Finance
Miami’s Gold Rush: Finance Firms and Crypto Move In, Bringing Strains
From his new workplace in Miami Seaside, real-estate investor
Barry Sternlicht
is just steps from the ocean. His waterfront mansion is only a brief drive away. Chilly winters and state earnings taxes are a factor of the previous now that he has relocated right here from Connecticut.
Mr. Sternlicht, identified for launching the trendsetting W Lodge model, moved his Starwood Capital Group to the town in 2018. He’s a part of a booming migration of economic companies, expertise corporations and enterprise capitalists that has gained momentum within the years since then, as extra companies abandon the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast for the every day pleasures of South Florida life and its friendlier enterprise local weather.
Led by Mayor
Francis X. Suarez,
Miami is making an attempt one thing so formidable it has not often succeeded wherever earlier than—reworking a metropolis recognized with glitzy seashores and nightlife right into a world-class enterprise and monetary middle.
To date it appears to be working.
Ken Griffin,
who already lives primarily in Florida, stated in June that he’s shifting his big hedge fund Citadel from its Chicago headquarters to Miami. Financiers
Carl Icahn
and Orlando Bravo are among the many billionaires who relocated to the realm through the pandemic. The cryptocurrency change platform Blockchain.com moved its headquarters to Miami final 12 months. The Miami Warmth now play within the FTX Enviornment, named for the crypto change that paid $135 million for the rights.
Barry Sternlicht escaped chilly winters and state earnings taxes.
Picture:
Starwood Capital Group
However Miami is experiencing loads of rising pains alongside the best way. Rich tech and finance professionals are crowding out many lifelong residents. Residence rents are rising sooner within the Miami space than wherever else within the nation, by 58% over the previous two years via March, in line with Realtor.com. In some fascinating neighborhoods, landlords are doubling the lease after a lease expires as a result of they know transplants from the Northeast and West Coast are prepared to pay that rather more.
Starwood’s new headquarters have been speculated to be accomplished final 12 months, however a supply-chain crunch and allowing delays imply Mr. Sternlicht remains to be ready. Mr. Sternlicht would really like all his high executives to reside in Miami Seaside, however quite a lot of them have school-age youngsters and say they gained’t transfer as a result of the realm’s non-public colleges have lengthy ready lists.
State-to-state internet earnings migration from 2019 to 2020
For the highest 5 highest-gaining states:
For the underside 5 states:
And the way a lot of the highest-gaining states’
migrated earnings got here from N.Y. and Calif.:
For the highest 5 highest-gaining states:
For the underside 5 states:
And the way a lot of the highest-gaining states’
migrated earnings got here from N.Y. and Calif.:
For the highest 5 highest-gaining states:
For the underside 5 states:
And the way a lot of the highest-gaining states’
migrated earnings got here from N.Y. and Calif.:
Now he worries that Miami may be overextending itself simply as storm clouds collect over the nationwide economic system. When he appears at Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood—lengthy a mixture of warehouses and artwork galleries that’s now exploding with new workplace and residential buildings—the Starwood chief govt sees a thicket of cranes. As head of one of many world’s largest property house owners, he worries it’s harking back to different sizzling areas that ramped up earlier than experiencing busts.
“Everybody and their cousins want to construct a constructing right here,” he stated. “I’m getting nervous.”
Monetary corporations which have opened places of work within the metropolis over the previous 18 months signify round $2 trillion in belongings beneath administration, in line with the Metropolis of Miami. Hedge fund Elliott Administration Corp. moved its headquarters to West Palm Seaside, and loads of others are establishing or increasing their footholds within the space, together with Point72 Asset Administration, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors and Millennium Administration.
The Starwood Capital Group headquarters in Miami Seaside.
New York real-estate builders have additionally flocked to the magic metropolis to accommodate all of the newcomers, scooping up land in what some have known as a frenzy.
Steve Witkoff moved his operations right here, Miki Naftali purchased prime area in downtown Miami and Harry Macklowe is growing residence buildings close to a mass-transit entry level. Billionaire developer Stephen Ross just lately introduced plans to redevelop the historic Deauville Seaside Resort in Miami Seaside and is becoming a member of with
Swire Properties Ltd.
on what they are saying would be the tallest workplace tower on Brickell Ave., Miami’s premier enterprise hall.
And now a number of massive legislation companies together with Winston & Strawn, King & Spalding and Sidley Austin have adopted the cash to Miami as nicely. All are searching for workplace area, and stock is tight.
