Wall Street has its Charging Bull, but that is so 1989. Our new Miami Bull, unveiled today by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Miami-based fintech firm TradeStation, which commissioned and paid for the statue, has laser eyes that look to the future, as the city stakes its claim as the world’s new epicenter of fintech and crypto.
“The City of Miami is committed to championing innovative ideas and transformative technologies. The Miami Bull is a symbolic and powerful addition to our cities landscape, its presence further reaffirms the strength of Miami’s position on the world stage,” said the mayor. “The future of finance is here, in Miami.”
The Miami Bull, an artistic and modern interpretation of the Charging Bull, was the brainchild of advertising agency SMALL, which together with Octonano, enlisted acclaimed 3D character artist Furio Tedeschi, who is known for his “Transformers” work, and Onx Forge Studio to bring the Miami Bull to life. “The work of art memorializes Miami’s role in shaping the future of finance and seeks to inspire the millions that will admire the bull for years to come,” said Maurizio Marchiori, Octonano CEO.
Let’s compare. Our bull is about 11 feet tall like its NYC cousin, but like our city is a lot more fit, at 3,000 pounds, rather than 7,000 pounds (like its NYC cousin). Also, our Bull doesn’t need to worry about sleet and snow.
The unveiling was a fitting kickoff to Bitcoin 2022, a 4-day conference that gets underway today. You can meet the Miami Bull for yourself if you are attending the Bitcoin 2022 conference. After the conference, the Miami Bull will move to his new home on Miami Dade College’s downtown Miami campus. By the way, our bull has a website: miamibull.com.
“TradeStation is thrilled to unveil the Miami Bull, a monument that celebrates the city of Miami and the future of finance,” said John Bartleman, President and CEO of TradeStation Group, in a statement. “As recognized leaders in the cryptocurrency landscape, we believe that communities that embrace innovation, like Miami, are the foundation of a new digital economy.”
At the Bitcoin 2022 conference, James Putra, who oversees TradeStation Crypto, said Miami is doing something very special in this space and needed an icon. “It is massive and it so cool. The mayor and his team have really adopted it as this iconic monument for Miami and a central rallying point for the community. We are so honored to be part of this community.”
Bitcoin 2022, April 6-9 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, is dubbed the world’s largest Bitcoin conference and is back in Miami-Dade for the second year, but bigger. Organizers expect about 30,000 to attend. It opened this morning for its Industry Day and the general conference is Thursday and Friday. . On tap over the next couple of days are keynotes by Founders Fund Partner Peter Thiel, psychologist and YouTube personality Jordan Peterson, tech investor Cathie Wood, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor, tech investor Marcelo Claure, Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary and others, and this year also includes a music festival. Learn more here.
Stay tuned to Refresh Miami for our coverage.
Follow Nancy Dahlberg on Twitter @ndahlberg and email her at [email protected]
