Anchorage Digital, a U.S. federally chartered bank, is launching an institutional BitcoinFi platform that will offer Bitcoin-backed loans and yield-generating BTC deposits.
Anchorage Digital and Mezo, a Bitcoin L2 protocol, announced a strategic partnership enabling institutional investors to obtain fixed-rate loans secured by Bitcoin and participate in BTC staking with lock-up periods ranging from 6 to 30 days.
The joint solution will allow a wide range of companies, from digital Bitcoin-treasury holders to publicly traded corporations, to utilize the new BitcoinFi infrastructure. Anchorage Digital clients will be able to borrow in Mezo USD (MUSD), the protocol’s stablecoin, and earn rewards for staking BTC on Mezo’s platform.
The partnership combines Anchorage Digital’s institutional-grade infrastructure, including its non-custodial Porto wallet, with Mezo’s technology developed by Thesis. BTC-backed loans are already available via Porto, offering users fixed annual rates starting at 1%.
Yield for BTC holders is generated through veBTC, a tokenized locking mechanism that allows participants to earn a share of network fees. Clients will be able to choose their Bitcoin lock period, mixing short-term and long-term strategies. Longer locking will provide higher rewards and expanded governance rights within the protocol, including influence over fee structures and Mezo’s broader economic model.
BTC locking and veBTC yield programs within the Porto wallet are expected to launch soon.
Matt Luongo, CEO of Thesis and Co-Founder of Mezo, emphasized that even 16 years after Bitcoin’s creation, investors still face challenges accessing financial instruments built around it. According to him, the new partnership brings the market closer to a banking model in which digital currency is issued against BTC collateral.
Anchorage Digital Co-Founder and CEO Nathan McCauley noted that most institutional BTC holdings remain idle and unproductive. In his view, the joint solution with Mezo establishes a new standard by combining secure infrastructure, native asset yield, and enhanced capital-management capabilities.
In July 2025, Australian FinTech startup Block Earner introduced the country’s first mortgage lending program allowing Bitcoin to be used as collateral.