On the tech facet, the Miami space is now residence to 10 “unicorns,” or startups valued at $1 billion or extra, together with the addition this 12 months of Yuga Labs, which owns the Bored Ape Yacht Membership and CryptoPunks NFT collections. It raised $450 million in seed funding again in March earlier than the crypto market turned. Enterprise-capital funding within the metropolis greater than doubled in 2021, to greater than $4.6 billion, in line with information agency CB Insights. Within the first quarter of this 12 months, Miami-area VC offers topped $1 billion.
Drawn to the motion, Andreessen Horowitz, a Bay Space-based venture-capital agency, is shifting its crypto workplace, a16z Crypto, to Mr. Sternlicht’s constructing, in line with individuals accustomed to the matter.
Miami’s 44-year-old Republican mayor will get a lot credit score for the town’s latest success in attracting new companies. Mr. Suarez, a lawyer who served as a metropolis commissioner for eight years, moved to Metropolis Corridor in 2017, pledging “to make Miami a metropolis the place everybody can have a possibility to succeed by gaining access to the roles of tomorrow.”
Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez, left, poses in entrance of the Miami Bull on the Miami Seaside Conference Middle, unveiled to kick off the Bitcoin 2022 convention.
Picture:
Wilfredo Lee/Related Press
The U.S. Congress gave his efforts a lift that 12 months when the brand new federal tax legislation capped state and native tax deductions in locations like New York, New Jersey and California. With out that deduction, these states turned much more costly to reside and do enterprise in than Florida, which has no state earnings tax.
When Covid-19 erupted in 2020, New York Metropolis was an early epicenter. Droves of Wall Avenue executives decamped to South Florida, the place restrictions have been much less extreme and the temperate local weather meant individuals might meet exterior year-round. Miami additionally eased pandemic-related restrictions far sooner. Whereas New York Metropolis shuttered eating places for greater than 10 months, Miami reopened after two.
Mr. Suarez made nationwide headlines in December 2020, when somebody within the tech group recommended on Twitter that Silicon Valley ought to relocate to Miami. “How can I assist?” the mayor responded in a tweet that went viral and has come to epitomize a metropolis that pledged to do what it took to draw companies.
Annual earnings tiers for the roughly 850,000 individuals who migrated to Florida and New York in 2019 and 2020
Miami-Dade County skilled a larger inflow of recent companies through the pandemic than ever earlier than. A report from the U.S. Census Bureau cited 106,810 new enterprise functions in Miami-Dade throughout 2020. That was up greater than 24% from 2019, which was the document on the time. A brand new excessive of 135,710 enterprise functions have been made final 12 months, the bureau stated.
“New York was once the monetary middle of the world, it’s not for my part,” Mr. Suarez stated throughout an interview at Miami Metropolis Corridor, the odor of Cuban espresso within the air. “You not must be bodily current in New York to do offers.”
Whereas New York noticed an exodus of residents who reported $21 billion in whole earnings on their 2019 federal returns, in line with the IRS, Florida noticed an inflow of residents who reported $41 billion in earnings, probably the most any state obtained.
A view of the Paramount Miami Worldcenter rental tower from one of many property’s swimming pools.
Longtime Miami businessmen say they discover the distinction.
“We’ve been working at this for a really very long time,” stated Nitin Motwani, the lead developer of Miami World Middle, a multibillion-dollar mission with 27 acres of retail, residential, workplace and lodge amenities.
It took Mr. Motwani and his companions 5 years to boost the primary $1.5 billion for the mission, he stated, and fewer than 12 months to boost the following billion.
Whereas some Miamians are swimming within the spoils introduced by newcomers, others are getting worn out. Valerie Lopez moved together with her household from Colombia to Miami within the Eighties. In 2017, she co-founded Angle, a images market that connects individuals and companies with skilled photographers.
She did her firm’s fundraising in California. When enterprise capitalists requested why she was staying in Miami, her response was at all times: “As a result of it’s inexpensive and I find it irresistible.”
That’s modified dramatically over the previous two years. She and her husband have been paying $3,700 for a three-bedroom residence going through the bay in Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood. In December their landlord wished to boost their lease to $5,000, after which somebody from New York provided $7,000. In March, the couple moved to a smaller residence within the Wynwood neighborhood.
James Curnin is a developer who moved to Miami in 2019 and is now constructing a multifamily property in Bay Harbor close to Miami Seaside. He loves the climate, the seaside, and says he’s by no means leaving.
Miami resident Valerie Lopez moved to a smaller residence after newcomers drove up rents.
Nonetheless, he has observed that enterprise doesn’t proceed as easily because it as soon as did.
