Florida’s Chief Monetary Officer Jimmy Patronis has proposed that the state company accountable for managing retirement funds take into account investing in Bitcoin.
In a letter dated 29 October 2024, Patronis described Bitcoin as “digital gold,” suggesting it might improve portfolio diversification and function a safeguard in opposition to the volatility related to conventional asset courses.
Patronis urged the Florida State Board of Administration (SBA) to organize a report assessing the feasibility, dangers, and potential advantages of allocating a portion of the state’s retirement funds to digital property earlier than the subsequent legislative session begins on March 4, 2025.
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SBA Funds Boast $205B In Belongings
The SBA presently oversees greater than 30 funds, together with the Florida Retirement System Belief Fund, which boasted roughly $205 billion in property as of September 30.
In his correspondence, Patronis proposed establishing a “Digital Forex Funding Pilot Program” inside the Florida Development Fund.
The fund can make investments as much as 1.5% of the Florida Retirement System Belief Fund and not too long ago allotted round $998 million to high-growth investments between 2022 and 2023, as famous in a report earlier this yr.
“When managing state pensions for firefighters, lecturers, and cops, it’s important to prioritize returns and make sure the finest funding outcomes for Floridians. That is the place the attract of investing in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin turns into notably compelling,” Patronis mentioned.
He additionally highlighted that this initiative would complement Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s latest stance in opposition to central financial institution digital currencies (CBDCs), framing Bitcoin because the “antithesis” of centralized foreign money programs.
If Florida strikes ahead with cryptocurrency investments, it would be part of the ranks of states like Wisconsin and Michigan.
In Could, Wisconsin’s Funding Board disclosed a $164 million funding in Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) from Grayscale and BlackRock, representing about 0.1% of its whole property.
Equally, in July, Michigan’s Retirement System reported proudly owning 110,000 shares in ARK 21Shares’ ETF, constituting 0.003% of its property.
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Jersey Metropolis’s Municipal Pension Fund To Make investments In Bitcoin ETFs
Earlier this yr, Jersey Metropolis’s municipal pension fund introduced plans to spend money on Bitcoin by way of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The town’s pension fund, the Workers Retirement System of Jersey Metropolis, has been working by regulatory steps.
Though the precise ETF has not been named, Mayor Steven Fulop indicated that Jersey Metropolis’s technique may observe an analogous method to Wisconsin’s state pension fund, which not too long ago invested 2% of its property in Bitcoin ETFs.
Not my regular material in a submit however I’ll share anyway – the query on whether or not Crypto/Bitcoin is right here to remain is essentially over + crypto/Bitcoin received. The #JerseyCity pension fund is in technique of updating paperwork to the SEC to allocate % of the fund to Bitcoin ETFs… https://t.co/5iNEqRqHGM
— Steven Fulop (@StevenFulop) July 25, 2024
Notably, there was a pattern of public pension funds exhibiting curiosity in cryptocurrencies, with notable examples like Wisconsin’s State of Wisconsin Funding Board making a considerable $160 million funding in spot bitcoin ETFs earlier this yr.
Whereas bigger entities just like the Authorities Pension Funding Fund of Japan have additionally explored the realm of bitcoin investments, smaller funds just like the Houston Firefighters’ Aid and Retirement Fund have maintained crypto publicity for a number of years.
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