Don’t Sell Your Bitcoin – Access Liquidity Tax-Efficiently With Meanwhile

Writer
Alex Miguel
Editor
Archie Keshan
Archie Keshan
Milk Road Writer

A Quick Recap of Meanwhile:

Meanwhile offers the world’s first regulated, fully Bitcoin-denominated whole life insurance policy

It’s a tool for long-term holders who want to grow their BTC, access liquidity, and pass it on tax-efficiently – without ever needing to sell a single satoshi.

milkman meme, meanwhile users saying: we're not selling our bitcoin!

Sounds clever, right? 

Well, don’t just take it from me. Check out this story from Jason, who’s a very special Meanwhile customer:

When The Product Is So Good, That You Join The Company

Jason, perhaps just like yourself, got into Bitcoin earlier than most. 

He believed in it, held through the volatility, and watched it grow. 

He was a finance guy by trade, but also a family man – house, kids, school costs, the usual. 

So, over the years, he did what many Bitcoin holders end up doing: he sold off small chunks to cover life’s expenses.

It worked… until tax time rolled around. The capital gains hit hard, and the bigger BTC got, the bigger the tax bill became.

That’s when he came across Meanwhile.

“It was a lightbulb moment — I realized I could access the value of my Bitcoin without selling it, which meant no capital gains were triggered. It gave me financial flexibility while staying aligned with long-term tax planning.

It made so much sense to him that he didn’t just become a client. He joined the company, becoming Meanwhile’s Head of Business Development.

Now, Jason helps people just like you – long-term holders who don’t want to sell, don’t want to get hammered by taxes, but still need smart, flexible access to their Bitcoin. 

That’s the magic of Meanwhile.

What’s Holding People Back?

We get it. 

When you first hear about a life insurance policy in Bitcoin, you’re gonna have some questions. After all, you’re putting your hard-earned BTC in someone else’s hands.

Fortunately, these questions all have favorable answers. 

Here are some of the most frequently asked ones:

“Is the Policy Loan really tax-free?”

Yes! If you use it the way it’s designed. 

When you hold BTC inside a Meanwhile policy, it grows tax-free. And if you want to access your funds, you don’t sell – you borrow

In most jurisdictions, that means no capital gains taxes – because you’re not triggering a taxable event. You’re taking a Policy Loan, which is usually treated very differently under tax law.

In fact, you never have to repay the loan if you don’t want to. 

There’s no margin call risk, and the outstanding amount is just subtracted from your death benefit later on.

“What happens if Bitcoin drops?”

This is where it gets interesting. 

With a traditional BTC-backed loan (via a CeFi or DeFi lender), you’re usually borrowing USD against the value of your collateral. 

This means that a price drop for BTC could trigger a margin call and force liquidation.

Not with Meanwhile. Your policy is the collateral, and you’re borrowing BTC – not dollars.

Since there’s no mismatch between assets and liabilities (in other words, you’re borrowing in BTC from a BTC-backed policy), you’re protected from forced liquidation. 

You can even repay the loan opportunistically if the price drops – and capture more upside later.

“Is my Bitcoin safe?”

Meanwhile is licensed and regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) – a globally respected regulator.

It’s good to be cautious about overseas regulators – most often you don’t know what you’re getting into.

You’ll be glad to hear, the BMA is legit, especially for the field of insurance.

They’re well-known for requiring strict capital reserve ratios, conservative risk controls, and regular audits. 

Meanwhile keeps your Bitcoin safe by partnering with Anchorage Digital as its custodian and working closely with Coinbase behind the scenes. 

On top of that, everything at Meanwhile is independently audited and overseen by a seasoned board to make sure things stay transparent and fully above board. 

And here’s a fun fact: Meanwhile is the first company in the world to publish fully audited financials denominated entirely in Bitcoin. 

That’s right, literally a table of numbers with ₿’s in front of them instead of dollar signs!

You can see them for yourself here.

“Who’s behind Meanwhile, anyway?”

That’s a fair question – and the answer’s pretty impressive. 

