Crypto startup Meanwhile has raised $40 million to scale its Bitcoin-denominated life insurance business, targeting so-called “inflation-prone economies” where policyholders may seek alternatives to traditional fiat-based payouts.

The Series A investment round was led by Framework Ventures and Fulgur Ventures, with additional participation from Xapo founder Wences Casares, the company disclosed on April 10. 

Meanwhile previously secured $20.5 million in seed funding backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and others.

Source: Meanwhilelife

Regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority, Meanwhile offers a whole life insurance policy denominated in Bitcoin (BTC), giving policyholders the ability to safeguard the value of their life insurance against currency debasement. 

Policyholders can access the value of their life insurance anytime through loans and tax-free partial withdrawals. 

Meanwhile co-founder Zac Townsend told Fortune that the company’s life insurance policies operate similarly to typical life insurance policies, but monthly premiums are paid in Bitcoin. When a policyholder passes away, their family receives the value of the claim entirely in BTC. 

The company’s policies are geared toward clients living in regions with high inflation or currency instability, Townsend said. Given the inflationary tendencies of Western economies and the extreme currency fluctuations in emerging markets, Meanwhile has cast a very wide net on its addressable market. 

Related: Bitcoin price could rally even as global trade war rages on — Here’s why

Bitcoin and the inflation problem

Bitcoin’s deflationary design has made it a popular store of value for early cryptocurrency adopters, but its role as an inflation hedge in the traditional sense is subject to debate. 

A 2025 study that appeared in the Journal of Economics and Business determined that Bitcoin’s inflation-hedging abilities have weakened in recent years due to rising institutional adoption. The study referenced Bitcoin’s 60% drop in 2022 when US inflation surged to a 40-year high above 9%.

However, some analysts may counter that claim by arguing that investors purchased Bitcoin during the pandemic on expectations that inflation would rise due to massive government stimulus.

During this period, “Investors saw that inflation was coming, so they began buying bitcoin hand-over-fist,” said investor and analyst Anthony Pompliano.

Regardless of whether Bitcoin meets the technical definition of an inflation hedge, the asset has significantly outperformed inflation, or the debasement of currency, since its inception. 

The Bitcoin price dipped below $80,000 on April 10 after the latest US inflation data triggered renewed volatility in the market. Nevertheless, the report showed a sharp deceleration in annual inflation in March, with the Consumer Price Index falling to 2.4% from 2.8% in February.

The Bitcoin price experienced heavy intraday volatility following the latest US CPI data. Source: Cointelegraph

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