Proper earlier than the pandemic, when he moved to Miami, he stated it took not more than 4 months from when he submitted improvement plans to when he bought metropolis approval. Now, with the variety of initiatives swamping Miami Seaside’s employees and assets, that very same course of takes almost a 12 months, Mr. Curnin stated.
Miami has largely been in a position to keep away from hot-button political points when interesting to companies, however that’s turning into extra difficult. Mr. Suarez has warned {that a} legislation championed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis banning the dialogue of gender identification in early college grades might feed into tradition wars that harm Miami’s capability to draw new companies and residents.
The Supreme Court docket ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade presents one other potential problem, enterprise executives say. The Florida governor signed a legislation in April that banned abortions after 15 weeks. A circuit court docket choose on June 30 struck it down, however the state filed an enchantment.
Janine Yorio, chief govt of the New York Metropolis startup Everyrealm, stated she and her greater than 60 staff final 12 months mentioned relocating to Miami. The agency, which develops actual property within the Metaverse, an immersive three-dimensional community of digital worlds, is an efficient match for Miami’s ambitions. Her staff additionally cherished the climate and visiting the town.
She finally determined to maintain the headquarters in New York, the place a core of staff reside close by. Now, the abortion subject provides her another excuse to not transfer there, she stated.
A waiter arms out menus on the Miami satellite tv for pc of the favored New York eatery Carbone.
“It’s clearly a setback for ladies,” Ms. Yorio stated, including that the court docket ruling might grow to be a recruitment dilemma for corporations based mostly in Miami.
And whereas the mayor likes to boast that Miami “went all in crypto,” it’s removed from clear whether or not this shall be a successful wager. Mr. Suarez introduced late final 12 months that he would settle for his wage in bitcoin and he aggressively pursued the sponsors of the bitcoin convention, persuading them to carry the marquee trade occasion in Miami as a substitute of Los Angeles, the place it was initially deliberate.
Nonetheless, bitcoin’s latest loss in worth has some fearful that the crypto affiliation is a dangerous one.
The MiamiCoin, the city-branded cryptocurrency created by a corporation known as CityCoins, has misplaced 98% of its worth from its peak in September. Whereas Miami was in a position to money out $5 million from it, traders have been left holding the bag.
Mr. Suarez stated MiamiCoin could not succeed, however his No. 1 objective continues to be bringing what he calls a “confluence of capital” into the town.
A method Miami hopes to draw that capital is by internet hosting splashy occasions, many with a global enchantment, constructing on its Artwork Basel franchise. The town just lately authorized a plan to construct a soccer stadium for the native Inter Miami CF group and Miami shall be one of many 11 U.S. host cities for the 2026 World Cup.
In Could, Miami Seaside hosted the primary annual Aspen Concepts: Local weather convention in Miami Seaside, attracting chief sustainability officers from corporations equivalent to Google,
Normal Motors Co.
and
BlackRock Inc.
“We’re a reasonably good canvas to speak about local weather change,” stated Miami Seaside Mayor
Dan Gelber.
Some areas of the Metropolis of Miami Seaside expertise common flooding throughout heavy rainfall and excessive tides. As an alternative of avoiding the subject, the town has embraced the climate-change dialog, and is engaged on elevating its roads to assist fight the issue.
ZZ’s is one in every of a couple of dozen new non-public golf equipment which have opened in Miami to cater to the brand new elite.
Later that month Miami hosted a Method One Grand Prix, attracting a world viewers. Quite a few Wall Avenue financiers flew down for the race, and resorts reported a rise in 25% income per obtainable room for that week in contrast with prepandemic years.
South Florida’s meals scene can also be booming, aided partly by New Yorkers who’ve made Miami their new residence. Jeff Zalaznick, a co-owner of Main Meals Group, fled to Miami to journey out the pandemic. Prior to now two years he and his companions have opened up 5 eating places within the metropolis, together with a satellite tv for pc of their well-liked New York eatery Carbone.
“I got here for per week and I by no means left,” stated Mr. Zalaznick, who had lived in New York his total life.
He and his companions additionally opened a non-public membership known as ZZ’s that they’re now planning to launch in New York. It’s one in every of a couple of dozen new non-public golf equipment which have opened in Miami to cater to this new elite. The companions are additionally codeveloping a luxurious condo-hotel in Miami’s monetary middle known as “Main” that they are saying would be the tallest tower within the metropolis.
The town’s culinary fame obtained a lift in June, when Miami eating places have been awarded 11 Michelin stars for the primary time, becoming a member of cities equivalent to Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
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“We’re white sizzling,” stated Rolando Aedo, chief working officer of the Larger Miami Conference & Guests Bureau, who helped provoke the trouble to get Michelin all the way down to Florida.
