Newrez to Accept Crypto as Mortgage Assets in 2026

Newrez, a major U.S. mortgage lender and servicer, announced it will begin accepting select cryptocurrency holdings as qualifying assets for mortgage applications starting in February 2026. The policy, limited to the company's non-qualified mortgage products, allows borrowers to use digital assets without liquidating them, potentially easing access to home financing for a growing segment of younger investors.

The initiative applies to Newrez's Smart Series line, which covers home purchases, refinancings and investment properties outside standard government-backed lending guidelines. Eligible assets include Bitcoin, Ethereum, U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoins and spot exchange-traded funds backed by those cryptocurrencies. Borrowers can leverage these holdings to verify assets or estimate income during underwriting, a departure from past practices that required selling digital investments and incurring taxable events.

To participate, assets must be held with U.S.-regulated entities, such as compliant exchanges, fintech platforms, brokerages or nationally chartered banks. Self-custody wallets and decentralized finance protocols are excluded. Newrez will apply market-adjusted...