Cantor Fitzgerald, the New York financial firm led by 27-year-old Brandon Lutnick, is closing in on a deal that could put it among the world’s largest bitcoin holders, aiming to buy billions of dollars’ worth of the cryptocurrency through a publicly listed shell company.

SharpLink Gaming has overtaken the Ethereum Foundation to become the largest corporate holder of ether (ETH). The Nasdaq-listed firm revealed it now controls 280,706 ETH, valued at around $840 million.

President Donald Trump says he’s secured support from nearly all Republican lawmakers who stalled a package of crypto bills over concerns about central bank digital currencies, potentially clearing the way for key votes in the House.

Top stories in the Crypto Roundup today:

• Cantor Fitzgerald Nears $4B Bitcoin Deal
• SharpLink Gaming Tops Ethereum Foundation as Largest Corporate Holder of ETH
• Trump Strikes Deal to End GOP Blockade on Crypto Bills

Cantor Fitzgerald Nears $4B Bitcoin Deal

Cantor Fitzgerald, the New York financial firm led by 27-year-old Brandon Lutnick, is closing in on a deal that could put it among the world’s largest bitcoin holders, aiming to buy billions of dollars’ worth of the cryptocurrency through a publicly listed shell company.

The firm’s special purpose acquisition company, Cantor Equity Partners 1, is in advanced talks with Adam Back, an early cryptographer and founder of Blockstream Capital, to acquire more than $3 billion in bitcoin. 

Under the proposed arrangement, Back and Blockstream would contribute up to 30,000 bitcoin—worth over $3 billion—in exchange for shares in Cantor Equity Partners 1. 

The SPAC would also seek to raise as much as $800 million from outside investors to buy more bitcoin, pushing the total deal’s value beyond $4 billion. 

If completed, the Cantor SPAC would be renamed BSTR Holdings.

The talks mark the latest in a series of moves by Cantor Fitzgerald to use blank-check companies to load up on bitcoin. In April, Brandon Lutnick partnered with SoftBank and Tether in a $3.6 billion crypto-buying venture. 

The firm’s combined crypto acquisitions through BSTR Holdings and a separate entity, Twenty One Capital, could hit nearly $10 billion this year.

SharpLink Gaming Tops Ethereum Foundation as Largest Corporate Holder of ETH

SharpLink Gaming has overtaken the Ethereum Foundation to become the largest corporate holder of ether (ETH). The Nasdaq-listed firm revealed it now controls 280,706 ETH, valued at around $840 million.

The leap came after it raised $413 million by issuing over 24 million shares between July 7 and July 11. Using much of those proceeds, SharpLink acquired 74,656 ETH last week at an average price of $2,852 each.

About $257 million from the fundraising remains earmarked for additional ETH purchases, the company said.

The company’s latest buying spree pushes it ahead of the Ethereum Foundation, which retains about $665 million in ETH holdings, according to data from Arkham Intelligence.

Trump Strikes Deal to End GOP Blockade on Crypto Bills

President Donald Trump says he’s secured support from nearly all Republican lawmakers who stalled a package of crypto bills over concerns about central bank digital currencies, potentially clearing the way for key votes in the House.

Posting to Truth Social, Trump said he met with 11 of the 12 Republican representatives whose opposition derailed votes on the GENIUS Act and two other crypto bills earlier this week. 

“After a short discussion, they have all agreed to vote tomorrow morning in favor of the Rule,” he wrote.

A group of House Republicans had demanded an explicit ban on a Federal Reserve-issued CBDC before allowing votes on the GENIUS Act, a bill regulating stablecoins, as well as the Anti-CBDC Surveillance Act and the CLARITY Act, which aims to establish broader crypto market rules.

The legislative standoff interrupted what Republican leaders have dubbed “Crypto Week,” an effort to pass crypto reforms before Congress leaves for a month-long recess.

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