Pay taxes without selling your crypto

Hey Lantern Community,

With April 15 right around the corner, tax season is coming. At the same time, ongoing developments in the Middle East continue to drive volatility in energy markets and traditional finance.

In this volatile environment, having options for liquidity has never been more valuable. Here’s what’s happening and how our customers are approaching tax season this year.

Lantern’s Notes

Fed Holds Steady: Rates remained at 3.50%–3.75% after the March FOMC meeting. Powell noted that while inflation continues to moderate, the geopolitical situation in energy markets adds meaningful uncertainty.

Qatar LNG Update: Recent assessments show the damage at Ras Laffan has taken approximately 17% of Qatar’s LNG export capacity offline. With repairs potentially taking years and force majeure declared, natural gas prices have seen sharp increases.

Iran War: Mixed Signals, High Volatility

The US-Iran conflict is now in its fourth week. Trump claims backchannels are active and Iran "wants to make a deal," pointing to a 15-point U.S. settlement proposal covering Iran's nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz, and proxy support.

Iran's response: "There are no talks taking place." Analysts suggest Trump is using deal-talk to apply pressure while keeping military options open.

BTC dropped from $76k to sub-$68.5k on escalation fears, then bounced 3.5% to $70,800 on Trump's deal-talk. Holding above $70k in the middle of an active conflict is worth noting.

Ethereum's Winter May Be Nearing Its End

Bitmine Immersion (chaired by Tom Lee) has now accumulated 4.66M ETH which is over 5x more than the next biggest treasury. Lee notes ETH has outperformed stocks by 18% since the Iran conflict began, acting as a "war-time" store of value. His view? ETH is in the final stages of a mini crypto winter.

Big institutional accumulation at this scale tends to be a signal worth watching.

Bitcoin Holding Firm

Bitcoin has remained relatively stable near the $70,000 level amid geopolitical uncertainty. While traditional assets react sharply to every headline, Bitcoin continues acting as a neutral store of value and liquidity reserve.

This Tax Season: Borrow, Don’t Sell

Instead of selling crypto to pay your taxes, a growing number of Lantern clients are using Bitcoin-backed loans — just as several of you did successfully last year.

Here’s why this approach makes sense right now:

• No taxable sale: Avoid triggering capital gains tax just to pay taxes

• Keep your Bitcoin: Stay fully exposed to any upside as we move through this cycle

• Competitive rate: Access cash at our current 8% rate

• Fast & secure: Collateral stays protected in BitGo institutional cold storage

This strategy gives you the cash you need to comfortably meet your April 15 obligations while your Bitcoin continues working for you. Many clients who used this last year told us it removed a huge source of stress during tax season.

Built for What Matters

We created Lantern so you don’t have to choose between paying your taxes and keeping your long-term crypto position. Your assets stay safe, your margin of safety stays strong, and you get practical liquidity exactly when life demands it.

If you didn’t see the news, our Bitcoin-backed loan rates are now 8%.

We now accepts XDC as collateral

Ready to explore your options before paying tax?

Call or text us: (415) 365-0100

Or apply here: https://lantern.finance/borrow

Until next week,

The Lantern Team

Disclaimer: This newsletter is for educational purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Please consult with a qualified tax advisor regarding your personal tax situation.