Meanwhile, the Bitcoin life insurer that wants to be your heirs' problem 🪦

The Bermuda-based life insurer licensed to operate entirely in Bitcoin, has raised $37.5 million in new funding from existing investors, bringing its total raised to more than $180 million. The round was led by Bain Capital Crypto, with participation from Haun Ventures, Framework Ventures, Pantera Capital, Apollo, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures and Morgan Creek Digital, the company said Thursday. Backers of Meanwhile also include OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

The company said it received the first license of its kind from the Bermuda Monetary Authority in July 2024 after two years in the regulator's sandbox, and holds all policyholder Bitcoin with regulated institutional custodians. Its balance sheet, reserves and audited financials are denominated in $BTC. The raise follows what Meanwhile described as a record year, driven by international demand from wealthy families in regions including Asia, Europe and the Middle East amid broader macro instability.

In early 2026, Meanwhile launched BTC Life 1-Pay, a single-premium whole life policy aimed at high-net-worth clients outside the United States. Under the policy, a client pays once in $BTC and receives a guaranteed death benefit in $BTC for life, with the policy's value growing in $BTC and the owner able to borrow up to 90% of it after the first year with no repayment schedule or margin calls. It is the company's second product after a 10-payment version, BTC 10-Pay, built for American taxpayers. Policies can be owned by individuals, trusts or companies, the company said, fitting them for succession and estate planning.

Meanwhile said it has signed 15 brokers since launch, including in insurance hubs like Singapore, Hong Kong, the UAE and Switzerland, and that net long-term underwriting income has already surpassed last year's total and is on track to more than double in 2026, without disclosing precise figures. "Wealthy families around the world already hold Bitcoin. What they haven't had is a regulated way to pass it on," said Zac Townsend, Meanwhile's co-founder and CEO. "Brokers came to us because their clients kept asking. This round lets us keep up with them."

The funding comes as a growing number of insurers move to pair $BTC with traditional financial products. Delaware Life teamed up with BlackRock last year to offer Bitcoin exposure through a fixed indexed annuity, reflecting the wider push to weave the volatile asset into long-term planning vehicles.