Brandon Lutnick Leads $3B Bitcoin Investment Push With Backing From Tether, Bitfinex, and SoftBank

Brandon Lutnick, the son of U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and a senior executive at Cantor Fitzgerald, is at the forefront of a massive $3 billion bitcoin-backed investment venture, according to a report from the Financial Times.

The initiative is being launched through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) called Cantor Equity Partners, which initially secured $200 million in funding earlier this year. That SPAC is now being used to form a new entity, 21 Capital, designed to serve as a bitcoin proxy investment vehicle.

The structure closely resembles MicroStrategy’s approach to holding bitcoin on the balance sheet. 21 Capital’s BTC will be priced at a valuation of $85,000 per coin for the equity conversion.

Crypto powerhouses Tether and Bitfinex are contributing $1.5 billion and $600 million, respectively, while SoftBank is investing $900 million. An additional $550 million is expected to be raised through debt and private equity channels to further boost bitcoin acquisitions.

The move signals deepening institutional interest in digital assets, particularly as the Trump administration reopens a more favorable regulatory window for crypto markets. Bitcoin is currently trading just under $92,000, bolstered by improving macro sentiment.

Cantor Fitzgerald, which already custodies much of Tether’s U.S. Treasury holdings, is playing a central role in the project. Secretary Lutnick, once vocal in his endorsement of Tether’s backing, recently offered a more measured tone in Senate testimony, acknowledging the complexities of stablecoin regulation.

Although the deal is still in development, sources say a formal announcement could be imminent.