Share this article

BankProv Stops Offering Loans Collateralized With Crypto Mining Machines

The crypto-friendly bank wrote off $47.9 million in loans last year, primarily mining rig-collateralized debt.

Updated May 9, 2023, 4:06 a.m. Published Jan 31, 2023, 1:33 p.m.
(Eliza Gkritsi/CoinDesk)
(Eliza Gkritsi/CoinDesk)

Crypto-friendly BankProv has stopped offering loans collateralized with crypto mining machines and said its portfolio of digital-asset loans fell 50% in the fourth quarter as some impaired loans were sold and a line of credit was repaid.

The Massachusetts-based bank held $41.2 million in digital asset-related loans at the end of December. Of that, $26.7 million is collateralized with crypto mining machines, and the amount "will continue to decline as the bank is no longer originating this type of loan," holding company Provident Bancorp (PVBC) said in a Tuesday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

The crypto mining industry started borrowing heavily in 2021 using mining machines as collateral and often using the funds to buy more machines. That model started breaking down along with the bear market in cryptocurrencies. Mining machine prices fell by about 85% in 2022, according to data from services firm Luxor Technologies analyzed by CoinDesk, leading to margin calls and collateral seizures when borrowers couldn't service the debt.

Read more: Crypto Miners Face Margin Calls, Defaults as Debt Comes Due in Bear Market

Through 2022, BankProv wrote off $47.9 million in net charge-offs, primarily from loans collateralized by mining rigs. It said it repossessed mining machines in September in exchange for forgiving $27.4 million of debt for undisclosed parties.

BankProv had a total of $1.42 billion of net loans at the end of December.

Read more: Bitcoin Miner Blockmetrix Raises $20M in Debt From BankProv and CrossTower



More For You

KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

16:9 Image

KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.

What to know:

  • KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
  • This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
  • Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
  • Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
  • Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.

More For You

Coinbase CEO says Big banks now view crypto as an ‘existential’ threat to their business

Brian Armstrong and Larry Fink (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Brian Armstrong returns from World Economic Forum with message: traditional finance is taking crypto seriously

What to know:

  • Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said a top executive at one of the world’s 10 largest banks told him crypto is now the bank’s “number one priority” and an “existential” issue.
  • At Davos, Armstrong highlighted tokenization of assets and stablecoins as major themes, arguing they could broaden access to investments for billions while threatening to bypass traditional banks.
  • He described the Trump administration as the most crypto-forward government globally, backing efforts like the CLARITY Act, and predicted that AI agents will increasingly use stablecoins for payments outside conventional banking rails.