One of the country's leading mortgage lenders is moving into crypto, allowing borrowers to submit digital holdings as assets to be considered when applying for certain home loans. 

National lender and servicer Newrez announced it will begin to recognize and accept cryptocurrencies in February across its Smart Series suite of nonagency products without requiring liquidation. 

Customers who want crypto investments factored into mortgage borrowing typically are expected to sell some of the assets. The new option permits them to hold onto the digital currencies and apply the value for asset verification and income estimates, akin to how stocks and bonds are currently applied, the lender said.

"At Newrez, we're committed to meeting consumers where they are," said chief commercial officer Leslie Gillin in a press release, while noting the global crypto market now exceeds $3 trillion by some estimates. 

"This innovation marks yet another step in creating new pathways to homeownership, giving consumers flexibility and control," she continued.

At initial launch, the company said it will recognize Bitcoin, Ethereum and stablecoins backed by the U.S. dollar for the nonagency originations. Eligible investments must be held with U.S. regulated crypto exchanges and retail fintech apps, or brokerages or nationally chartered banks that meet federal requirements. 

A handful of smaller niche lending firms, including Figure, already allow crypto to be used in a similar fashion during underwriting, and others, such as Florida-based Milo, even go as far as collateralizing the mortgage both with the financed property and a portion of the digital assets. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania-based Newrez, though, claims it is the first among the nation's top 25 lenders to allow digital assets in loan qualification. 

The company, which operates as the mortgage arm of real estate investment trust Rithm Capital, originated over 52,000 loans worth over $16 billion in 2024, according to federal data provided by business intelligence platform Iemergent.  

Why it's "the right time" for crypto in mortgage

Recent developments, propped up by a crypto-friendly administration in the White House driving an easing regulatory environment, also makes the current moment "the right time to prudently integrate eligible crypto assets into modern mortgage lending," said Newrez President Baron Silverstein. 

"Today, an increasing number of consumers include crypto in their investment portfolios, while major financial institutions are deepening their involvement in crypto assets," he said. 

Multiple trends coming from various directions meant the entry of larger companies into crypto waters would come in short order, according to John Geertsema, managing principal at business and technology consulting firm Capco. 

"The mortgage industry needs to consider digital assets as a real asset class. One of the reasons is that millennials and Gen Z are very into this type of currency," he said. An estimated 45% of Generation Z and millennial investors, who make up most of the homebuyers of the future, currently own crypto, according to Coinbase data.  

"When you look at the banks that are adopting stablecoins and doing digital currency, there are a lot rolling things out in 2026," he added. 

Last year, JPMorgan Chase revealed plans to allow customers to pledge some forms of digital assets to help them qualify for secured loans. It followed its earlier decision to accept crypto exchange-traded funds to be used as loan collateral. 

Much of the recent push to expand cryptocurrencies into mortgage lending originates from top leadership. Last summer, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte publicly directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the agencies he oversees, to make plans for eventually considering them as a qualifying asset. Any loans involving nonliquidated crypto can currently only be sold on private markets. 

Mixing mortgage with digital currency has its share of critics as well, with Pulte's call receiving pushback from consumer advocacy groups. 

Pulte's move, though, was followed by announcements in subsequent months from other companies and tech firms to incorporate cryptocurrency holdings in the mortgage lending or funding process.