Scaramucci of SkyBridge Capital Raises $100M for Algorand Fund, to Manage Crypto ETF Portfolio

SkyBridge Capital, the investment firm founded by financier and former Donald Trump aide Anthony Scaramucci, is seeking to manage a new crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF), according to a Tuesday filing.

The fund, filed by First Trust Advisors L.P., aims to “provide investors with capital appreciation.” First Trust has retained SkyBridge Capital to serve as investment sub-advisor to the fund. SkyBridge will be responsible for the selection and monitoring of securities in the fund’s investment portfolios.

The latest application for a crypto ETF follows a previous bitcoin ETF application filed in May by SkyBridge. The SEC extended its review of the firm’s application in July and again in August. SkyBridge’s bitcoin ETF application remains in limbo until SEC Chairman Gary Gensler decides whether to approve a crypto-based ETF.

Additionally, Scaramucci announced an Algorand fund during the SALT hedge fund conference in New York, which included luminaries in the financial world such as Ray Dalio, CEO of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund; Steven Cohen, founder of the Point72 Asset Management hedge fund and owner of the New York Mets; and financier Mike Novogratz, who founded finance company Galaxy Digital. Scaramucci founded SALT in 2009. Algorand is a decentralized blockchain network.

“SkyBridge now has about $700 million in crypto,” Scaramucci said in an interview with CNBC Wednesday. “We’re starting an Algorand fund ... we’re capping that fund at $250 million, we’ve already got $100 million raised for that fund.”

Read more: Scaramucci’s SkyBridge Capital Launches NFT Platform at SALT 2021

Correction: (Sept. 19, 2021, 16:06 UTC): Changes wording on ETF filing. SkyBridge was not responsible for filing crypto ETF as previously claimed.