American financial services giant Cantor is teaming up with Japanese multinational investment firm SoftBank and the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, Tether, to launch 21 Capital.
Cantor chair Brandon Lutnick, the son of US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, is aiming to replicate Strategy’s success as a public company investing heavily in Bitcoin, the Financial Times reported on April 23.
The investment structure involves a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) called Cantor Equity Partners that raised $200 million in January and plans to go public.
The Big Boys Betting on Bitcoin
Tether would contribute $1.5 billion in Bitcoin, while SoftBank and Bitfinex would contribute $900 million and $600 million, respectively, reported the FT. Tether and Bitfinex are owned by the same parent company.
21 Capital will also raise a $350 million convertible bond and a separate $200 million private placement of equity to buy additional Bitcoin.
Eventually, SoftBank, Tether, and Bitfinex would see their BTC investments converted into shares in 21 Capital at $10 per stock and value the asset at $85,000.
The crypto consortium is the first in a “potential wave of SPAC deals led by Cantor Fitzgerald,” according to the FT, citing people familiar with the matter.
“This time, it looks like the bet from one of big tech’s most infamous risk takers can’t be unwound so easily,” commented Van Eck head of digital assets research Matthew Sigel.
SoftBank to Join Tether, Bitfinex, and Cantor to launch 21 Capital, seeded with $3B in Bitcoin and set to go public via SPAC: FT
SoftBank will contribute $900M to buy BTC @ $85k, with Tether in for $1.5B and Bitfinex $600M.
Masayoshi Son’s biggest Bitcoin bet yet.
In 2017,… https://t.co/elfubTlzDv pic.twitter.com/0haGAoqDke
— matthew sigel, recovering CFA (@matthew_sigel) April 23, 2025
Strategy has been the most successful corporate Bitcoin investor to date. The firm’s portfolio holds 538,200 BTC worth a whopping $50 billion with a profit of 37.6%, or $13.7 billion.
The average dollar cost of Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin buying is $67,793 per BTC. Today, cryptocurrency topped $93,000 as markets recovered and the bull run resumed.
Trump’s Crypto Push
In related news, the Trump Family media firm, Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), has signed an agreement with crypto exchange Crypto.com on April 22 to launch crypto ETFs and securities products under the “Made in America” theme.
Trump’s crypto push has ignited a wave of corporate and institutional interest in the asset class. This interest has grown in recent weeks amid rising global trade tensions and a devaluing US dollar, pushing investors into safe-haven assets.
As a result, crypto markets (primarily Bitcoin) have seen $500 billion in capital inflows over the past fortnight.
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