For decades, mortgage-lending institutions have operated within a well-defined, conservative framework, valuing cash, bonds, and publicly traded securities as trusted assets. But a seismic shift is underway. On June 25, 2025, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to prepare proposals allowing cryptocurrency held on United States-regulated exchanges to be considered reserve assets in mortgage risk assessments, without converting them to dollars (AP News).
This isn’t a tweak – it’s a door opened. As one analyst put it:
“For the first time, crypto is being treated like traditional financial assets – such as cash, bonds, or publicly traded stocks – within one of the most regulated sectors of the U.S. economy: mortgage lending.” T. Maras
It’s a fascinating development. But what does it mean for accounting and financial professionals – CFOs, advisors, controllers – who aren’t directly in mortgage lending?
The Strategic Context: Why This Matters
- Asset Diversification is More Than Buzz
Allowing crypto, discounted for volatility but still eligible, to serve as reserve assets reflects evolving asset treatment. For finance teams, this signals the need to define how digital assets are recognized, valued, and managed within holistic balance-sheet frameworks. - Risk & Valuation Practices Are Evolving
FHFA mandates that Fannie/Freddie factor in volatility and apply risk-adjusted valuations (in some cases at 70-80% of market value) (Barron’s). For accountants evaluating client or company holdings, this underscores the importance of formal valuation policies and clearly documented reserve methodologies. - Borrower Profiles Expand – And So Do Data Requirements
Younger borrowers increasingly hold crypto. This shift prompts lenders – and by extension, accountants – to capture holdings in digital-asset ledgers, exchange verification, tax cost basis, and liquidity reporting. The professional who answers that need early will stand out.
How Finance & Accounting Leaders Should Respond
| Dimension | Action | Reach Reporting’s Value Play |
|---|---|---|
| Advisory Enabling | Audit client/company digital-asset readiness and documentation. | Reach’s dashboards can centralize wallet holdings, exchange statements, and historical valuations – practically auditing crypto reserves. |
| Policy & Controls | Develop asset-valuation policies (e.g., 70% discount, monthly mark-to-market). | Reach Reporting enables custom rules, flagging under/over valuation, and supporting audit controls. |
| Compliance & Risk | Address volatility-buffer discussions with banks, ensure secure custody, and reduce margin calls. | Reach, by integrating crypto exchange APIs, offers real-time portfolio snapshots – ideal for proving compliance in fast-moving asset classes. |
| Education & Trust-Building | Train CFOs, finance teams, and advisory clients on crypto’s evolving role. | Reach’s thought leadership, webinars, and template dashboards can drive authoritative positioning. |
What Would a Top 0.1% Person in This Field Think?
They’d ask: “Are we positioned not just to document digital-asset holdings, but to anticipate where professional standards, lending policies, and tax treatments are going?”
A top-tier advisor would proactively develop audit-grade trails today: historical holding reports, exchange-verified statements, and volatility-based reserves. They’d ask: “Does this platform adapt as new institutional guidance emerges, like the GENIUS Act or FHFA rule changes?”
That’s the edge. Leading firms will adopt tools that scale across assets – traditional and digital – with robust traceability baked in. They won’t treat crypto as an afterthought; they’ll tap it as part of a full-spectrum wealth and liquidity picture.
Why Reach Reporting?
Reach isn’t just number-crunching software. It’s the glue between asset data and actionable clarity. Firms using Reach can:
- Combine cash flow, and equity in unified dashboards.
- Apply risk-adjusted valuation rules automatically.
- Educate clients via visual reports – e.g., “Your crypto reserves were X% of your total assets last month.”
- Adapt to institutional change – our modular engine lets you update valuation rules and policies in minutes.
That’s leadership. By bringing crypto into advisory conversations early, accountants and advisors demonstrate depth, trustworthiness, and foresight.
Final Thought
Institutional recognition of cryptocurrency as a mortgage-reserve asset isn’t niche. It’s a structural signal: digital assets cross into core financial systems. The question for finance leaders isn’t if they should act, but how quickly and how well.
Reach Reporting empowers professionals to build scalable, compliant frameworks around emerging asset classes – well before regulators finalize all their rules. Because when accounting becomes advice, guided by deep context and data integrity, that’s where true value is delivered.
TL;DR:
- FHFA has formally directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to explore crypto as reserve assets.
- This shift triggers evolving valuation, compliance, and control needs for accountants and finance teams.
- Reach Reporting offers the tools to build, document, educate, and lead in this emerging asset class landscape.
- The 0.1% leaders will be ready today with policies and platforms that meet tomorrow’s institutional benchmarks.