If you’ve asked yourself whether Neutron Lend is related to Neutronpay (now rebranded simply as “Neutron”), one of the pillar Bitcoin companies in the wider Southeast Asian region – you are correct.
Behind the project stands a solid six-year track record of a firm that has led and supported Bitcoin adoption efforts in Vietnam and beyond – most notably through its seminal role in organizing LightningCon Da Nang 2023, which set a new bar for Bitcoin events in Vietnam.
Over the years, Neutron (formerly Neutronpay) has raised multiple funding rounds that underscore both regional relevance and institutional backing:
- Initially, Neutron secured a seed round of $2.25 million in September 2022, with participation from notable investors including Hivemind Ventures, Lightning Labs, Fulgur Ventures and others
- In March 2024, they closed a $1.5 million bridge round led by Axiom Capital around Allen Farrington reinforcing their position in Southeast Asia’s Lightning space
- Notably, Neutron also received an early pre-seed investment from BitcoinVN, Vietnam’s premier Bitcoin exchange – highlighting its strong local roots and credibility in the region.
So what is Neutron Lend all about? We spoke with Grady Nguyen, Director of Growth at Neutron.
BitcoinVN News: What inspired the launch of Neutron Lend, and who are you primarily building it for?
Grady Nguyen (Neutron): At Neutron, we’ve always believed that Bitcoin is more than just an asset, it’s a foundation for a new financial system. But the reality is that many Bitcoin holders today are forced to sell when they need liquidity, or worse, hand over full control of their Bitcoin to custodial lenders. We launched Neutron Lend to change that. Our goal is to offer a secure, transparent, and Bitcoin-native way to access liquidity without compromising the principles that make Bitcoin valuable in the first place. That’s why Neutron Lend is built on a 3-key multi-sig architecture.
BitcoinVN News: Vietnam recently made headlines with its plans to introduce a digital asset regulatory framework by 2026. What are your expectations for how this will shape the local landscape in the near to medium term?
Grady: It’s certainly a positive first step that Vietnam is committing to a digital-asset framework by 2026-having any clear roadmap at all helps move the market out of the shadows. That said, with multiple drafts circling and stakeholders still weighing in, I expect there’ll be some mixed messaging that could leave regulators and industry players scratching their heads in the coming months. Ultimately, though, the fact that they’re actively exploring these rules-and soliciting feedback through sandboxes and industry consultations – is exactly what the ecosystem needs to build confidence and chart a sustainable path forward.
BitcoinVN News: As someone building in the space: What’s your most bullish take on the Lightning Network over the next 12 months – something most traditional finance professionals still overlook or underestimate?
Grady: I think the single most under-appreciated aspect of Lightning over the next year is its true app interoperability. Most trad-fi folks still assume you need both sender and receiver on the same app but Lightning lets you route value through a shared layer without ever forcing users onto one branded app. That’s exactly what blew people’s minds when we demoed Cash App to Neutronpay transactions: no partner integrations, just pure peer to peer rails doing the heavy lifting. As more players spin up nodes and liquidity in 2025, you’ll see an explosion of “send anywhere” use cases, micropayments for content, instant cross-border payments to any Lightning-enabled address.
What is Neutron Lend?
Neutron Lend is a non-custodial, Bitcoin-backed lending platform that enables users to borrow USDt against their BTC holdings — without selling their Bitcoin or giving up custody.
Each loan is secured using a 3-key multi-signature setup, with keys distributed as follows:
- One key is held by the borrower
- One by Neutron
- And one by a third-party custodian, used solely for dispute resolution
Borrowers can select their preferred custodian from a vetted list provided by the platform.
Key terms of the loan offering include:
- Loan size: Ranging from $10,000 to $5,000,000 USDt
- Interest rates: Introductory 6%–12% APR
- Loan-to-Value (LTV): Fixed at 50%
- Term length: Between 1 and 12 months
- Repayment: Principal and interest are due in full at the end of the term
- Extensions: Available for 6 or 12 months, subject to a fee and adjusted interest rate
Importantly, no rehypothecation of user funds occurs, and the platform is Bitcoin-native — meaning there is no wrapping or bridging involved.
Neutron Lend is currently in its waitlist phase, with a public launch expected in mid-July 2025.
