Better Mortgage and Coinbase have launched general access to a Bitcoin-backed mortgage product in the United States, allowing homebuyers to pledge BTC as collateral for a down payment without selling it, the companies said Wednesday.
A mortgage paired with a Bitcoin-secured down payment loan
According to Coinbase’s Help Center, the product combines a Fannie Mae-backed home loan with a separate down payment loan secured by Bitcoin. Borrowers must pledge BTC worth at least 250% of the down payment loan amount, and the pledged Bitcoin is transferred to Better’s custodial account on Coinbase Prime.
Coinbase said the two loans carry the same interest rate and amortization term, with borrowers making a single monthly payment across both obligations. The pledged BTC is returned once the mortgage is fully repaid or refinanced, subject to the loan terms.
No margin call from price declines alone
A drop in Bitcoin’s price by itself does not trigger a margin call or a change in the mortgage terms, according to Coinbase. Better can, however, liquidate the pledged BTC if a borrower becomes 60 days delinquent on payments.
Applicants must be US residents and have a verified Coinbase account. They also remain subject to Better’s credit, income and other underwriting requirements.
Coinbase One members are eligible for a 1% rebate from Better, capped at $10,000, which can be applied to closing costs and fees.
First announced in March
Better and Coinbase first introduced the token-backed mortgage product in March, when it was initially offered through an early-access program.
Crypto is gaining a place in US mortgage underwriting
The launch comes as digital assets are being considered more seriously in the US mortgage market.
In June 2025, the Federal Housing Finance Agency directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to develop proposals that would treat cryptocurrency held on US-regulated centralized exchanges as an asset in single-family mortgage risk assessments, without requiring conversion into US dollars.
The directive also told the two government-sponsored enterprises to consider measures to address crypto volatility and to submit any proposed changes to their boards for approval before FHFA review.
Other US lenders have started moving in the same direction. Mortgage lender and servicer Newrez said in January that it would begin recognizing certain cryptocurrency holdings in mortgage application reviews starting in February, including for home purchases and refinancing.
Housing prices remain elevated
The expansion of Bitcoin-backed home financing comes with US home prices still near historic highs. Data from the US Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, showed the median sales price of a new US home was about $400,000 in 2026.
Those figures also show that median new home prices have fallen since 2022, but remain historically elevated.