Comparison
8lends vs InRento: Which Fits Your Portfolio in 2026?
One offers ECSP-licensed European buy-to-let income in fiat; the other settles DeFi loans backed by real-world assets on a blockchain. Both target retail investors and both carry capital risk, but they sit in different regulatory and operational worlds.
| Attribute | 8lends | InRento |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Zug/Zurich area, Switzerland (Maclear AG) | Vilnius, Lithuania |
| Operating since | ~2023-2024 | 2020 |
| Regulator / licence | None in own name; parent under Swiss AML SRO (PolyReg) | Bank of Lithuania, ECSP |
| Loan types | RWA-backed (real estate, green energy, invoice factoring) | Real estate (buy-to-let) |
| Buyback guarantee | Yes, self-issued by 8lends | No |
| Secondary market | No | Yes |
| Minimum investment | ~100 USDC | EUR 500 |
| Target return | 18-25% APR | 9.25-11.5% |
Where 8lends wins
- Lower minimum. Around 100 USDC lets you test the platform without committing EUR 500 upfront.
- Higher target yield. 18-25% APR sits well above InRento's 9.25-11.5%, though it also reflects higher perceived risk and the crypto-native settlement layer.
- Buyback guarantee. Self-issued, but offers a formal exit path if you choose not to wait for loan maturity; InRento has no equivalent.
- Diversified collateral types. Real estate, green energy, invoice factoring spread across several industries rather than buy-to-let alone.
Where InRento wins
- EU prudential licence. The ECSP authorisation from the Bank of Lithuania provides formal supervisory oversight that 8lends and Maclear AG currently do not hold.
- Fiat settlement. You deposit and withdraw in euros through a standard bank account; no crypto wallet, no USDC conversion, no blockchain transaction fees.
- Longer track record. Operating since 2020 gives InRento four more years of market history than 8lends' much younger launch window.
- Secondary market. Early exit by listing your loans for sale, subject to buyer demand; 8lends offers no secondary trading facility.
Bottom line
InRento suits investors who want a traditional, ECSP-regulated European platform focused exclusively on buy-to-let property loans, settled in euros, with a secondary market for liquidity. The EUR 500 minimum and single-digit yields reflect a more conservative, compliance-heavy model.
8lends fits those comfortable with Web3 infrastructure - wallet custody, USDC stablecoin, Base network transactions - and willing to accept a self-issued buyback guarantee in exchange for materially higher target yields and a lower entry point. The Swiss AML-only regulatory posture and younger operational history mean you are taking on regulatory and platform longevity risk that InRento's ECSP licence partially mitigates.
Neither platform is risk-free. P2P and DeFi lending products carry a risk of partial or total loss of capital, and neither offers deposit insurance. Verify current terms, audit reports and any regulatory updates directly with each platform before committing funds, and consider consulting a licensed adviser if this will represent a meaningful share of your portfolio.
Read the full safety assessment of 8lends for deeper Due Diligence Index scoring and collateral analysis, or explore the alternatives overview for a wider set of platforms in both the fiat and crypto lending spaces.
Frequently asked questions
InRento holds a European Crowdfunding Service Provider (ECSP) licence from the Bank of Lithuania, giving it a formal EU prudential authorisation. 8lends and its parent Maclear AG operate under a Swiss AML-only self-regulatory organisation (PolyReg), not a full prudential licence or ECSP equivalent. Neither provides deposit insurance.
8lends requires around 100 USDC (approximately EUR 100 equivalent at prevailing rates) to participate. InRento sets its minimum at EUR 500, five times higher. If you are testing a platform with a smaller allocation, 8lends is more accessible.
InRento offers a secondary market where you can list loans for early sale, though liquidity is not guaranteed. 8lends has no secondary market; you rely on the self-issued buyback guarantee if you need to exit before a loan matures. Both methods carry execution risk.