Best Mortgage Refinance Lenders for People Leveraging Crypto Assets

2. Milo: Best Crypto-Collateralized Mortgage Refinance

Milo is one of the most established names in crypto-backed real estate financing. Its crypto refinance program is designed for homeowners who want to access property equity while pledging Bitcoin or Ethereum as additional collateral.

Milo advertises the ability to cash out up to 100% of a property’s appraised value through its crypto refinance structure. Reaching that level requires the borrower to provide sufficient cryptocurrency collateral in addition to the home, so it should not be confused with an ordinary 100% loan-to-value mortgage based only on the property.

The structure can be useful for borrowers who need a larger cash-out amount than a traditional mortgage lender will permit. A homeowner with a $2 million property and substantial Bitcoin may be able to access more capital than would be available through a standard jumbo cash-out refinance, particularly when traditional income documentation is limited.

Milo may also appeal to international borrowers and crypto-heavy investors who are comfortable with a loan built specifically around digital assets. The company offers both crypto mortgages and crypto-backed loans, giving borrowers several ways to use Bitcoin or Ethereum without first selling the assets.

The tradeoff is that the crypto becomes part of the collateral structure. Before proceeding, borrowers should review custody arrangements, collateral release rules, repayment requirements, default provisions, and the amount of crypto that will remain inaccessible during the loan.

Best for: Crypto-rich homeowners seeking substantial cash-out proceeds who are comfortable pledging Bitcoin or Ethereum.

Potential limitations: The borrower gives up some control over the pledged assets and may accept higher pricing or more complex collateral requirements than a standard mortgage refinance.

3. Ledn: Best Short-Term Bitcoin Loan With Flexible Repayment

Ledn is not a mortgage lender, but it can be useful when a homeowner needs temporary liquidity rather than a permanent refinance. Borrowers can pledge Bitcoin and receive cash without completing a traditional mortgage appraisal, documenting employment income, or replacing the mortgage already attached to the home.

Ledn’s standard loans generally have 12-month terms and no prepayment penalty. The platform also permits eligible loans to be refinanced after they have been open for at least 30 days, which may allow borrowers to adjust terms, change loan types, or obtain updated pricing.

This flexibility makes Ledn more useful as a bridge than as a substitute for a mortgage. A borrower might use it to complete renovations before refinancing, cover a short-term business need, pay an obligation that cannot wait for a mortgage closing, or access liquidity while a more permanent financing strategy is being completed.

The central risk is maturity. Ledn states that a loan reaching maturity must be repaid, refinanced, renewed when eligible, or liquidated. There is no grace period after the maturity date, so borrowers need a specific payoff strategy rather than a general assumption that another renewal will always be available.

Borrowers must also remain aware of collateral value. If Bitcoin falls sharply, the collateral position can deteriorate even though the borrower’s home value and income have not changed. That introduces a source of risk that would not exist with a mortgage secured only by real estate.

Best for: Borrowers who need fast, short-term liquidity and already have a clear mortgage refinance, asset sale, business distribution, or other repayment plan.

Potential limitations: Short maturity, collateral liquidation exposure, and borrowing costs that can be considerably higher than long-term mortgage rates.

4. Figure: Best Short-Term Option for Multiple Crypto Assets

Figure offers crypto-backed loans secured by Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Solana. Its product is designed around quick access to cash, same-day approval, flexible payment options, and qualification that does not depend on a traditional credit score.

Support for several major digital assets gives Figure a broader reach than Bitcoin-only lenders. A borrower whose portfolio is concentrated in Ethereum or Solana may find the product more practical than a platform that only accepts Bitcoin.

Figure can be useful when speed is more important than obtaining the lowest possible long-term interest rate. A homeowner may need immediate funds to complete a renovation, resolve a tax obligation, fund a business transaction, or cover a temporary liquidity gap while waiting for another asset to become available.

It should still be treated as short-term crypto financing rather than a replacement for a cash-out refinance. When the need for capital will last several years, using home equity through a properly structured mortgage will generally produce a more stable repayment schedule and remove crypto volatility from the debt.

Best for: Borrowers with Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Solana who need fast liquidity and cannot wait for a traditional mortgage closing.

Potential limitations: Crypto collateral remains exposed to market movements, and short-term borrowing may cost more than a home-secured refinance.

