Birch Hill raises $4 million to blockchain farm, apartment loans

Birch Hill, a fintech startup founded by former Goldman Sachs and BlackRock executives, announced a $4 million seed round on Tuesday, led by crypto‑focused venture firm Multicoin Capital. The funding will be used to create a regulated pipeline that moves U.S. farm and apartment‑complex loans onto blockchain networks. Birch Hill’s goal is to let investors buy and sell fractional shares of these loans in a secure, compliant environment.

The move comes as the crypto industry seeks real‑world use cases beyond speculative tokens. Tokenizing loans can unlock liquidity for lenders and give investors exposure to assets that were previously hard to trade. Recent regulatory guidance from the SEC and the Treasury’s focus on stable, asset‑backed digital securities have made the timing favorable. Traditional finance firms are also exploring blockchain to cut costs and speed up settlement, and Birch Hill’s leadership hopes to bridge the gap between Wall Street expertise and decentralized technology.

Industry analysts say the $4 million raise signals confidence that a regulated on‑chain loan market could attract institutional money. Birch Hill plans to pilot the platform with a handful of farm and multifamily property loans later this year, working with state‑chartered banks to meet compliance standards. If successful, the model could expand to other commercial‑real‑estate assets and inspire more fintechs to pursue similar on‑chain solutions. The next steps include securing additional licensing, building the smart‑contract infrastructure, and attracting early investors to test the marketplace.