How to Borrow on Solend: Step by Step Guide.

Okay, look. Every other "how to borrow on Solend" guide out there jumps straight into "connect your wallet, deposit SOL, boom." But that's dead wrong if you're actually here to borrow. You can't borrow jack without collateral first. And most skip the real talk on why your position gets wrecked if you ignore the health factor. In my experience, newbies dive in, borrow too much, SOL dips 5%, and poof-liquidated. Lost hundreds like that once. Why does this matter? 'Cause Solend's all about that over collateralized life on Solana-super cheap fees, like ~0.000005 SOL per tx, but one slip and you're toast.

The thing is, Solend (now kinda rebranded vibes with Save, but still solend.fi) lets you supply assets like USDC or SOL to unlock borrows in stuff like USDT or BTC. Rates float-supply APY maybe 5-10%, borrow APY 7-15% depending on utilization. Keep borrow utilization under 80% to sleep easy. Sound familiar? Yeah, it's DeFi lending 101, but Solana speed makes it addictive.

Get Your Wallet Sorted First

Don't even think about starting without this. Grab Phantom or Coin98 extension-Phantom's my go to, dead simple. Download from their official site, create a new wallet or import if you got seeds. Why Phantom? It just works with Solend, no weird priority switches like some others.

• Install Phantom (phantom.app).
• Fund it with SOL for gas-buy on Binance or Coinbase, send ~0.05 SOL minimum. Fees are tiny, but zero SOL means stuck.
• Get some collateral asset too, like USDC. Swap on Jupiter if needed.

Pro tip: Test with 10 bucks first. I've seen wallets glitch on first connect-annoying but fixable by refreshing.

Hit Up Solend.fi and Connect

1. Go to solend.fi/dashboard. Bookmark it. Phishers love fake sites.
2. Top right: "Connect Wallet." Pick Phantom (or Coin98 if that's your jam).
3. Approve the connection. Wallet pops up-sign, done. You're in.

Now, see that "All Pools" dropdown? That's your playground. Mainstream pool's got SOL, USDC, USDT, BTC, ETH wrapped stuff. Pick one, but stick to mainstream for liquidity unless you're feeling wild with permissionless pools (costs 100 SLND to start, advanced only).

In my experience, if connection fails, check Solana network priority in your wallet. Set to Mainnet. Boom, fixed.

Supply Collateral-This Unlocks Borrowing

You wanna borrow? Supply first. No free lunch. Pick an asset you're okay locking up-like deposit $1000 USDC to borrow up to ~$750 other stuff (75% LTV typical).

Exact Supply Steps

1. Select pool (e.g. Mainstream), then asset like USDC.
2. Enter amount. Check deets: Supply APY (your earn rate), Borrow Limit (max you can borrow after).
3. Hit "Supply." Wallet asks to Approve (one time for token), then Sign tx. Gas: ~0.000005 SOL.
4. Done. See it in your account panel on the right.

What's next? Watch that bar graph. Supply balance is the full white bar-your collateral power.

But here's a pitfall: Don't supply volatile stuff if borrowing stables. SOL pumps? Cool. Dumps? Your limit shrinks fast.

Now Borrow-Don't Max It Out

Alright, core part. You've got collateral? Time to borrow USDT or whatever. But keep utilization under 80%. Hit 100%, no more borrows. Past liquidation threshold? Bots eat your collateral at 10% penalty.

Borrow Steps, Step by Step

1. In the same pool, pick borrow asset (e.g. USDT from USDC collateral).
2. Enter amount-slider's handy. Eyeball: Borrow APY (what you pay, say 8%), Borrow Fee (tiny, 0.3% ish), Utilization %.
3. Click "Borrow." Approve if needed, Sign. Lands in wallet instantly.
4. Check dashboard: Borrow balance (green bar). Keep it way under borrow limit (white bar).

Why not max? Markets move. Borrow $500 on $1000 collateral? Fine if LTV 50%. Push 90%? One dip and liquidated. I usually aim 60-70%. Pretty much bulletproof.

Asset Pair Example	Collateral $1000 SOL	Max Borrow (75% LTV)	Safe Borrow (60%)	Est. Borrow APY
USDC → USDT	$1000	$750	$600	6-10%
SOL → BTC	$1000	$700	$560	8-12%
USDT → ETH	$1000	$750	$600	7-11%

Table's real world ish-rates fluctuate, check live. Borrow fee? Negligible, like 0.0001% entry.

Your Account Panel-Live Like a Hawk

Right side of dashboard? Goldmine. Ignore it and you're gambling.

• Borrow Utilization: Green bar. Under 80%? Safe. Red? Add collateral or repay NOW.
• Net Value: Supplies minus borrows. Positive? Good.
• Liquidation Threshold: Don't cross or bots pounce.
• Click any row to repay/withdraw.

The thing is, Solana's fast-check every hour if leveraged. Apps like Solend mobile notifications help too.

Personal touch: I set alerts for 75% utilization. Saved my ass twice when SOL tanked overnight.

Repay and Withdraw-Getting Out Clean

Borrowed funds? Used 'em? Repay to free collateral.

1. Account panel → Assets Borrowed table → Pick asset (e.g. USDT).
2. Enter repay amount (partial or max).
3. Hit "Repay." Approve/Sign. Interest accrues real time, so overpay a tad.
4. Utilization drops. Now withdraw collateral same way: Assets Supplied → amount → Withdraw.

Got the borrowed asset back in wallet first? Swap if needed on Raydium. Gas again: microscopic.

Issue? "Insufficient balance." Send exact token to wallet first. Happened to me-dumb mistake.

Risks and How to Not Get Rekt

Okay, real talk. Liquidation sucks. Collateral drops (SOL from $200 to $180), borrows eat it. Penalty: 10% gone.

How to dodge?

• Overcollateralize. 150-200% ratio my rule.
• Monitor. Use Solend's "Your Account" obsessively.
• Diversify pools/assets. Don't all in one.
• Flash loans? Advanced, skip for now.

Fees? Borrow 0.3% entry sometimes. Gas negligible. Rates variable-high demand spikes borrow APY to 20%+.

Honestly, start small. $100 collateral, borrow $50. Feels it out. Why rush?

Leverage Plays-If You're Feeling Ballsy

Once comfy, loop it. Borrow USDC against SOL, swap to more SOL, supply again. Upside 2x. But downside? Double wipeout.

In my experience, cap at 2-3x leverage. Tools like Solend dashboard show sims-use 'em.

Permissionless pools? Create your own for niche tokens. 100 SLND fee though. Advanced.

Common Screw Ups and Fixes

Wallet not connecting? Clear cache, switch RPC to Helius in Phantom settings.

Tx pending? Solana congestion-rare now, wait 10s or retry.

Liquidation panic? Repay fast or add collateral. Can't? Bridge more assets quick.

Taxes? US folks, track borrows as loans-not sales usually. Consult pro.

What's your play? Stables for yield? Volatile for flips? Questions in comments if this were a forum.

Pools Breakdown

All Pools tab: Mainstream's safe, high TVL ($180M+). Others riskier, higher yields. LSTs like stSOL work great-stake and collateralize.

Pool Type	TVL Est.	Best For	Risk
Mainstream	$180M+	Beginners	Low
Permissionless	Varies	Custom tokens	High

Pick based on your assets. I stick mainstream 90% time.