral Code — FREE2022

OK, so you are interested to sign up? Be aware that standard Vauld referral codes do not give ANY benefit to referred users; benefits accrue only to the referrer.

However, the Referral Code FREE2022 kickbacks 50% of all referral commissions to every referred user!

Interested users can also sign up at Vauld using this link.

I hope this article was helpful. Please feel free to message me with any comments, queries or suggestions; I will respond to all messages.

I will be keeping this article updated. For the avoidance of any doubt, this article is not financial advice.

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Michael Kim

Passion for stablecoin and delta-neutral yield strategies. Crypto investment enthusiast working in Wall St. CFA and MSc in Financial Engineering.