Wall Street investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald has officially stepped into bitcoin lending

Wall Street investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald has officially stepped into bitcoin lending, executing its first batch of deals this week as part of a planned $2 billion credit initiative targeting institutional crypto players.

Wall Street investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald has begun offering bitcoin lending to institutional clients, executing its first batch of deals this week.

The bank is aiming to provide up to $2 billion in credit to crypto hedge funds and other institutional investors, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The initiative, first reported by The Block in July, will be launched with Maple Finance’s crypto lending platform and FalconX, a prime broker for institutional crypto trading.

The move marks a significant step for Cantor as it deepens its engagement in digital finance.

Announced in July, Cantor’s lending platform is designed to service the growing demand for capital among institutions holding bitcoin.

“Institutions holding bitcoin are looking for better access to capital, and we’re stepping in to meet that demand,” said Christian Wall, co-CEO and global head of fixed income at Cantor.

Custody services for the lending program will be provided by Anchorage Digital and Copper.co, both specializing in digital asset security.

The launch also comes as Cantor strengthens its ties with Tether, the issuer of the largest stablecoin, USDT.

Cantor will continue managing U.S. Treasuries for Tether, a role it began in 2022.

The partnership with Tether is part of Cantor’s broader strategy to integrate crypto into traditional finance.

The bank’s former CEO, Howard Lutnick, now the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, has been a vocal advocate for bringing crypto into the mainstream.

Cantor Fitzgerald has played a key role in supporting Tether, especially during periods when the stablecoin issuer faced difficulties maintaining relationships with other financial institutions.

A significant portion of Tether’s reserves, mainly in U.S. Treasury bills, are reportedly held by Cantor.

“This isn’t just about bitcoin, it’s about combining Wall Street infrastructure with crypto-native expertise to deliver something neither side can do alone,” said Brandon Lutnick, Cantor’s chairman.

Maple Finance’s CEO Sidney Powell noted that the partnership will help cater to the increasing institutional demand for regulated crypto exposure.

Josh Barkhordar, FalconX’s U.S. sales head, described the move as “a needed step toward building institutional-grade credit markets for digital assets.”

Cantor’s announcement follows an April report by the Financial Times that the bank was working on a $3 billion bitcoin investment initiative with SoftBank, Tether, and Bitfinex.