But even the town’s expanded leisure choices are experiencing their very own rising pains. On the Method One race, company complained of the searing warmth on the stadium, which supplied little shade. A few of the stair lifts that have been used to get disabled company up and throughout the pedestrian bridges situated all through the venue misplaced energy, requiring employees to hold these company so they might attain their seats.
“Wonderful issues are occurring within the metropolis,” stated Ms. Lopez, the startup founder. “It’s a brand new period, which is nice. It brings plenty of advantages but in addition plenty of points.”
Write to Deborah Acosta at deborah.acosta@wsj.com
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The report, “How Latinos Pay for College: 2025 National Trends,” builds on two decades of research and reveals that while Latino students demonstrate high financial need, they are employing effective cost-saving measures to make higher education affordable.
“Latinos are representative of a post-traditional student profile and changes in policy will be more impactful if made with the strengths and opportunities to serve this profile of students,” write Deborah A. Santiago, CEO, and Sarita E. Brown, President of Excelencia in Education, in the report’s foreword.
The study found that Latino students, who represent one in five postsecondary students nationwide, are more likely to be first-generation college-goers (51% compared to 22% of white students), come from lower-income households (70% have family incomes below $50,000), and have an expected family contribution (EFC) of zero (45%).
“Latino students make pragmatic choices with what they can control to make college affordable,” said Cassandra Arroyo, a research analyst at Excelencia and co-author of the report.
To manage costs, Latino students employ multiple strategies: 56% work 30 or more hours weekly while enrolled, 55% attend part-time or mix their enrollment, 81% choose public institutions, and 89% live off-campus or with parents. These tactics represent a clear departure from the traditional college student profile and align with what Excelencia calls “post-traditional” learners.
The data reveals that Latinos rely more heavily on federal financial aid (58%) than state (30%), institutional (23%), or private aid (13%). Perhaps most significantly, Latino students are more than twice as likely to receive grants (67%) than take out loans (27%), indicating a strong preference for aid that doesn’t require repayment.
Yet despite high application rates for aid (85%), Latinos receive the lowest average financial aid among all racial/ethnic groups at $11,004, compared to $15,850 for Asian, $12,937 for White, and $12,365 for African American students.
“Twenty years later, we are revisiting what has changed and what has stayed the same. There has clearly been some progress, but the need to expand access to opportunity remains,” noted Santiago in the report’s foreword, referencing Excelencia’s initial study on Latino financial aid patterns from 2005.
The report also examines differences in aid receipt by institution type. Latino students at public two-year institutions are less likely to receive financial aid (57%) than those at other sectors, especially private institutions (87%). Furthermore, undergraduate Latinos attending private for-profit institutions are more likely to borrow federal loans (60%) compared to those at public two-year institutions (5%).
Another key finding reveals that Latino students are more likely to receive need-based aid rather than merit-based aid. For state grants, 16% of Latino students received need-based grants compared to only 2% who received merit-only grants.
The report highlights innovative approaches implemented by institutions certified with the Seal of Excelencia. These 46 certified institutions represent less than 1% of all colleges and universities but enroll 17% and graduate 19% of all Latino students nationwide.
Among these institutions, several standout examples emerged. The University of Texas at Austin’s Texas Advance Commitment fully covers tuition for students with family incomes up to $65,000, while Miami Dade College provides “Last Mile Scholarships” for students who left with 13 or fewer credits remaining. Other institutions, like Metropolitan State University of Denver, created emergency retention funds to support students experiencing unexpected financial challenges.
“Leading institutions make choices with what they can control to make college more affordable,” said Emily Labandera, director of research at Excelencia and co-author of the report. “The institutions highlighted in this brief represent a select group of trendsetters that make up the Seal of Excelencia certified institutions that strive to go beyond enrollment to intentionally serve Latino students.”
The report concludes with policy recommendations at institutional, state, and federal levels. These include investing in guaranteed tuition plans by family income, including basic needs in financial aid calculations, prioritizing Pell Grants, and revising the Federal Work-Study distribution formula to better support students with high financial need.
“Excelencia believes that good policy is informed by good practice,” the authors note, emphasizing that intentionally serving Latino students at scale requires understanding what works to accelerate their success.
With Latino enrollment in postsecondary education projected to increase by 31% by 2030, the findings provide critical insights for institutions and policymakers seeking to create more affordable pathways to degree completion for this growing demographic.
