Zac Townsend, CEO of Meanwhile, on Bitcoin Life Insurance and The Future of Bitcoin Finance | Ep. 446

Adoption Bitcoin Market

Managing Editor

Hristina Yordanova

Managing Editor

Hristina Yordanova

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Hristina, the Managing Editor at Cryptonews.com, has a rich background in crypto journalism spanning almost a decade. She previously contributed to Cointelegraph, DappRadar, and CoinMarketCap,...

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June 16, 2025

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One sleepless night, Zac had his “flash of genius”:

“I woke up in the middle of the night… there should be a Bitcoin life insurance something.”

That memo laid the groundwork for Meanwhile—a Bermuda‑domiciled, Bitcoin‑denominated life insurance company. Policies start at a minimum of one BTC, aimed first at high-net-worth individuals with global ambitions to move “down market,” eventually serving hundreds of millions.

“We owe you entirely in Bitcoin.”

Meanwhile operates like any regulated insurer, with compliance, risk officers, and independent board oversight—but with one radical twist:

“People pay us premiums… in Bitcoin. …The promises we make you are entirely in Bitcoin.”

Everything—from accounting to reserves—uses BTC, insulating the company from currency volatility. Policyholders, confident in Bitcoin as a long-term store of value, choose payouts in BTC rather than fiat, giving their heirs true Bitcoin inheritance.

“Life insurance passes to your beneficiaries tax‑free.”

Life insurance isn’t just protection—it offers powerful tax and estate planning benefits:

“Any compounding that’s happening inside the policy is tax‑free. …You can take a loan out of the policy tax‑free, including capital‑gains‑tax‑free.”

Meanwhile layers these benefits, enabling tax-free compounding and policy loans in Bitcoin. Borrowing doesn’t trigger capital gains, and beneficiaries receive full payouts without tax burdens.

“Borrow from the policy… it’s tax‑free liquidity.”

A main product feature:

“You could borrow a Bitcoin out of the policy… It’s tax‑free liquidity… no collateral to post… we expect you to just eventually die and the loan gets netted out…”

That means policyholders gain access to BTC liquidity today without tax costs, and repayments are simply deducted from the final payout—no messy margin calls or risk of liquidation.

“Duration is our secret weapon.”

Meanwhile generates returns via carefully structured Bitcoin lending:

“We lend to institutional counterparties… we do credit analysis… covenant singularity… not overnight uncollateralized lending.”

Avoiding the pitfalls of Terra, FTX, BlockFi, and others, the company focuses on safe, private‑credit with 1–3 year terms, earning modest 2–3% yields. A specialized repo structure also optimizes tax basis and liquidity in a low-risk framework.

“We’ve taken a centuries‑old business model and injected it into Bitcoin.”

Zac emphasizes stability and continuity:

“We have not innovated at all on the business model of life insurance… We’ve taken this boring incumbent business model and freed that to Bitcoin.”

Meanwhile doesn’t chase DeFi hype—it’s building real, institutional-grade financial infrastructure for Bitcoin futures, from insurance and annuities to lending and legacy planning.

“Argentina is the prototypical example.”

While feel‑good for North Americans, the model is crucial for countries with high inflation:

“If you’re a middle class person in Argentina… you simply don’t buy life insurance because you’re going to live longer than the peso.”

But even that doesn’t stop fiat erosion. Meanwhile uses Bitcoin to offer global individuals inflation-resistant protection and savings.

“First audited financials… entirely in Bitcoin”

Meanwhile is about to release a historic milestone:

“On the morning of June 5th… our audited financials… stated in Bitcoin. There’s no dollar sign… fully in Bitcoin.”

Their insurance company maintains zero fiat—no bank accounts, no dollar balances—underscoring a pure Bitcoin-denominated business model.

“Serving US, Canada, UK—and expanding”

Currently available in the US, Canada, and the UK, While thousands are on their global waitlist:

“We will expand… more countries… more people.”

The roadmap includes deferred annuities (essentially Bitcoin savings accounts) as they scale internationally.