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Helva Docs

Walkthrough: Request a loan

This walkthrough covers creating your loan request. It takes a few minutes. You’ll need a crypto wallet (e.g. MetaMask or any WalletConnect-compatible wallet) and an email address.

  1. Open the loan request form.

    Go to the Helva app and choose Request a loan. If you don’t have an account yet, one is created automatically as you go.

  2. Choose your loan parameters.

    • Amount (5,000–100,000) and currency (CHF or USD at launch). We’re working on EUR, EURe, and GBP.
    • Duration (3–24 months). The interest rate is fixed and suggested automatically based on the duration.
    • Collateral asset (WETH, wstETH, WBTC, or cbBTC).

    As you adjust these, Helva shows the collateral amount you’ll need in real time, based on the loan-to-value ratio.

  3. Connect your wallet.

    Connect the wallet that holds (or will hold) your collateral. You’ll sign a message to prove ownership — this is a signature, not a transaction, so it costs no gas.

  4. Verify your email, complete ID verification, and book video identification.

    New users confirm their email and complete an identity check with Sumsub, plus the relevant questionnaire. After that, they book a video identification slot.

    Your request becomes visible to lenders only after video identification is done. You can deposit collateral already, before video identification.

  5. Submit your request.

    Your request is recorded. Continue to Deposit & reserve collateral whenever you’re ready.

What happens behind the scenes

Section titled “What happens behind the scenes”
flowchart LR
    A[Choose terms] --> B[Connect wallet]
    B --> C[Sign ownership message]
    C --> D[Email plus ID check]
    D --> V[Video identification]
    V --> F[Request visible to lenders]

Next: Deposit & reserve collateral →