“We firmly believe that disaggregating our data and knowing how Latinos are participating in financial aid informs opportunities to compel action that can more intentionally serve other students as well,” write Santiago and Brown. “And understanding how institutions committed to intentionally serving Latino, and all, students are leveraging financial support to recruit, retain, and advance them to degree completion and connect them to the workforce is an opportunity to leverage and scale their innovation.”
(Bloomberg) — The rally in European banking stocks shows few signs of cooling down after another stellar quarter.
Most Read from Bloomberg
The Stoxx 600 Banks Index has surged 25% this year, its best three months since 2020. That’s made it the top-performing sector in Europe by far as investors keep increasing their exposure, and strategists see more gains ahead.
Their appetite is being driven by series of factors: firstly strong earnings seasons, hefty share buybacks and M&A potential, and now massive public spending plans that will probably keep European interest rates high. Over a 10-quarter winning streak — the longest since before the financial crisis — banks have returned over 160% including dividends, triple the 52% for the broader Stoxx Europe 600.
“The operating environment is very different today to almost any time over the past 20 years – we have banks talking about loan growth again, an upward sloping yield curve and governments at least talking about reducing the regulatory burden,” said Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’s head of European bank research Andrew Stimpson. “That likely means there is still more good news.”
Following this run, some bears had expected lenders’ outperformance to start fading, particularly as central banks are now cutting rates. Instead earnings have proved their business remains resilient, while buyback programs are also driving up shares. The likes of Societe Generale SA, Commerzbank AG and Banco Santander SA — repurchasing their own shares — have climbed more than 40% this year.
The latest tailwind has been Germany passing a landmark spending package, creating a potentially unlimited supply of money to rearm to deter Russia. It will also set up a €500 billion ($540 billion) fund to invest in the country’s aging infrastructure. The country’s banks are set to benefit, with Deutsche Bank AG jumping 35% this year to trade near 10-year highs.
“The shift in fiscal policy will likely drive a stronger outlook for loan growth given the increased government expenditure on defense, infrastructure, and state/local projects,” JPMorgan Chase & Co. analysts led by Kian Abouhossein wrote in a note. They expect a long term re-rating for lenders in the region.
The geopolitical landscape, along with cooling inflation, are reducing the chances of the European Central Bank cutting rates below 1.5%, implying less pressure on lending revenue, the JPMorgan analysts said. While the ECB this month lowered rates for the sixth time since June, it indicated its cutting phase may be drawing to a close.
Robinhood (HOOD) is going after the big banks and their ATMs for deposits.
The trading platform turned quasi-bank and wealth manager unveiled two new products that will compete for business with America’s largest legacy banks, including JPMorgan (JPM), Citigroup (C), and Bank of America (BAC).
Robinhood Banking will provide access to traditional checking and savings accounts with an annual percentage yield of 4%, provided one is a member of the platform’s Gold service. FDIC insurance is on offer from Robinhood’s tie-up with Coastal Community Bank.
Read more: 10 best high-yield online checking accounts for March 2025 (up to 7.00% APY)
Furthermore, the company is promising to deliver “cash to your door” through an app similar to Uber’s (UBER) if you are a banking customer.
Robinhood co-founder and CEO Vlad Tenev told Yahoo Finance that the company wants to be a one-stop destination for people to manage their wealth (see video above).
He added that there is demand for home cash delivery as people try to avoid various ATM crimes, “especially in San Francisco.” Instead, a person’s cash will show up at their house in a large nondescript envelope, Tenev said.
Tenev didn’t rule out exploring a bank charter down the line. The company originally explored the idea of one in 2019 but deemed it too costly.
Robinhood Strategies will serve as a wealth management service with a 0.25% annual fee, capped at $250, for its premium Gold subscribers. Users with as little as $50 can access portfolios with exchange-traded funds (ETFs) managed by the company’s investment experts, or what it calls a “private banker.” For a $500 minimum, investors will unlock access to individual stocks in the portfolios.
Read more: Robinhood Gold Credit Card review: 3% cash back for investors
Tenev and Robinhood have continued their breakneck pace of new products from last year.
Earlier this month, the company debuted a prediction markets hub in its app. The contracts allow users to wager on everything from what the fed funds rate could be in May to NCAA tournament games.
In October 2024, the company launched event contracts for the presidential election. Customers of the platform were able to trade on “who will win the 2024 presidential election.”
The platform provider also debuted futures and index options trading.
And it has since released Robinhood Legend, billed as a sleeker platform that targets more sophisticated traders.
Robinhood Legend allows users to open up to eight charts in a single window, and it could elevate various technical indicators such as Bollinger Bands.
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