---
title: "Crypto Corner: Crypto can play a role in the virtual and physical property game"
description: "Cryptocurrency is increasingly moving into the real world with even the US Federal Housing Finance Agency considering crypto in deciding whether someone has enough assets to qualify for a home loan."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "MEATSPACE VS METAVERSE"
author: "Lindsey Schutters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/lindsey-schutters-2/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-07-08-crypto-corner-crypto-has-role-in-real-and-virtual-property-game/"
published: "2025-07-08T13:18:26"
updated: "2025-07-08T13:18:29"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 342
---

# Crypto Corner: Crypto can play a role in the virtual and physical property game

> Cryptocurrency is increasingly moving into the real world with even the US Federal Housing Finance Agency considering crypto in deciding whether someone has enough assets to qualify for a home loan.

By Lindsey Schutters · Published 8 July 2025, 15:18 SAST · Updated 8 July 2025, 15:18 SAST

## Key points
- The US Federal Housing Finance Agency isconsidering crypto assets as collateral for home loans, proving that in the age of digital property, even imaginary money can help you secure a very real roof over your head.
- Virtual property purchases represent buying compute capacity on servers, not just digital assets.
- Developers often cash out crypto earnings quickly, raising concerns about real-world utility.
- The US Federal Housing Finance Agency is considering crypto assets for home loan qualifications amid a struggling housing market.
- This trend could inspire emerging economies to leverage crypto, potentially linking virtual gains to traditional property investments.

## Content

A recent conversation with a game developer about his exploits in the metaverse revealed something to me that I had never quite understood.

You see, like most rational adults, I couldn’t understand how and why people would spend money on virtual property.

There’s infinite supply because the developers can just make more space, right?

Apparently not. When you’re buying virtual property, you’re actually buying compute capacity (or computing power) on a server somewhere, and that costs money.

Your NFT is like your house key – and GPS coordinates to let that particular part of the internet know where it is (the interplay between the internet and private blockchains is complex, but I digress).

This transaction is also done via the crypto token associated with that blockchain, which is Solana in this particular case. What is concerning is that the developer quickly swaps to a stablecoin and then moves to an exchange to cash out – because some bills can’t be paid with crypto, yet.

Meanwhile, in the meatspace (that’s what early metaverse enthusiasts called the physical world), the [US Federal Housing Finance Agency](https://www.investopedia.com/federal-regulator-opens-doors-to-crypto-in-mortgage-applications-11761381) is considering cryptocurrency when deciding whether someone has enough assets to qualify for a home loan.

So if someone owns R1-million in bitcoin held on Binance, for instance, that might help boost their application.

Why is it considering this? Because the housing market is struggling under high interest rates and including crypto could help more people qualify for loans. It also aligns with a Trump administration push to make the US a global leader in crypto innovation. This is also exactly the kind of thing that is quite catchy for emerging economies that are looking to capitalise on the crypto momentum.

If the idea spreads here, I wonder if that game developer’s crypto earnings could be used to secure a traditional home loan. He could then systematically convert his virtual property gains into rands to pay off the real-world property debt.**DM**

*This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.*

![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/DM-04072025-001-1.jpg)