US banks expand Bitcoin-backed lending as Saylor reveals terms
Michael Saylor revealed the terms under which major U.S. banks issue bitcoin-backed loans. According to a report by PwC and Kaiko Research, since September 2025 U.S. banks have opened $50 billion in new credit lines. Banks now account for 40% of the annual $150 billion crypto-lending market.
Speaking at Binance Blockchain Week in Dubai, Strategy founder and executive chairman Michael Saylor said that the 10 largest U.S. banks now support crypto lending, compared with zero involvement in Q4 2024. This shift was driven by Basel III reforms classifying bitcoin as a Tier-1 asset and rising demand for bitcoin-collateralized credit lines.
Saylor called the lending boom a “turning point,” noting that banks now offer loans with 50–70% loan-to-value (LTV) ratios backed by bitcoin, at interest rates of 4–6%. He named six major U.S. banks actively issuing bitcoin-backed loans.
According to him, over the past six months Citi, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, BNY Mellon, Charles Schwab and Bank of America have all entered the crypto-lending market.These institutions — once skeptical of cryptocurrency — became active participants within just 12 months, far earlier than expert estimates of 4–8 years.
From open skepticism to launching new crypto products
JPMorgan is currently the leader in BTC-backed lending. CEO Jamie Dimon, once a harsh critic of bitcoin, softened his stance earlier this year. As reported by Cryptopolitan, the bank opened a $10 billion bitcoin-backed credit line in October. This extends a policy active since June 2025, allowing clients to use spot bitcoin ETFs — such as BlackRock’s IBIT — as collateral for trading and asset-management loans.
Wells Fargo joined the bitcoin-backed lending wave in Q4 2025. After Basel III updates, the bank began issuing loans secured by bitcoin ETFs and assets, becoming one of the key players in crypto lending.
BNY Mellon expanded its bitcoin custody operations in Q4 2025 to include lending, ETF bitcoin storage, and BTC-backed credit issuance. Reports indicate the bank launched $2.5 billion in pilot blockchain deposits, tokenizing assets in bitcoin for instant settlement and collateral use. According to Saylor, BNY’s ETF custody platform could enable another $50 billion in new credit lines.
Citi, Bank of America, and Charles Schwab are also rapidly entering BTC custody and lending markets in 2026.
However, none of the six banks mentioned by Saylor directly hold bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency on their corporate balance sheets. U.S. banking regulations and Basel III rules still make direct spot crypto ownership highly restrictive and capital-intensive for regulated banks.
As we wrote, Michael Saylor predicts Bitcoin to outpace S&P 500
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