BitBonds: A Bitcoin Concept to Help the U.S. Manage $14 Trillion in Debt

Matthew Sigel, Head of Digital Asset Research at VanEck, has unveiled a Bitcoin concept to help the U.S. manage $14 trillion in debt.

Matthew Sigel, Head of Digital Asset Research at VanEck, has proposed a Bitcoin concept to help the U.S. manage its $14 trillion debt.

Sigel’s proposal, called “BitBonds,” is an investment product that combines the reliability of traditional U.S. Treasury bonds with the potential growth of Bitcoin. The goal is to protect investors from inflation and asset debasement while simultaneously assisting the U.S. government in financing its debt.

Structure of BitBonds

BitBonds would be 10-year instruments, with 90% of investor capital going into low-risk Treasury securities and the remaining 10% invested in Bitcoin.

Sigel’s design also has the U.S. government purchasing Bitcoin with the funds raised from these bonds. Investors would receive all BTC gains until the maximum annual gain of 4.5%. From this point, the investor would split the gains equally with the government. According to Sigel, this arrangement is an aligned solution for mismatching incentives.

The investor perspective on BitBonds is one of opportunity for substantial returns. Sigel noted that investors could expect a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for Bitcoin between 8% and 17%, depending on the bond’s coupon.

In a positive scenario, where Bitcoin’s performance exceeds expectations, the returns could be even steeper, with a CAGR of 30% to 50%. However, the structure also carries risk.

While investors would share in Bitcoin’s upside, they would also bear its downside. If Bitcoin fails to meet growth expectations, this could diminish the attractiveness of lower-coupon bonds.

The U.S. needs to refinance $14T in debt. Investors want protection from inflation + asset debasement.Enter BitBonds:📎 90% Treasury + 10% BTC📎 Full BTC upside until 4.5% annual return.📎 50/50 BTC upside split thereafterAn aligned solution for mismatched incentives. https://t.co/gmkKLs7PsO pic.twitter.com/rZEJZ1Fb2B

— matthew sigel, recovering CFA (@matthew_sigel) April 15, 2025

Risk Mitigation for the U.S. Government

For the U.S. government, the risks are limited. Even in the worst-case scenario—where Bitcoin loses all its value—the government would still benefit from lower funding costs than traditional bond issuance, as long as the coupon rate is lower than the breakeven point.

Sigel pointed out that, in such a case, the government would have secured inexpensive funding while still keeping the potential upside from Bitcoin’s growth. This hybrid structure offers the government a way to manage its fiscal challenges and exposure to cryptocurrency volatility.

Senator Lummis’ National Debt Cut Strategy

Sigel’s BitBonds proposal aligns closely with Senator Cynthia Lummis’s vision. Lummis has been suggesting that the U.S. government should acquire Bitcoin as a strategy to manage national debt.

She proposed that the U.S. acquires 200,000 Bitcoin annually over the next five years, aiming to accumulate 1 million tokens. Lummis believes this initiative could help cut the national debt by 50% over the next two decades.

Lummis highlighted Bitcoin’s potential as an asset for fiscal stability, especially following the significant monetary expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic, which she stated led to the devaluation of the dollar.