UK-based mortgage fintech MQube has become the first company in Europe to tokenize mortgage debt on the blockchain, a move it says could redefine the way mortgages are financed and traded.
Key Takeaways:
- MQube has become the first European firm to tokenize £1.3 billion in mortgage debt on the blockchain.
- CEO Stuart Cheetham said tokenization enhances data integrity, security, and traceability.
- The move could boost liquidity for lenders and lower borrowing costs for consumers.
The company announced that its lending arm, MPowered Mortgages, has placed £1.3 billion in mortgage assets on an EVM-compatible blockchain, marking a major milestone in the tokenization of traditional financial products, according to a recent announcement.
Tokenization is a ‘Remarkable’ Step Toward Modernizing Mortgage Lending
Stuart Cheetham, CEO of MQube, said the project represents “a remarkable development for our industry” and an early glimpse of how blockchain can modernize traditional lending.
“Right now, tokenization allows mortgage lenders to achieve data integrity, transaction security, and audit traceability,” he said.
“Once the regulatory and operational framework matures, the opportunity for the mortgage industry is huge.”
Asset tokenization, the process of converting tangible or intangible assets like real estate or debt into digital tokens recorded on a decentralized ledger, has been gaining traction across sectors, but this is the first instance of mortgage debt being brought on-chain in Europe.
Cheetham explained that tokenizing mortgage debt could streamline the transfer of assets between lenders, eliminating much of the legal work involved in refinancing and saving thousands of pounds per transaction.
Beyond efficiency gains, he said, the move paves the way for a blockchain-driven mortgage securitization market, where tokenized mortgage pools can be packaged and traded like traditional bonds.
Such a system could free up capital for lenders, allowing banks and building societies to issue more loans while reducing costs and capital requirements.
For borrowers, the benefits could include lower mortgage costs and greater product variety, as lenders leverage the new liquidity to expand offerings.
MQube, which brands itself as the “One Day Mortgage” fintech, says it aims to merge cutting-edge blockchain technology with traditional mortgage operations to improve speed, transparency, and access across the sector.
“We set out to reinvent the mortgage industry,” Cheetham said. “Now, by combining rapid lending with blockchain innovation, we’re transforming how the entire banking ecosystem can operate.”
Tokenized Real-World Assets May Unlock $400T TradFi Market
In a recent research, Web3 digital property firm Animoca Brands said that tokenization of RWAs could unlock a $400 trillion traditional finance market.
Animoca researchers Andrew Ho and Ming Ruan said the global market for private credit, treasury debt, commodities, stocks, alternative funds, and bonds represents a vast runway for growth.
“The estimated $400 trillion addressable TradFi market underscores the potential growth runway for RWA tokenization,” they wrote.
Meanwhile, according to the 2025 Skynet RWA Security Report, the market for tokenized RWAs could grow to $16 trillion by 2030.
Tokenized U.S. Treasuries alone are projected to reach $4.2 billion this year, with short-term government bonds driving most of the activity.
Institutional interest is accelerating, with major banks, asset managers, and blockchain-native firms exploring tokenization for yield and liquidity management.
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