XBTO massive partnership with Jorge Mas and David Beckham’s Inter Miami CF
Leading cryptofinance firm XBTO is proudly announcing the partnership with Inter Miami CF, one of the most recognized soccer clubs in the US! The team boasts successful entrepreneur, Jorge Mas, and legendary soccer star, David Beckham, as co-owners. The partnership represents one of the largest sponsorship deals among soccer clubs playing in Major League Soccer (MLS) and is in line with Miami’s goal of becoming the world’s crypto capital.
XBTO is a top-tier cryptofinance company that provides platform trading, OTC trading, market-making services to some of the largest crypto exchanges, as well as investment management services to institutions and HNWIs and venture capital financing. The company started in 2015 by providing institutional-grade liquidity to well-established crypto platforms and then quickly expanded by adding more layers to what has now become a diverse portfolio of products.
Inter Miami CF was founded in 2018 and joined MLS in the 2020 season. The club is valued at over $600 million and is jointly owned by former Manchester United and Real Madrid star David Beckham and respected businessmen Jorge and Jose Mas. Jose Mas is the CEO of MasTec, a top power plant and renewable energy construction firm in the US.
As part of the deal, the new Inter Miami jerseys will feature the XBTO brand logo in all matches through 2023. The new jerseys will debut during the September 17 match against the New York Red Bulls, scheduled at 7:00 PM ET. Based on previous statistics, Inter Miami could attract an average TV audience of 500,000 viewers per match, with the club playing 34 games per season in MLS.
XBTO Grows Presence in Miami
XBTO’s partnership with Inter Miami CF is solidifying XBTO’s presence in Miami, where it landed in April of this year by opening a new office.
XBTO’s partnership with Inter Miami CF is solidifying XBTO’s presence in Miami, where it landed in April of this year by opening a new office.
Founded in the US in 2015, XBTO was eventually incorporated and licensed in Bermuda in 2017. It is one of the first crypto companies licensed and fully regulated under Bermuda’s Digital Asset Business Act (DABA). Today, the company’s team comprises over 50 professionals with global offices in Bermuda, New York, Paris, and Miami.
To leverage the crypto vibe of Miami, a city eager to adopt cryptocurrencies and blockchain at all levels, XBTO not only opened an office but relocated its headquarters there.
Shortly after coming to Miami, the company became one of the main sponsors of Bitcoin 2021, the world’s biggest crypto event, and the first major in-person crypto conference since the start of the pandemic. The list of headline speakers included Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey, cryptographer Nick Szabo, MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor, Senator Ron Paul, and Gemini founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, among others.
The latest sponsorship deal with Inter Miami CF further highlights XBTO’s dedication to promoting the digital asset industry from the most crypto-friendly city in the US. XBTO Founder and CEO Philippe Bekhazi commented on the partnership with Inter Miami:
“As institutional adoption of cryptofinance continues to grow, XBTO is dedicated to establishing greater trust, transparency, and stability within the industry. Our partnership with Inter Miami brings us one step closer in our mission to advance greater education of cryptofinance beyond the digital asset industry.”
Inter Miami club co-owner Jorge Mas expressed his excitement about announcing XBTO as its first-ever primary jersey sponsor.
“We are pleased to welcome XBTO to our Inter Miami family and to be able to share another milestone with our fans,” said Inter Miami CEO and Managing Owner Jorge Mas. “XBTO will be fully integrated across Inter Miami’s platforms beyond the jersey. Together we will raise awareness and build credibility, and further accelerate the social benefits of cryptocurrency through strategic initiatives as XBTO continues to redefine the next era of finance.”
XBTO’s Deal Reflects Miami’s Ambition to Become Global Crypto Hub
XBTO’s partnership with Inter Miami CF comes in light of Florida’s second-largest city’s efforts to attract crypto firms and blockchain entrepreneurs as well as to adopt the technology at different levels, and with the end goal to become the crypto capital of the world.
