Coin Stories with Natalie Brunell

Episode: Andrew Hohns – How Bitcoin Changes Real Estate Forever

Date: February 12, 2026
Guest: Andrew Hohns (Founder & CEO, Newmarket Capital and Battery Finance)

Episode Overview

In this compelling conversation, Natalie Brunell sits down with Andrew Hohns to explore how Bitcoin is poised to fundamentally reshape real estate and credit markets. The discussion delves into issues of monetary debasement, the evolution of savings and investment vehicles, and Battery Finance’s innovative use of Bitcoin as collateral and an “energy battery” within real estate finance structures. Hohns discusses why Bitcoin’s technology and principles offer an egalitarian solution for value storage and wealth building—potentially democratizing access to better financial future.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bitcoin’s Egalitarian Nature and Hohns' Bitcoin Journey

• Bitcoin as an equalizer (00:00):
  Hohns opens by emphasizing that Bitcoin is intrinsically egalitarian — available to everyone on the same terms:

  "No matter what race you are, religion, no matter the shape of your body or your profession, or your level of education, you access the Bitcoin network on the exact same terms... It doesn’t matter how much you have, how little you have." – Andrew Hohns (00:00)

• Personal journey (01:10):
  Hohns’ entry into Bitcoin accelerated with the 2020 founding of Newmarket during COVID’s liquidity surge, against a backdrop of repeated financial crises and bailouts revealing the dollar’s weaknesses.

2. From Traditional Finance to Bitcoin Conviction

• Crisis, bailouts & monetary debasement (02:28):
  Hohns, having spent his career in traditional finance, saw central banks’ recurring interventions as masking underlying value erosion:

  "There have been a series of crises... What we have seen over 25 years now is that at the first hint of some difficulty... there’s more money. It has the effect of kicking the can, papering over, which results in people getting repaid, but in dollars that are worth much less." – Andrew Hohns (03:13)

• Bitcoin as a unique asset (04:49):
  Its finiteness, divisibility, and technological capabilities make Bitcoin singularly poised to absorb fiat debasement energy.

3. Bitcoin and Credit: The Battery Model for Real Estate

• Credit meets Bitcoin: A practical innovation (14:53):
  By pairing Bitcoin with income-generating real estate, Battery Finance creates new collateral structures that buffer against inflation and volatility, unlocking innovative ways to align borrower and lender interests.
• Case Study – Multifamily Building in Philadelphia (21:24):

  "In the case of that, about 20 bitcoin are in that structure. It was a $12.5 million loan." – Andrew Hohns (21:24)

• Real estate applications (15:16–21:18):
  Structures allow property owners to “redenominate” equity out of dollars and into Bitcoin, while also providing borrowers with flexibility and lenders with additional security via Bitcoin’s liquidity and appreciation.
• Demand for Bitcoin mortgages (25:18):
  Brunell notes high listener interest in the concept; Hohns envisions Bitcoin as a key “equity” for long-term residential mortgages, with borrowers likely to outperform due to strong incentives to remain current.

4. Macro Picture – Fiat Decline, Asset Inflation, and a New Reserve Paradigm

• The ‘fiat experiment’ (08:50):
  Hohns points out that fiat debasement is global, not just an American issue:

  "It’s not just a US thing, it’s more of a fiat thing." – Andrew Hohns (09:27)

• Outlook for Treasuries, rates, and the dollar (10:52):
  Predicts weaker dollar, lower rates, and more monetary energy flowing to scarce assets—gold, silver, and, soon, Bitcoin.
• Robot economy & machine readable money (11:43):

  "Autonomous agents are going to seek payment ... in a machine readable digital currency ... not something that can be debased." – Andrew Hohns (11:59)

5. The Changing Housing Market & Store of Value Debate

• Bitcoin ‘chomping’ other stores of value (30:54):
  Hohns uses the metaphor of Bitcoin as “Pac-Man,” consuming the monetary premium of collectibles, gold, art—eventually even homes.
• Homes: Shelter vs. Store (32:22):

  "A house is way more useful than, you know, the Pokemon cards… But with [mortgages], it’s become… the largest single investment families have." – Andrew Hohns (32:40)

• Bitcoin mortgages as a ‘battery’ for homeowners (34:20):
  Even a fraction of a Bitcoin integrated into a mortgage could outpace the value of the home over decades, providing new financial flexibility.

