Cantor Fitzgerald announced that it will open a Bitcoin financing business.
The business will provide leverage to investors who hold Bitcoin and will launch with $2 billion in initial financing.
Bitcoin Financing Business
At the Bitcoin Conference 2024, Cantor Fitzgerald CEO and Chairman Howard Lutnick said on stage, “We will build the best platform for financing Bitcoin, we will work with the best custodians, we are committed to your ecosystem of Bitcoin.”
Once the initial $2 billion is used, Cantor Fitzgerald plans to increase its allocation in additional $2 billion increments to sustain and expand the business.
In an accompanying July 27 press release, Lutnick emphasized Cantor Fitzgerald’s experience, “Cantor Fitzgerald arranges and finances vast amounts of securities and commodities and, as strong supporters of Bitcoin, will now build an incredible platform to support Bitcoin investors’ financing needs,” he said.
“We are excited to help unlock Bitcoin’s full potential and continue bridging the gap between traditional finance and digital assets.”
In support of this effort, Cantor Fitzgerald also said that it will “partner with select Bitcoin custodians,” although specific firms were not disclosed.
Cantor Fitzgerald’s new lending facility is not its first venture into the crypto space. Cantor Fitzgerald, with $13.2 billion in assets under management, is well-known on Wall Street as one of the world’s largest bond brokerages and already handles U.S. Treasury trading with Tether, the biggest stablecoin issuer.
Lutnick also disclosed that he owns Bitcoin and that Cantor Fitzgerald owns “a shedload” of the asset, expressing his enthusiasm for the cryptocurrency alongside the firm’s partners.
Lutnick Advocates for Bitcoin, Defends Tether
During his address at the conference in Nashville, Lutnick highlighted the firm’s dedication to promoting global Bitcoin trade, comparing the cryptocurrency’s potential to that of gold.
“My view is Bitcoin, like gold, should be free to trade everywhere in the world and as the largest wholesaler in the world we are going to do everything in our power to make it so.”
Lutnick also addressed criticisms of Tether, defending the stablecoin against claims of association with groups like Hamas. “Let me make it crystal clear: we would never be associated with a company that has anything to do with Jihad, and it disgusts me,” he declared.
He described Tether as “incredibly well-capitalized” and emphasized its crucial role in the cryptocurrency market, highlighting the importance of stablecoins in facilitating transactions and maintaining liquidity within the digital asset space.