Earlier this year, Mayor Francis Suarez unveiled his vision to officially make Miami a major crypto hub by attracting the crème de la crème of crypto businesses, entrepreneurs, and investors, as well as early-stage startups. He has been promoting the city as the world’s crypto capital.
Miami has traditionally had the “fun in the sun” image, but Suarez is keen to refashion it to a crypto city. So far, he has been successful, as many blockchain and fintech titans opened offices in Miami or moved their headquarters altogether, with many businesses leaving the Silicon Valley or New York to relocate to Florida.
Suarez has been working to make Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies a state legislative priority, invest City treasury in Bitcoin, and create the legal framework to pay employees in Bitcoin.
https://twitter.com/FrancisSuarez/status/1360069847971954690
In February 2021, speaking about a resolution that analyzes the feasibility of approving Bitcoin as a payment means in various parts of Miami’s administration, the Mayor said:
“I wanna thank the city of Miami commissioners for supporting my resolution, which directs a city manager after analysis to procure a vendor to be able to offer our employees to get a percentage of their salary in Bitcoin; allows our residents to pay for fees in Bitcoin.”
Addressing concerns over Bitcoin’s ever-increasing carbon footprint, Suarez invited crypto companies across the world, including those that have been struggling with China’s crackdown on local miners, to come to Miami to leverage the city’s amble nuclear electricity supply, which provides clean energy sources for crypto mining operations. The Mayor stated that a shift in mining concentration to the US would ease environmental concerns.
Crypto experts support Suarez’s ambitious plans and argue that Miami is the best place to become a crypto hub. Andrew Barnard, CEO of Bitstop, the company that set the first Bitcoin ATM in Miami six years ago, and Hemang Subramanian of Florida International University told Business Insider the city was already a major financial hub.
Also, people from all over Central America, Latin America, and the Caribbean come to the city. Many of them have learned the hard way how hyperinflation in Venezuela, Argentina, or Brazil can affect savings. Barnard added that “some have experienced the confiscation of their wealth in countries such as Cuba and Nicaragua.” These citizens are first in the line to use Bitcoin for cross-border transfers, payments, and other operations.
The unique position of Miami as a financial hub while being the most unbanked major city in the US is helping it adopt Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies across all demographics, and XBTO is playing a key role in making Miami a crypto hub.
XBTO is looking to create synergies with a city eager for the adoption of cryptofinance.
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The full breakdown
In our first article, "Navigating Crypto Volatility: The Advantages of Active Management," we explored how the high volatility and low correlation of digital assets with traditional asset classes create unique opportunities for active managers. We discussed how these characteristics enable active managers to execute tactical trading strategies, capitalizing on short-term price movements and market inefficiencies. Building on that foundation, we now turn our attention to the unique market microstructure of digital assets.
Conducive market microstructure of digital assets
The market microstructure of digital assets - a framework that defines how crypto trades are conducted, including order execution, price formation, and market interactions - sets the stage for active management to thrive. This unique ecosystem, characterized by its continuous trading hours, diverse trading venues, and substantial market liquidity, offers several advantages for active management, providing a fertile ground for sophisticated investment strategies.
24/7/365 market access
One of the defining characteristics of digital asset markets is their continuous, round-the-clock operation.
Unlike traditional financial markets that operate within specific hours, cryptocurrency markets are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round. This continuous trading capability is particularly advantageous for active managers for several reasons:
- Immediate response to market events: Unlike traditional markets that close after regular trading hours, digital asset markets allow managers to react immediately to breaking news or events that could impact asset prices. For instance, if a significant economic policy change occurs over the weekend, managers can adjust their positions in real-time without waiting for markets to open.
- Managing volatility: Continuous trading provides more opportunities to capitalize on price movements and volatility. Active managers can take advantage of this by implementing strategies such as short-term trading or hedging to mitigate risks and lock in gains whenever market conditions change. For instance, if there’s a sudden drop in the price of Bitcoin, managers can quickly sell their holdings to minimize losses or buy in to capitalize on the lower prices.