6. Bitcoin in Credit Structures vs. Pure-Bitcoin Credit

• Contrasting approaches (36:40):
  Hohns distinguishes Battery’s model (pairing income-producing assets with Bitcoin) from other approaches like perpetual preferreds (e.g., Strategy, Strive), arguing the latter’s lack of income stream limits institutional adoption.

  "We’re focused on... how can we build with this tool in a way that makes credit investing more attractive for the conventional credit and a way that makes borrowing more attractive..." – Andrew Hohns (40:21)

7. Pushbacks: Institutional Involvement and ‘Purity’ Debates

• Skepticism in Bitcoin community (41:08):
  Some object that credit products recreate fiat’s problems, but Hohns advocates pragmatism to meet real financial needs amid ongoing fiat debasement.
• Bitcoin’s egalitarian access (43:55, restated from intro):

  "...Bitcoin is an egalitarian asset... you access the Bitcoin network on the exact same terms as everyone else accesses." – Andrew Hohns (44:03)

• On institutional co-option fears (53:38):
  • Hohns urges listeners: Educate yourself, engage with the community, and recognize Bitcoin’s ability to “change” even large institutions for the better through its incentive structures.

  "If you want to preserve the authenticity of bitcoin's capabilities, freedom, money... learn about it, learn how to take custody... it's a very rich topic..." – Andrew Hohns (53:41)

  • He sees widespread Bitcoin adoption as leading to a technological and industrial "renaissance" rather than loss of individual freedoms.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the ongoing cycle of bailouts and inflation

  • "At the first hint of some difficulty, there are measures ... more money. It has the effect of kicking the can ... [people] get repaid, but in dollars that are worth much less." – Andrew Hohns (03:13)

• Bitcoin as a technological necessity for the AI and robotics future

  • "Autonomous agents are going to seek payment for their services and they'll wish to be paid in a machine readable digital currency... that's not in the control of humans." – Andrew Hohns (11:50)

• Explaining Bitcoin-backed real estate structures

  • "What if we were to make a $7.5 million or $8 million refinancing ... instead of cash out, it's bitcoin in ... Bitcoin serves as additional collateral for the loan." – Andrew Hohns (17:22)

• On Bitcoin’s power as an egalitarian, global tool

  • "Someone in Malawi is saving in the same unit as somebody in Michigan or Maine. And what can you say that of? Nothing, really." – Andrew Hohns (45:19)

• Bitcoin as Pac-Man for stores of value

  • "Bitcoin is like a pac man and it's eating every other store of value as it encounters it ... art, chomp. Silver, chomp, gold, chomp." – Andrew Hohns (31:08)

• On institutions entering Bitcoin

  • "As time rolls on, many companies will be changed. Procter and Gamble will soon be changed by this ... Banks will soon be changed by this... We're talking about a technological renaissance, an industrial renaissance, a human renaissance." – Andrew Hohns (57:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic / Quote | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Bitcoin’s egalitarian nature | | 01:10 | Andrew Hohns’ Bitcoin journey | | 03:13 | Bailouts, monetary debasement, and why Bitcoin matters | | 08:50 | The global fiat experiment and monetary expansion | | 11:43 | Autonomous agents & the need for digital, non-human money | | 14:53 | Integrating Bitcoin with credit—innovating in real estate | | 21:24 | Philadelphia multifamily deal: Bitcoin as loan collateral | | 25:18 | Surging demand for Bitcoin-backed mortgages | | 30:54 | Bitcoin “chomping” other stores of value, including homes | | 36:40 | Institutional Bitcoin credit products vs. Battery’s hybrid structures | | 41:08 | Pushback from Bitcoin purists on credit products | | 43:55, 44:03 | Bitcoin’s global, equal access and fungibility | | 53:38 | Addressing fears of institutional “co-option” of Bitcoin | | 57:20 | Bitcoin’s impact on institutions and the larger economic renaissance |

Tone and Language

The conversation is accessible yet sophisticated, with Hohns favoring nuance and depth but using metaphors (“Pac-Man”, “battery”) to ground complex ideas. Brunell brings curiosity and grounding questions, remaining focused on practical, policy, and individual-level impacts.

Conclusion

Hohns’ vision situates Bitcoin as a catalyst not only for financial empowerment and inflation protection but for a broader technological and industrial renaissance. By integrating Bitcoin into traditional lending and real estate structures, he argues, society can unlock new levels of flexibility, security, and egalitarian wealth-building — with the potential to uplift individuals and institutions alike.

Closing Message:
Natalie thanks Andrew for his innovative thinking and hopes listeners see the potential of Bitcoin to positively transform finance, real estate, and society.