Bitcoin investors in America will find it easier to take out a mortgage. The rules are being changed thanks to a directive from the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), putting crypto in US mortgages on the same footing as more traditional forms of collateral.
The Quickex editorial team has learned exactly how the new mortgage-issuance scheme will be organized, what impact the changes will have on the crypto industry, and how the crypto community has reacted to the initiative. At its core, the new FHFA crypto directive sets a nationwide standard for evaluating borrowers’ on-chain wealth.
Bitcoin as mortgage collateral
The U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has urged the mortgage agencies Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac)—quickly dubbed “crypto Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac” by commentators—which account for 50% of all mortgage decisions, to draw up rules for including cryptocurrency in borrowers’ applications. This means that crypto as mortgage asset is no longer a distant prospect but an imminent reality:
- Americans can now use their crypto savings as an additional form of collateral when applying for a mortgage;
- applicants will not need to convert cryptocurrency into fiat in advance.
American media call the FHFA decision one of the most significant in recent years, noting that the initiative effectively makes cryptocurrency the core of U.S. housing finance.
FHFA directive
Interesting! According to CNBC, 55 million Americans own cryptocurrency in 2025.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must now work out measures that will allow banks to treat applicants’ cryptocurrency as collateral for their loans. The first proposals are due by August 2025.
Track the Bitcoin price on Quickex—the market’s flagship asset, which reacts first to news of this kind.
What this means for the crypto industry
Granting mortgages on applications where cryptocurrency is listed as collateral is another important step toward legalizing the new financial instrument. Bitcoin and other coins are no longer just volatile virtual tokens for profiting from price swings; they are now fully legal collateral for obtaining a US mortgage with cryptocurrency.
Recall that U.S. President Donald Trump made development of the crypto industry a focus of his election campaign. Many observers already refer to the upcoming products as the “Trump crypto mortgage,” underscoring how closely the initiative is tied to the White House’s pro-bitcoin stance. One of the president’s most striking initiatives is the formation of a national bitcoin reserve.
FHFA head William Junior Pulte claims that considering applicants’ crypto reserves for mortgages is another step toward transforming the United States into the capital of the crypto industry.
The initiative has been supported by many prominent members of the crypto community. For example, Michael Saylor, co-founder of Strategy, the largest public bitcoin investor, believes the directive paves the way for crypto enthusiasts to achieve the American dream. In his opinion, future generations will remember this landmark move.
The team at OKX believe that the FHFA decision could support price growth in the crypto market.
A spoonful of tar
Unfortunately, the initiative also has its pitfalls. One is the proposal to account only for assets held in cryptocurrency wallets on centralized exchanges (CEX) that operate in accordance with U.S. law. There are few such trading platforms, as only a handful of projects are able to bring their business into compliance with local regulations. The most striking example is the government-friendly Coinbase, so the exchange is likely to strengthen its position in the market as a staging ground for crypto-backed mortgages.
Members of the crypto community were outraged by the fact that those who store crypto themselves cannot use the initiative. When large sums are involved, most investors employ cold wallets—the safest way to store digital assets. Keeping a large volume of coins on an exchange is reckless, as trading platforms are often hacked.
There is another unclear point. The directive does not specify which cryptocurrencies will be eligible for the program. In a market that includes such flagships as Bitcoin and Ethereum as well as dubious meme-coins, such clarification seems necessary.
Some industry representatives believe regulators should leave only bitcoin in the law. At the same time, part of the crypto community also pointed out that BTC remains a highly volatile asset, meaning its price is still subject to sharp fluctuations. How exactly banks will calculate the value of cryptocurrency, taking into account the timing of mortgage issuance, is unknown.
Conclusions
The decision by U.S. regulators to consider applicants’ crypto investments when deciding whether to grant a mortgage is an unquestionable plus for the crypto community. The move reflects Trump’s bet on developing the United States as a crypto hub and increases the legitimacy of crypto.
However, the proposal in its current form contains many gaps that need to be filled.
Earlier, the Quickex editorial team reported how MasterCard and Visa are trying to become part of the crypto industry.