Bitcoin-Backed Loans Could Hit $1 Trillion, Ledn Says — But Most Crypto Holders Still Haven’t Borrowed

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A new report from Bitcoin lending platform Ledn is putting a big number on a market that barely exists yet: $1 trillion. The company released research showing that the consumer Bitcoin-backed loan market — currently worth around $3 billion — could grow 300 times larger within the next decade. To put that in context, Galaxy Research pegged the entire crypto lending market, across every type of platform and product, at a $73.6 billion all-time high in Q3 2025. Ledn is betting the consumer Bitcoin slice alone will dwarf that figure. The research was conducted by Protocol Theory, a consumer insights firm, and surveyed 1,244 cryptocurrency holders across the United States and Australia in February 2026. The headline finding: 88% of crypto holders said they would consider borrowing against their digital assets, but only 14% currently do. That leaves a 74-percentage-point gap between people who are open to the idea and people who have actually done it. So what’s stopping them? The top barriers were not about understanding the product. Non-borrowers pointed to three confidence-related concerns: worries about crypto price swings, the risk of getting liquidated if prices fall, and uncertainty about regulation. When asked what they look for in a lending platform, respondents ranked risk management practices, platform reputation, and clear terms ahead of interest rates or features. Trust, in other words, is the product. “The demand side of the equation is solved,” said Mauricio Di Bartolomeo, co-founder of Ledn. “What’s still catching up is the trust infrastructure that gives borrowers the confidence to act.” Ledn’s $200 million bitcoin-collateralized bond rated by S&P That infrastructure is starting to take shape. In February 2026, Ledn closed what it calls the first-ever investment-grade Bitcoin-collateralized asset-backed security — a $200 million bond deal with its senior tranche rated BBB- by S&P Global. Galaxy Research described it as crypto credit moving “away from a niche product toward broader institutional acceptance.” Since issuance, those bonds have traded roughly 5% tighter on interest, a signal that institutional buyers are pricing the underlying credit well. Among the 14% who already borrow against their crypto, the behavior mirrors how wealthy people use mortgages or securities-backed loans — accessing cash without selling a long-term asset. The research found 72% of crypto holders agree that Bitcoin-backed loans give them a way to access funds without selling their holdings. Regional differences emerged too. Australian respondents were more likely than Americans to borrow as part of a financial plan and to shop around between lenders, reflecting a more fragmented market in Australia where no single platform has locked up the category. Ledn’s co-founders first made the $1 trillion forecast publicly at the Bitcoin 2026 Conference in Las Vegas in April. The company has serviced more than $10 billion in loans since launching in 2018 and operates in more than 100 countries.

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