Why Better And Coinbase Are Not Included As A Top Refinance Option For Crypto Investors

The Better and Coinbase crypto mortgage is designed for home purchases, not refinances. It combines a conforming Fannie Mae mortgage with a separate loan secured by Bitcoin or USDC to help an eligible borrower cover the down payment without selling crypto.

The larger limitation is qualification. The borrower must still qualify for the conventional first mortgage using traditional income, credit, and debt-to-income requirements. The pledged crypto provides down payment liquidity, but it does not help a crypto-heavy borrower qualify for the mortgage when taxable income is too low or the financial profile does not fit conventional underwriting.

The structure also requires the borrower to collateralize crypto and accept the restrictions and risks attached to a separate crypto-secured loan. It does not provide a solution for a homeowner who wants to refinance an existing mortgage, pull equity from a property, pay off an expensive short-term Bitcoin loan, or use crypto assets to support qualification for a long-term mortgage.

For those homeowners, a crypto-friendly asset depletion mortgage or Non-QM refinance is usually more relevant. The right program may allow Bitcoin or Ethereum to help support qualification without pledging the assets, exposing them to margin calls, or attaching another short-term crypto loan to the transaction. Our complete review of why Better’s crypto mortgage is not a fit for most crypto investors explains where the product works and why it falls short for many crypto-heavy borrowers.

When A Crypto-Friendly Mortgage Is Better Than Another Crypto Loan

A mortgage is usually the better choice when the debt is connected to a long-term asset or need. Homes are commonly owned for many years, so the financing should provide enough time for the borrower to repay the balance without repeatedly renewing a loan.

Consider a homeowner with a $700,000 Bitcoin-backed loan at a double-digit rate and a maturity date twelve months away. The loan may have been reasonable when speed was critical, but rolling it into another one-year term can produce another fee, another year of high interest, and another period during which the Bitcoin remains exposed to liquidation risk.

A long-term crypto-friendly refinance can use the home as collateral and the crypto as a qualifying asset. The borrower may be able to repay the Bitcoin loan at closing, release the pledged assets, reduce the interest rate, and move the debt into a predictable monthly payment.

The borrower does not necessarily need to sell the crypto to qualify. Depending on the program, the digital assets may support reserves or an asset depletion calculation after an appropriate underwriting haircut. Other assets, W-2 earnings, self-employment income, bonuses, RSUs, rental income, or retirement distributions can also be incorporated into the qualification strategy.

What To Compare Before Choosing A Crypto Refinance Lender

The interest rate is only one part of the decision. Borrowers should compare the full cost of the loan, including origination fees, mortgage points, custody charges, appraisal expenses, legal costs, annual renewal costs, and any spread between the amount of crypto pledged and the cash received.

The term is equally important. A 30-year mortgage with a slightly higher upfront closing cost may be substantially less expensive than a one-year loan that charges a new origination fee every time it is renewed.

Collateral rules deserve close review. Borrowers should know who controls the crypto, whether it can be rehypothecated, what collateral ratio must be maintained, how quickly additional collateral must be posted, and when the lender can liquidate assets.

The exit strategy should be established before the loan closes. A short-term crypto loan can be useful when it bridges the borrower to a known source of repayment. It becomes dangerous when repayment depends on Bitcoin appreciating, a lender agreeing to renew, or mortgage rates falling by a specific date.

The Bottom Line

Most homeowners with significant crypto holdings should begin by evaluating a long-term mortgage refinance that does not require the crypto to be pledged. The goal is to determine whether the assets can support qualification while the property serves as the only collateral for the new mortgage.

Crypto-collateralized mortgages can provide additional leverage when a borrower needs more cash than a standard refinance permits. Short-term crypto loans can also solve legitimate timing and liquidity problems. Both structures require a careful review of cost, custody, maturity, and liquidation risk.

LendFriend Mortgage, an Austin-based mortgage broker, can compare traditional jumbo loans, asset depletion mortgages, crypto-friendly Non-QM programs, and other refinance options across multiple lenders. That broader lender access is especially useful when the borrower’s financial strength is spread across digital assets, brokerage accounts, real estate, business ownership, RSUs, and other forms of wealth that do not fit neatly into one bank’s underwriting system.

For homeowners carrying an expensive Bitcoin-backed loan, the refinance review should happen well before maturity. A properly structured mortgage may pay off the crypto loan, release the Bitcoin collateral, lower the monthly interest expense, and replace a recurring one-year deadline with stable long-term financing.