TL;DR
- Borrowers can use digital assets without selling, except for down payments.
- Younger homebuyers view cryptocurrency as part of their financial planning.
- FHFA directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to study crypto rules.
US mortgage lender Rate has introduced a nationwide program that lets qualified borrowers use verified cryptocurrency holdings to meet underwriting requirements without selling those assets.
The product, called RateFi, operates within the lender’s non-qualified mortgage framework. It allows applicants to count verified crypto assets as qualifying reserves and, in some cases, as an income source.
The launch comes at a time when more than 10% of Americans hold digital assets, according to company data. Despite this, most conventional mortgage programs do not recognize cryptocurrency as valid collateral unless it is first converted to cash.
Liquidating or selling these assets often triggers a taxable event or other tax consequences, limiting borrowers to pledged-asset loan structures.
Amor said RateFi is designed to work with a curated set of established, high-liquidity large-cap cryptocurrencies and major US dollar-backed stablecoins. She did not specify which assets will be accepted.
Eligible crypto assets must be held with approved custodians or on centralized exchanges. Borrowers must provide proof of ownership and asset seasoning, typically through monthly statements.
Housing Weights and New Generations
Amor told that housing affordability pressures are a key factor driving interest in financing solutions that incorporate cryptocurrency.
“Younger generations are entering their peak homebuying years at a time when traditional paths to ownership are increasingly out of reach,” the executive said. “Yet they’re also the most active participants in the digital asset economy.”
She added that the program seeks to recognize how wealth is actually built today and modernize access to homeownership accordingly. It is not about promoting crypto for its own sake. “For many younger Americans, crypto is a foundational part of their financial planning,” she said.
Rate said the program applies standard anti-money laundering and know-your-customer verification. It is available through its existing digital mortgage platform.
Housing affordability remains an economic challenge in the United States, particularly for younger citizens. The issue has received growing attention from the Trump administration and lawmakers in recent months.
A specialized market for crypto-backed real estate financing already exists
In the absence of legislation that would allow crypto-backed mortgage lending across the entire US market, policymakers have begun exploring how to incorporate digital assets into housing finance frameworks.
In June 2025, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William J. Pulte directed government-sponsored entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to draft proposals on treating cryptocurrency as a reserve asset in single-family mortgage risk assessments. In July, Senator Cynthia Lummis introduced the 21st Century Mortgage Act to codify that directive into law.
Lenders such as Nexo offer loans backed by more than 40 digital assets. Ledn provides Bitcoin-backed mortgage products that allow borrowers to pledge Bitcoin as collateral.
A January survey of 1,000 Americans published in the OKX Insights series revealed a pronounced generational divide in attitudes toward digital assets. Younger respondents showed a much greater tendency to view cryptocurrency as credible and central to the future of finance. Money stored in Bitcoin or other coins is starting to count, at least toward a mortgage.
