Wall Street’s Cantor Fitzgerald has announced that it’s starting a Bitcoin financing business so they can give investors leverage on their Bitcoin holdings.
They’re kicking this off with a hefty $2 billion to back the operation, and they plan to grow it even more. Howard Lutnick, the Chairman of Cantor Fitzgerald, put it plainly:
“Cantor Fitzgerald arranges and finances vast amounts of securities and commodities. As strong supporters of Bitcoin, we’re building a platform to support Bitcoin investors’ financing needs.”
He added that they’re excited to bridge the gap between traditional and decentralized finance.
Starting strong with Bitcoin financing
The idea behind Cantor Fitzgerald’s new venture is simple: offer leverage to Bitcoin holders. This means investors can borrow money against their Bitcoin, which could help them invest even more without selling their assets.
When Lutnick spoke about the company’s existing Bitcoin stash, he referred to it as a “s***load.” Cantor Fitzgerald isn’t a newbie in the crypto industry. They’ve been doing business with Tether, handling U.S. Treasury trades for them.
Howard Lutnick. Credits: Danny Nelson/CoinDesk
Last year, they even hosted a Crypto & Disruptive Finance Conference. It featured industry experts discussing all sorts of crypto-related topics, from tokens and Web3 to stablecoins, Bitcoin mining, and NFT.
Lutnick said that Cantor Fitzgerald’s goal is to “unlock Bitcoin’s full potential.” To get the Bitcoin financing business off the ground, the company plans to work with select Bitcoin custodians.
