“Bitcoin is a digital bearer asset. It’s the only truly bearer asset that a bank can lend against.” — Alan Lane, Former CEO of Silvergate Bank

Lane's insights at the Bitcoin MENA Conference stemmed from his banking experience rather than external speculation.

He pushed back on the industry’s obsession with stablecoins and reframed Bitcoin lending as the most conservative on-ramp for banks — not because it’s exciting, but because it’s structurally clean. Overcollateralization, clear collateral, and no issuer risk.

What stood out:
✅ Bitcoin treated as collateral, not a payment product
✅ Overcollateralization doing the real risk work
✅ Stablecoins introducing liability complexity
✅ Regulatory limits shaping bank behavior more than demand

The signal here wasn’t ideological. It was pragmatic. If banks engage with crypto at all, it may start where balance sheets and risk committees feel most comfortable: secured lending.

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