Michael Saylor Calls for Bank Custody and Lending of Bitcoin, Envisions $100 Trillion Digital Asset Industry

MicroStrategy chairman Michael Saylor outlined a plan for U.S. banks to store Bitcoin for customers and issue loans backed by the cryptocurrency. He presented the proposal after speaking at the Bitcoin Policy Institute’s Freedom Tech DC summit.

Bank Services Saylor Wants for Bitcoin

Saylor wants banks to provide three distinct services:

• Custody – securely holding Bitcoin on behalf of clients.
• Lending – extending credit secured by the deposited Bitcoin under clear rules.
• Proprietary positions – allowing banks to take positions with their own capital, separate from client services.

He argues that the Basel capital framework, which assigns a 1,250 % risk weight to the riskiest class of crypto holdings, makes current treatment overly restrictive.

Potential Impact on the Digital Asset Market

Saylor believes that wider bank adoption would attract fresh capital to Bitcoin, a fixed‑supply asset, and drive growth in the broader digital‑asset sector. MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin Banking Adoption Index showed a 32 % uptake among major banks in July.

Why $100 Trillion?

Saylor links the $100 trillion figure to the rise of artificial‑intelligence agents that will conduct transactions at software speed, requiring a money system that can operate continuously. He suggests Bitcoin and other digital assets are suited to that future economy, though he provides no specific timeline.

Regulatory Path Forward

Following the Senate’s narrow defeat of the CLARITY Act, Saylor proposes that the SEC, CFTC, Treasury, and the White House work together over the next two years to create workable rules for Bitcoin custody and credit. He views this regulatory route as more promising than further congressional action.