New Hampshire Breaks Ground With First $100M Bitcoin-Backed Bond

TLDR: 

  • New Hampshire authorizes a $100M Bitcoin-backed bond that uses over-collateralized BTC to protect investors.
  • The bond structure allows borrowers to raise capital without selling Bitcoin or creating taxable events.
  • Fees and potential Bitcoin gains move into a state fund focused on innovation and economic growth.
  • The model creates an entry point for digital assets into the $140T global debt market.

New Hampshire has taken a major step into digital finance after approving a $100 million Bitcoin-backed conduit bond. The authorization came from the state’s Business Finance Authority, according to reporting from Crypto In America

The deal lets corporate borrowers use over-collateralized Bitcoin without exposing taxpayers to repayment risk. The approval also follows the state’s recent push to allow limited public fund exposure to digital assets.

Bitcoin-Backed Bond Marks First Entry Into Municipal Finance

The bond uses a structure developed by Wave Digital Assets and Rosemawr Management, designed to link crypto collateral with traditional fixed-income rules. 

Crypto In America reported that the Bitcoin will sit with a private custodian, with BitGo named as the firm handling the collateral. The setup mirrors typical muni and corporate borrowing standards while adding liquidation levels to protect investors. 

Borrowers post about 160 percent collateral, and forced sales occur if coverage drops toward 130 percent.

State officials see the structure as a controlled environment for assessing how Bitcoin performs as high-grade collateral. The Business Finance Authority plays a conduit role, according to Crypto In America, meaning it approves and oversees the packaging but carries no debt liability. 

The program builds on legislation that created New Hampshire’s strategic Bitcoin reserve earlier this year. The framework lets companies unlock capital while holding their digital assets long-term.

Fees from the transaction, along with any gains on the collateral, will move into the state’s Bitcoin Economic Development Fund. The fund supports projects focused on innovation and business activity across the region. 

Orrick, one of the country’s major muni bond firms, supported the structure-design process. The approval positions New Hampshire as the first U.S. state to advance this model through an official financing authority.

Opening a Path Into the $140T Global Debt Market

The global bond market exceeds $140 trillion, and Crypto In America noted that the United States represents more than $58 trillion of that total. The new structure offers a template for bringing crypto reserves into active financial use rather than keeping them idle. 

Wave Digital Assets sees demand building as institutional investors look for regulated ways to access digital collateral. Retirement plans and pension funds represent the type of participants the designers expect to engage once ratings arrive.

The bond could also encourage other states to evaluate collateral frameworks tied to digital assets. Crypto-backed borrowing already exists in private markets, but no municipal model had emerged before this approval. 

The New Hampshire structure may set early baselines for fixed-income products tied to crypto. According to Crypto In America, the team behind the bond views this as the first step in a broader market shift toward regulated digital-asset lending.

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Source: https://blockonomi.com/new-hampshire-breaks-ground-with-first-100m-bitcoin-backed-bond/