As CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, Howard Lutnick rebuilt a firm devastated by 9/11—losing 658 of 960 New York employees—into a global financial powerhouse. Within a week of the attacks, he restored trading operations, demonstrating unparalleled crisis leadership. He pledged 25% of profits for five years, raising $180 million for victims’ families, showcasing both competence and compassion. Today, Cantor Fitzgerald serves over 5,000 institutional clients across 60 offices in 20 countries and is one of only 24 primary dealers authorized to trade U.S. government securities with the Federal Reserve. The firm led SPAC underwriting in 2018 and 2019, outpacing all competitors. Embracing innovation, Cantor has expanded into digital assets, managing a significant portion of Tether’s $132 billion in reserves, primarily U.S. Treasury securities, and launching a $2 billion Bitcoin financing business in 2024.