Just two months ago, Meanwhile raised $40 million in Series A funding, led by heavy hitters like Fulgur Ventures and Framework Ventures – two of the biggest names in Bitcoin and Web3 investing. 

meanwhile's $40m series A funding round and key investors, including openai's sam altman

The company’s also backed by Sam Altman (yeah, the CEO of OpenAI), Xapo Bank founder Wences Casares, and early Stripe exec Lachy Groom – who joined in their earlier seed round. 

Need I say more?

How the Policy Loan Actually Works (And Why It’s a Game-Changer)

We’ve skimmed over Meanwhile’s Whole Life Insurance in a previous article.

But if you haven’t read it already, here’s a real-world example:

  1. Say you fund your policy over 10 years with 1 BTC per year (or all at once).
  2. The policy has an implicit 2% annual compounding rate in BTC – that’s right, 2% on your Bitcoin, paid in Bitcoin!
  3. After 2 years, you can borrow up to 90% of your policy’s surrender value. This comes tax-free, with no repayment schedule.
  4. Since you’re borrowing against your Bitcoin instead of selling it, you’re not triggering any capital gains tax. And if you hang onto it long enough (or pass it on) you might never have to pay those taxes at all.
  5. If you never repay the loan, it’s simply deducted from your death benefit.
illustrative example of a 10 bitcoin policy with meanwhile, and how it progresses in value over time

You get liquidity without selling, without taxes, and without risk of liquidation – pretty damn convenient!

Why It’s Better Than Other BTC Liquidity Options

Let’s compare it side by side:

MeanwhileSelling BTCCeFi LoanDeFi Loan
Tax-free?YesNo (Capital gains tax in most countries)UsuallyUsually
Margin call risk?NoneN/AHighHigh
Interest rate?3%N/A8–14% typicalVaries, often high
LTV (loan-to-value)?Up to 90%N/A50–70%60–75%
Repayment required?NoN/AUsuallyUsually
Complexity?LowLowMediumHigh
Inheritance planning?YesNoNoNo

What makes Meanwhile unique is that it’s an insurance product, not a loan product. This means that the rules are a little different. 

In a nutshell, you get the financial benefits without the financial pressure.

Who’s It Built For?

If you’re actively day trading, this probably isn’t for you.

But if any of the following sound familiar, then it’s worth looking deeper:

  • You’re a Bitcoin long-term holder who believes BTC is a generational asset.
  • You’re trying to avoid capital gains tax on highly appreciated BTC.
  • You want to access cash without giving up your upside.
  • You’re thinking about legacy planning and how to pass on your Bitcoin to your family, tax-free.

Wrapping It Up: The Four Core Benefits

If you take nothing else from this, just remember these four Meanwhile benefits:

  1. Death Benefit: Guaranteed BTC payout that exceeds total premiums paid.
  2. Tax-Free Growth: Compounding 2% annually in BTC, no capital gains.
  3. Policy Loans: Borrow up to 90% of value, no tax, no repayment required.
  4. Stress-Free Inheritance: Set your family up with Bitcoin security, without tax headaches.

The Bottom line: If you believe in Bitcoin, don’t sell your best-performing asset just to get quick cash. Use Meanwhile to grow it, borrow against it, and protect it for future generations.

meanwhile life insurance home page

Secure your Bitcoin’s future – without selling a single sat

It takes 30 minutes to apply for Meanwhile. No doctor’s visits, and no off-ramp needed. 

If you want to get in touch with Meanwhile directly, feel free to shoot them an email at [email protected].

Skip Ahead

FEATURED POST

The Bitget Unified Trading Account: One Account to Rule Them All

Spot, Margin, Futures – All In One Unified Account Ditch the account-juggling – Bitget is changing the game by letting you trade spot, margin & futures all from one unified account. If you’ve ever traded futures or margin on an exchange, you’ll know the drill:  One account for spot, another for futures, a different one…

SEE MORE

Ledger Flex Review 2025: Pros, Cons, & Safety

Is the Ledger Flex the perfect blend of Stax-style features and affordability? Read our first-hand expert review to find out.

SEE MORE

Alex Miguel

Alex is a writer and DeFi enthusiast, with a background in economics. His passion is helping others to understand the next generation of digital finance.