The collaboration provides public companies and digital asset treasuries with a compliant gateway to access low-cost stablecoin loans and short-term yield on their Bitcoin holdings.

Mezo, a Bitcoin-native decentralized finance (DeFi) platform, has announced a partnership with the federally chartered digital asset bank Anchorage Digital. The integration is designed to provide institutional clients with a compliant path to leverage their Bitcoin for borrowing and earning yield.

Through Anchorage Digital's Porto wallet, institutions can now use their Bitcoin as collateral to borrow Mezo's USD-peaked stablecoin, MUSD, at a fixed 1% annual interest rate. This offers companies a capital-efficient way to access liquidity without selling their BTC holdings.

Unlocking Bitcoin-Based Yield and Governance

Beyond borrowing, the partnership introduces new short-term yield mechanisms for institutional Bitcoin portfolios. Clients can lock their Bitcoin for periods ranging from six to 30 days to receive veBTC, a tokenized representation of their staked position.

This veBTC token allows holders to share in Mezo's on-chain network fees, with higher rewards offered for longer commitment periods. It also grants governance rights, giving institutions a voice in the protocol's fee structure and economic policies.

Matt Luongo, CEO of Mezo's parent company Thesis, framed the development as a step toward a foundational vision for Bitcoin. “Mezo is realizing Hal Finney's vision for a Bitcoin banking experience that issues its own digital currency backed by Bitcoin, acting as banks did before they became nationalized,” Luongo said.

A Growing Trend in Bitcoin-Backed Finance

The move comes amid a significant surge in Bitcoin-backed borrowing and lending products throughout 2025. A February report from law firm Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt estimated this market could grow to $45 billion by 2030.

Recent developments underscoring this trend include:

• Tether's investment in consumer lending platform Ledn, which originated $392 million in Bitcoin-backed loans in Q3 2025.
• Cantor Fitzgerald's collaboration with Maple Finance and FalconX to execute its first Bitcoin-backed loan.
• Block Earner's rollout of Bitcoin-backed home loans in Australia.

The Mezo-Anchorage partnership signals the continued maturation of Bitcoin-based financial services, bringing sophisticated DeFi primitives like fixed-rate borrowing and tokenized staking directly to institutional balance sheets.