Variety of trading venues
The proliferation and variety of trading venues is another crucial element of the digital asset market structure. The extensive landscape of over 200 centralized exchanges (CEX) and more than 500 decentralized exchanges (DEX) offers a wide array of platforms for cryptocurrency trading. This diversity is beneficial for active managers in several ways:
- Risk management and diversification: By spreading trades across various exchanges, active managers can mitigate counterparty risk associated with any single platform. Additionally, the ability to trade on both CEX and DEX platforms allows managers to diversify their strategies, incorporating different levels of decentralization, regulatory environments, and security features.
- Arbitrage opportunities: Different venues often exhibit price discrepancies, presenting arbitrage opportunities. For example, managers can buy an asset on one exchange at a lower price and sell it on another where the price is higher, thus generating risk-free profits.
- Access to diverse liquidity pools: Multiple trading venues provide access to diverse liquidity pools, ensuring that managers can execute large trades without significantly impacting the market price.
Spot and derivatives markets (Variety of instruments)
The seamless integration of spot and derivatives markets within the digital asset space presents a considerable advantage for active managers. With substantial liquidity in both markets, they can implement sophisticated trading strategies and manage risk more effectively.
For instance, as of August 8 2024, Bitcoin (BTC) boasts a daily spot trading volume of $40.44 billion and an open interest in futures of $27.75 billion. Additionally, derivatives such as futures, options, and perpetual contracts enable managers to hedge positions, leverage trades, and employ complex strategies that can amplify returns.
Overall, the benefits for active managers include:
- Hedging and risk management: Derivatives offer a powerful tool for hedging against unfavorable price movements, enabling more efficient risk management. For instance, a manager holding a substantial amount of Bitcoin in the spot market can use Bitcoin futures contracts to safeguard against potential price drops, thereby enhancing risk control.
- Access to leverage: Managers can use derivatives to leverage their positions, amplifying potential returns while maintaining control over risk exposure. For instance, by employing options, a manager can gain exposure to an underlying asset with only a fraction of the capital needed for a direct spot purchase, thereby enabling more capital-efficient investment strategies.
- Strategic flexibility: By integrating spot and derivatives markets, managers can implement sophisticated strategies designed to capitalize on diverse market conditions. For instance, they may engage in volatility selling, where options are sold to generate income from market volatility, regardless of price direction. Additionally, managers can leverage favorable funding rates in perpetual futures markets to enhance yield generation. Basis trading, another strategy, involves taking offsetting positions in spot and futures markets to profit from price differentials, enabling returns that are independent of market movements.
Exploiting market inefficiencies
Digital asset markets, being relatively nascent, are less efficient compared to traditional financial markets. These inefficiencies arise from various factors, including regulatory differences, market segmentation, and varying levels of market maturity. For example:
- Pricing anomalies: Phenomena like the "Kimchi premium," where cryptocurrency prices in South Korea trade at a premium compared to other markets, create arbitrage opportunities. Managers can exploit these by buying assets in one market and selling them in another at a higher price.
- Exploiting mispricings: Active managers can identify and capitalize on mispricings caused by market inefficiencies, using strategies such as statistical arbitrage and mean reversion.
The unique aspects of the digital asset market structure create an exceptionally conducive environment for active management. Continuous trading hours and diverse venues provide the flexibility to react quickly to market changes, ensuring timely execution of trades. The availability of both spot and derivatives markets supports a wide range of sophisticated trading strategies, from hedging to leveraging positions. Market inefficiencies and pricing anomalies offer numerous opportunities for generating alpha, making active management particularly effective in the digital asset space. Furthermore, the ability to hedge and manage risk through derivatives, along with exploiting uncorrelated performance, enhances portfolio resilience and stability.
In our next article, we'll delve into the various techniques active managers employ in the digital asset markets, showcasing real-world use cases.
