Michael Saylor says all major US banks seek Bitcoin advice

Two years ago, the idea of Jamie Dimon’s bank calling Michael Saylor for Bitcoin tips would have sounded like fan fiction. Now, according to Saylor himself, that’s exactly what’s happening.

Speaking at Bitcoin MENA 2025 in Abu Dhabi, the Strategy executive chairman claimed that every major US bank has reached out to him for guidance on Bitcoin over the past six months. He specifically named BNY Mellon, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Charles Schwab, JPMorgan, and Citi as institutions seeking his counsel on integrating Bitcoin into their financial offerings.

From skeptics to students

Strategy holds approximately 818,000 BTC, making it far and away the largest corporate Bitcoin treasury on the planet. That stash is worth tens of billions of dollars and has effectively turned the company into a proxy for institutional Bitcoin exposure.

According to Saylor’s remarks at the conference, eight of the top 10 US banks are now issuing credit backed by Bitcoin or Bitcoin-related instruments, including products tied to BlackRock’s IBIT ETF. Banks aren’t just holding Bitcoin for clients anymore. They’re building lending and credit products around it, treating it more like Treasury bonds than a speculative token.

Credit products backed by Bitcoin mean the asset is being woven into the same financial plumbing that runs mortgages, corporate lending, and wealth management. It’s not just a portfolio allocation anymore. It’s collateral.

Custody and credit: the 2026 pipeline

Saylor also indicated that Wells Fargo and Citi are preparing to roll out Bitcoin custody services in 2026. Once custody is in place, the credit products are expected to follow. That means clients could potentially use Bitcoin as collateral for loans, lines of credit, or other financial instruments that have historically been reserved for traditional assets like equities and real estate.

What this means for investors

These claims are coming from Michael Saylor, a man whose entire corporate identity is built on Bitcoin going up. Strategy’s massive BTC position means every positive headline about institutional adoption directly benefits his company’s balance sheet.

The US regulatory environment around crypto has shifted meaningfully, with clearer frameworks emerging for how banks can interact with digital assets. BlackRock’s IBIT ETF has pulled in substantial capital since launch, and the competitive pressure among asset managers to offer Bitcoin exposure has only intensified.

If major banks begin offering custody and credit products in 2026, it could unlock a significant new wave of institutional capital. Many large allocators, pension funds, endowments, and family offices have been sitting on the sidelines specifically because their custodial banks didn’t support Bitcoin.

When Bitcoin can be pledged as collateral at a major bank, it gains a utility layer that pure price speculation never provided. Borrowing against Bitcoin instead of selling it changes the tax calculus, the portfolio management strategy, and the holding behavior of large investors.

The risk is that leveraging Bitcoin through bank credit products amplifies volatility in both directions. We saw what happened when crypto lending platforms like Celsius and BlockFi tried this without proper risk management.

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