Hunter Albright, Chief Revenue Officer of bitcoin-backed lending platform SALT Lending, expects a growing share of bitcoin holders to borrow against their coins rather than sell them — a shift he says will create a new relationship between bitcoin, credit and stablecoins over the next three to five years.

Bitcoin-backed lending could become an increasingly important part of how holders access the value of their bitcoin without selling it, according to Albright. Speaking on BMTV, he said he expects borrowing against bitcoin to become more common as the market matures and holders become more comfortable using their bitcoin as collateral.

The mechanics mirror collateralized lending elsewhere: a holder pledges bitcoin to a lender and borrows against a portion of its value, often receiving the proceeds in stablecoins or fiat, with the pledged coins released back once the loan is repaid. As with any collateralized loan, the collateral can be liquidated if its value falls below the lender’s required level.

“I’d like to think we will see a growing percentage of the population of bitcoin holders borrow against it,” Albright said.

In a post on X shared by BMTV on September 15, 2026, the network highlighted Albright’s outlook on where bitcoin lending goes over the next three to five years:

SALT Lending CRO Hunter Albright on where Bitcoin lending goes over the next 3 to 5 years: "I'd like to think we will see a growing percentage of the population of bitcoin holders borrow against it" "I do believe people borrowing against their bitcoin and leveraging stables is… pic.twitter.com/VFQgvNyHuI — BMTV (@watchbmtv) September 15, 2026

For Albright, that shift could also change how bitcoin and stablecoins function alongside one another.

“I do believe people borrowing against their bitcoin and leveraging stables is the difference between money in motion and money at rest,” he said. “The speed of conversion really creates a utility and advantage for people willing to operate in that ecosystem.”

In that framework, bitcoin increasingly becomes “money at rest” — an asset held for the long term — while stablecoins, digital tokens designed to track the value of a reference asset (most commonly the U.S. dollar), serve as “money in motion,” providing liquidity that can be transferred and used more easily without requiring holders to sell their bitcoin. Under that model, the coins themselves stay untouched while borrowed liquidity circulates around them.

A Behavioral Shift for Bitcoin Holders

Getting there, however, will require more than simply building lending products.

Albright said greater education around both Bitcoin itself and the mechanics of borrowing against bitcoin will be necessary before the behavior becomes mainstream — something SALT Lending has made part of its own efforts in the market.

It also requires a change in how bitcoin holders think about the value stored in their assets. Instead of viewing bitcoin only as something to accumulate and eventually sell, holders can potentially use it as collateral to access liquidity while maintaining their bitcoin exposure.

That model is already common elsewhere in finance, where owners of real estate, equities and other assets regularly borrow against their holdings rather than liquidating them.

For bitcoin holders, there can also be tax advantages. In the U.S., borrowing against an asset generally does not itself constitute a taxable sale, whereas selling appreciated bitcoin can trigger capital gains taxes. Individual tax consequences depend on the structure of the transaction and the borrower’s circumstances, and readers should consult a tax advisor.

Albright sees that combination — long-term bitcoin holdings, growing stablecoin adoption and easier access to credit — as part of a broader shift in how bitcoin holders may eventually use their wealth. Rather than bitcoin needing to move every time its value is put to use, bitcoin can remain at rest liquidity moves around it.

The three-to-five-year horizon Albright outlines gives that thesis a concrete progression to watch: whether education efforts narrow the knowledge gap he identifies, and whether stablecoin usage keeps expanding alongside long-term holdings — the combination he describes as turning borrowing against bitcoin from an exceptional move into a routine one.

SALT Lending is a paid sponsor of BMTV and serves as BMTV’s Official Liquidity Sponsor. This article is sponsored content and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Bitcoin Magazine. The information provided is for promotional purposes and should not be considered financial advice. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research before making any investment decisions related to Bitcoin or other financial products mentioned herein.

The original report, “The Next 3-5 Years of Bitcoin Lending,” was written by Josh Plischke and first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.