Coinbase Partners with Better to Launch Crypto-Backed Mortgages, Allowing BTC and USDC for Down Payments This Summer

According to Cointelegraph, Coinbase and Better Home & Finance announced they will launch a cryptocurrency-backed mortgage program in summer 2026, enabling qualified borrowers to use bitcoin (BTC) or USDC as collateral to fund down payments on mortgages backed by Fannie Mae. This initiative follows the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) directive in June 2025 instructing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to include crypto assets in mortgage risk assessments—without requiring conversion into fiat currency. Other lenders, including Newrez, have already begun adopting similar measures. However, some U.S. senators have expressed concerns that cryptocurrency price volatility could threaten housing market stability. Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis has introduced the “21st Century Mortgage Act,” aiming to codify this policy into law.