Bitcoin is taking its first formal step into institutional credit as Lombard, in partnership with Cap, an Ethereum-based stablecoin protocol, and Symbiotic, a restaking network, to transform LBTC—Lombard’s yield‑bearing Bitcoin—into active insurance collateral for onchain lending.
Through the integration, LBTC holders can restake their Bitcoin on Symbiotic to underwrite Cap’s institutional USD loans, effectively turning BTC into the guarantee behind stablecoin credit lines. Borrowers pay premiums in USDC for coverage, while restakers earn yield in addition to their native BTC rewards.
According to the announcement, this setup allows institutional borrowers, such as hedge funds and trading firms, to access uncollateralized credit through Cap’s protocol, backed by Bitcoin’s liquidity and enforced through onchain slashing mechanisms. If a borrower defaults, the delegated LBTC is automatically liquidated to cover losses.
The partnership effectively introduces a new utility for Bitcoin beyond passive yield or collateralization. LBTC now operates as programmable collateral that powers credit markets, bridging Bitcoin’s liquidity to Ethereum’s institutional DeFi infrastructure.
Bitcoin as money or credit collateral?
Lombard’s latest move puts Michael Saylor’s famous assertion — “Bitcoin is money, everything else is credit” — to the test. While Saylor envisions Bitcoin as the final form of money, Lombard is building systems where Bitcoin underwrites credit itself.
By restaking LBTC to secure institutional loans through Cap and Symbiotic, Lombard effectively turns Bitcoin into a yield‑bearing insurance asset, a foundation for credit markets rather than an escape from them. It’s a pragmatic counterpoint to Saylor’s monetary purism: instead of rejecting traditional finance, Lombard is absorbing it onchain.
This approach blurs the line between “money” and “credit.” In Lombard’s model, Bitcoin is both—the collateral and the guarantor of repayment. While Saylor champions sound money, Lombard suggests Bitcoin’s future lies not outside credit, but in mastering it.