From Mortgages to 401(k)s: Policy Shifts Making Crypto Mainstream

by Anita Sonawane
October 1, 2025
Multifamily Education, Real Estate Education
(5)
03 Mins

If you’ve wondered whether crypto would fade away or finally grow up, the last few months have given us the answer: the U.S. is building clear rules for it. From home loans to retirement accounts to dollar-based digital money, crypto is being brought into the financial system step by step.

Here’s a simple tour of what changed, what’s coming, and why it matters—especially for real-world uses like real estate.

Mortgages: Fannie & Freddie may start counting crypto

For the first time, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has told Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the two giant mortgage companies) to make plans for treating crypto as part of a borrower’s financial reserves.

Borrowers wouldn’t need to sell their crypto and convert it to dollars first.
The crypto must be kept on U.S.-regulated exchanges.
Fannie and Freddie would apply safety measures to account for crypto’s price swings.

Why this matters: If this becomes official, homebuyers with crypto could use their holdings to qualify for mortgages. They’d still face rules—like discounts on how much of their crypto counts and strict paperwork—but it’s a big first step.

Stablecoin rules: the U.S. finally has a federal law

On July 18, 2025, the U.S. passed the GENIUS Act, the first national law for stablecoins—digital tokens that stay tied to the U.S. dollar.

The law says stablecoin issuers must:

Hold full dollar reserves.
Provide audits.
Follow anti–money laundering rules.
Be able to freeze or cancel tokens if ordered by law.

Why this matters: Stablecoins already move hundreds of billions every year. Now they have legal guardrails, making them safer and more acceptable to banks, payment processors, and big companies. They allow instant payments any time of day, any day of the year—without the price swings of other cryptocurrencies.401(k)s: crypto is making its way into retirement plans

Two big policy updates just opened the door:

In May 2025, the Department of Labor (DOL) removed its old warning that discouraged crypto in retirement accounts. Employers still need to act responsibly, but crypto is no longer singled out as too risky.
In August 2025, a White House order told the DOL and SEC to make it easier for retirement plans to include “alternative assets” like crypto. Guidance is on the way.

Bottom line: Within a year, it’s likely that many retirement plans will offer regulated options, like Bitcoin or Ethereum ETFs. Some plans already tested this years ago; now it may become much more common.

The real-world problem crypto solves (especially in real estate)

Today’s financial system is slow and restricted to banking hours. Crypto—especially stablecoins—can settle payments in seconds, worldwide, 24/7/365.

Visa has already tested using USDC (a dollar stablecoin) for fast settlements. Global regulators like the IMF and BIS highlight how tokenized digital dollars reduce risks and costs.

For real estate, this could mean:

Instant deposits with proof recorded on the blockchain.
Escrow that automatically releases funds when conditions (like title checks) are met.
Less back-office paperwork and lower risk of wire fraud.

Some U.S. title and escrow companies are already experimenting with blockchain-based closings.

Smart contracts: why Ethereum could benefit most

Smart contracts are computer programs that automatically carry out agreements when conditions are met. They’re now moving from experiments to mainstream finance.

BlackRock’s BUIDL fund, a tokenized dollar fund on Ethereum, passed $1 billion in assets within a year.
DTCC and Chainlink tested publishing mutual fund data directly on-chain, a step toward automating the whole system.
Tokenized U.S. Treasuries and cash-like assets on public blockchains grew to about $7.4 billion in 2025 and are still rising.

Why this matters for Ethereum: As more traditional assets move on-chain, Ethereum becomes the main “settlement layer” where these transactions live. It’s no longer just about crypto trading—it’s about running the plumbing of global finance.

Conclusion

Crypto in the U.S. is shifting from a speculative bet to part of the financial system.

Fannie and Freddie are preparing to count crypto in mortgages.
The U.S. now has its first federal stablecoin law.
401(k) retirement plans are opening up to crypto.

Add in real-world benefits like instant payments, programmable escrow, and tokenized funds, and one thing is clear: crypto is no longer just an experiment—it’s becoming infrastructure.

The exact pace will depend on regulation, execution, and trust. But the direction is set: crypto is not just here to stay. It’s here to work..