"HODL" sounds great until you need cash and Uncle Sam wants his cut.
For Bitcoin holders who plan to hodl until death, the challenge isn't just surviving the next bear market (we’re there now). It's protecting that wealth for the next generation, minimizing taxes, and making sure your family doesn't get locked out of your cold wallet.
That’s where Meanwhile comes in.
They are the first fully licensed Bitcoin-denominated life insurance company, and they just raised a $40 million Series A from names like Sam Altman, Wences Casares, and Gradient Ventures.
The product is simple: whole life insurance, but in Bitcoin.
You pay premiums in BTC. The policy grows in BTC. Your heirs receive the payout in BTC. And along the way, you get access to Bitcoin-backed policy loans, without triggering capital gains or giving up control.
What is Meanwhile?
Meanwhile is a life insurance company based in Bermuda. It is regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority, one of the toughest insurance regulators in the world. The company offers traditional whole life insurance, but with one major difference.
Everything is denominated in Bitcoin.
Premiums, policy growth, death benefits, and even policy loans are all settled in sats.
This is not a DeFi yield farm or a tokenized gimmick. It is a regulated insurance product built for Bitcoin holders who want long-term security and tax efficiency.
How It Works
Apply online. It takes less than 30 minutes. No doctor visit required.
Pay premiums in BTC. Either once a year for 10 years, or all at once.
Your policy value grows by 2 percent annually in BTC terms.
After two years, you can borrow up to 90% of the policy’s BTC value.
When you die, your beneficiaries receive more Bitcoin than you put in.
It functions like traditional whole life insurance, but with the added upside of BTC price appreciation and significant tax advantages.
The Tax Advantage
This is where things get interesting. Let’s say you bought 1 BTC in 2020 at $10,000 and opened a policy in 2024 when BTC hit $40,000. Normally, that would mean $30,000 in capital gains, with a 15 percent tax bill of $4,500.
Now fast forward to 2035. BTC is at $500,000. You take a loan of 1 BTC from your policy. That Bitcoin has a new cost basis—$500,000. You sell it immediately and owe nothing in capital gains tax.
If you had just HODL’d, you would owe tax on $490,000 of gains. That’s $73,500 in taxes. With Meanwhile, the same asset creates zero tax liability.
This product isn’t just for people with 100 BTC. You can start with 1 BTC, paying 0.1 BTC per year for 10 years. The maximum size is 50 BTC, which could mean 35 BTC or more in premiums depending on your age and health.
Meanwhile’s products are ideal for:
Bitcoiners who want to protect their family
High-net-worth individuals looking for estate planning tools
Long-term holders who want liquidity without selling
Anyone who wants to avoid capital gains taxes on large BTC positions
Why Meanwhile Works
Unlike most crypto products, Meanwhile is boring in the best way. It is regulated, audited, and uses Anchorage as a bankruptcy-remote custodian. They follow traditional life insurance structures, but built a company from the ground up in Bitcoin terms. The company’s financials are denominated in BTC. Their policies are BTC in, BTC out. Nothing is pegged to fiat.
The core idea is simple. Take a traditional financial product that already has massive tax benefits and rebuild it for a future where Bitcoin is money.
And for people who don’t want to deal with self-custody, seed phrases, and inheritance nightmares, this product is a huge upgrade. You still get the upside of BTC, but with a smoother path for legacy and liquidity.
Final Thoughts
Meanwhile is solving one of the biggest problems in crypto. It gives Bitcoin holders the ability to convert their assets into a long-term financial tool with real-world utility. No token pumps. No complex staking strategies. Just a clean, tax-advantaged way to pass on Bitcoin to the next generation, or tap into it without triggering taxes.
If you’re a serious Bitcoiner and plan to hold for decades, Meanwhile might be the first insurance company that actually gets it.
Learn more at meanwhile.bm (Mention Leviathan when you sign up)
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