Xapo Bank has been pushing a simple message to long-term Bitcoin holders: do not just park your coins, put them to work. From its base in Gibraltar, the Bitcoin-first bank has built a suite of “wealth” products that turn both USD and BTC balances into yield, with all returns paid out in Bitcoin.
For Bitcoiners weighing counterparty risk after a string of yield-platform blowups, Xapo’s approach is worth a closer look, both for what it offers and for what it deliberately avoids.
A regulated Bitcoin bank, not a typical yield platform
Xapo started in 2013 as a Bitcoin wallet and vault, and has since evolved into a fully licensed bank and virtual asset service provider (VASP) in Gibraltar. Fiat services are provided by Xapo Bank Limited, a regulated credit institution, while Bitcoin and other digital asset services are provided by Xapo VASP Limited under a DLT license.
The pitch is that you can hold USD and BTC side by side, earn interest on both, and use a global debit card with BTC cashback, in a structure that looks and feels more like private banking than a retail exchange account. Third-party reviewers describe it as a premium product, complete with a reported USD 1,000 annual membership fee and a target market of larger Bitcoin holders rather than casual users.
That context matters, because Xapo’s Bitcoin wealth proposition integrates these banking services with access to distinct investment products, rather than operating as a standalone DeFi or CeFi yield product.
USD and BTC savings, yield paid in Bitcoin
At the core of Xapo’s offering are two savings products: USD Savings and BTC Savings. Both pay a variable annual rate, and in both cases the interest is credited daily to the customer’s Bitcoin balance, in satoshis.
USD Savings
USD held at Xapo can be moved into a savings bucket that pays interest at a variable APY, with daily payouts in Bitcoin. There is no minimum beyond a relatively small threshold (around USD 20 equivalent) and no lock-up, so funds can be moved back to spending or withdrawn at any time.
Xapo is explicit about how this yield is generated. In a June 2025 explainer, the bank says it does not lend or leverage member deposits; instead, it uses its own capital to buy short-term US Treasury bills and other high-quality liquid assets, and pays yield to customers out of those returns.
That model is closer to a traditional bank using its balance sheet than to a high-risk crypto lender recycling client funds.
BTC Savings
For Bitcoin holders, BTC Savings is positioned as the “simplest way to make your Bitcoin productive.” Interest is variable, paid daily in BTC, and currently applies up to a capped balance, with support documentation indicating that the yield is earned on the first 5 BTC held in savings.
Crucially, Xapo says Bitcoin in the savings product is not lent out or traded. The same blog post that lays out the USD strategy states that the bank does not expose member deposits to external lending risk, and that yield is again funded from Xapo’s own capital.
For risk-averse Bitcoiners, that “no rehypothecation” stance is a key differentiator from the blow-up-prone yield shops of the last cycle.
BTC Credit Fund, for higher yield and higher risk
Alongside the savings products, Xapo has introduced a BTC Credit Fund, which is clearly aimed at wealthier clients. The fund targets up to 4 percent annual growth, denominated in Bitcoin, with all returns paid in BTC. Minimum ticket size is high, at the BTC equivalent of USD 120,000, and investors must pass an appropriateness assessment in-app.
The mechanics here are very different from BTC Savings. Customer Bitcoin is pooled by the fund to invest in a master fund, which lends out to vetted financial institutions, such as asset managers, exchanges and other regulated counterparties, who pay interest on the BTC they borrow. The strategy is described as short term and conservative, with no leverage and no speculative trading, but it is still an active credit fund that depends on counterparties paying back what they owe.
Lock-ups and liquidity terms also reflect that reality. There is a 30-day notice period for redemptions, withdrawals are processed on a monthly cycle, and investors may wait several weeks from redemption request to funds returning to their Xapo wallet. Fees, including management and performance fees, are charged at the fund level and baked into the net asset value rather than debited from a customer’s bank account.
In other words, BTC Savings behaves like an interest-bearing account with instant access, while the BTC Credit Fund is an investment product, with higher return potential and a materially different risk profile.
Security, guarantees and what can still go wrong
On the security side, Xapo leans heavily on its reputation as a long-standing Bitcoin custodian. The company highlights its use of multi-party computation (MPC), “hidden bunker” vaults on multiple continents, and audit frameworks such as SOC 2 and PCI-DSS.
Regulatory structure is also part of the sales pitch. Xapo Bank Limited is a licensed credit institution in Gibraltar, and fiat deposits are covered by the Gibraltar Deposit Guarantee Scheme, subject to statutory limits. Bitcoin balances and investments in the BTC Credit Fund, however, are not covered by any deposit guarantee scheme, and both the blog and FAQ are very direct about capital being at risk, with standard warnings that you could lose all the money you invest.
Even in the “safer” BTC Savings setup, users still face obvious exposures:
- Custodial risk: Xapo controls the keys, so there is the usual trade-off between convenience and self-custody.
- Platform and jurisdiction risk: Clients rely on Gibraltar’s regulatory regime and Xapo’s solvency and operational security.
- Yield variability: APYs on both USD and BTC are variable, can change at any time, and are only knowable in real time inside the app.
In the BTC Credit Fund, investors add counterparty credit risk on top. Xapo and its external manager stress due diligence and conservative underwriting, but if borrowers default in a severe stress scenario, the fund could suffer losses that flow through to investors’ BTC balances. Investors should read the Fund’s Offering Memorandum and Key Information Document (KID) for a full list of risks.
Where Xapo’s wealth offering fits in the current Bitcoin landscape
For Bitcoin holders who want to stay long BTC, avoid trading, and still see their stack grow over time, Xapo’s proposition is a relatively clean proposition:
- BTC and USD savings with daily Bitcoin payouts, no lock-ups, and no rehypothecation of customer deposits.
- An optional, higher risk BTC Credit Fund for those comfortable lending into institutional markets in pursuit of up to 4 percent BTC-denominated returns.
The trade-off is that this is a premium, custodial solution. Membership fees, eligibility restrictions and jurisdictional limits mean it is not a universal answer for everyone in the market, and anyone using the products still needs to be comfortable with both the bank and Gibraltar’s regulatory framework.
As the industry moves away from opaque, high-yield promises and toward more transparent, regulated structures, Xapo’s Bitcoin wealth strategy is a good case study of how banks are trying to merge traditional balance-sheet models with a Bitcoin standard.
Whether that is attractive depends on your priorities; for some, the ability to stack sats passively inside a regulated bank will outweigh the costs, while others will still prefer the purity of self-custody and zero counterparty exposure.
Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. The Xapo Byzantine BTC Credit Fund is a complex financial product where capital is at risk. It is not covered by the Gibraltar Deposit Guarantee Scheme. Available only to eligible investors who pass an appropriateness assessment. Issued by Xapo Bank Limited.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. CryptoSlate does not endorse any of the projects mentioned in this article. Investors are encouraged to perform necessary due diligence.
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