Aven Launches Bitcoin-Backed Credit Card

WHY THIS MATTERS: The introduction of long-term, fixed-rate credit lines secured by cryptocurrency collateral signifies a critical maturation of the digital asset lending market. This move transforms Bitcoin from a speculative holding into a functional balance sheet asset, giving holders crucial liquidity without triggering an immediate capital gains event—a significant barrier to mainstream crypto utility. By offering a product that competes directly on terms (lower APRs starting at 7.99% and lengthy repayment windows up to 10 years) with traditional financial products, and by leveraging an OCC-regulated custodian for custody, Aven is bridging the gap between decentralized holdings and centralized, regulated credit access. This institutionalized approach is critical for unlocking capital for the mass affluent segment and is a necessary step toward fully integrated crypto-as-collateral services in traditional finance.

Aven, a leading machine-banking platform and provider of asset-backed credit cards, launched the Aven Bitcoin Visa Card, a bitcoin-backed line of credit accessible through a credit card. The card provides consumers with a credit line of up to $1 million without the sale of bitcoin that may trigger a taxable event.

“Bitcoin is becoming a bigger part of people’s lives and net worth, but using bitcoin productively remains challenging,” said Sisun Lee, Aven’s chief of crypto, who announced the launch at the Bitcoin Conference 2026 in Las Vegas. “We built the Aven Bitcoin Visa Card to give bitcoin holders the opportunity to borrow against their bitcoin and access their line of credit through a credit card with lower rates, better terms and rich rewards.”

In a first for bitcoin lending, the Aven Bitcoin Visa Card also offers fixed-rate, fixed-term plans of up to 10 years for cash-outs and balance transfers on the line of credit. Rates for these plans and the line of credit each start at 7.99% APR. By comparison, current bitcoin-backed loans generally have APRs of 10% or more and loan terms of up to 12 months, according to an April 2026 analysis of leading bitcoin-backed loan providers by Aven.

Built for long-term holders, borrowers deposit bitcoin as collateral for the Aven Bitcoin Visa Card with Aven’s infrastructure provider, BitGo Inc., and custodian, BitGo Bank & Trust, National Association, an OCC-regulated digital asset trust bank. The entities, together referred to as BitGo, are subsidiaries of BitGo Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BTGO). The Aven Bitcoin Visa Card is issued by Coastal Community Bank, a Washington state-chartered bank. The card has no annual or origination fees and offers unlimited 2% cash back on purchases.

Learn more about the Aven Bitcoin Visa Card or apply at aven.com/bitcoin-visa-card.

FF NEWS TAKE: Yes, this product definitively moves the needle. By dramatically lengthening the potential term and reducing the floor APR, the Aven Bitcoin Visa Card sets a new performance benchmark in the CeFi lending space. The institutional backing from an OCC-regulated entity also provides a crucial layer of trust that appeals to conservative wealth holders. The key competitive challenge to watch now is whether traditional banks will acquire or build similar digital asset-backed products, or risk losing high-net-worth crypto clients to platforms offering superior tax-efficient credit options.