Grant Cardone, the founder of Cardone Capital, recently announced a significant real estate transaction worth $235 million coupled with a $100 million investment in Bitcoin. This revelation occurred during a prominent discussion at Consensus Miami 2026.
With confidence, Cardone presents his innovative approach combining Bitcoin with real estate, asserting that this model possesses the potential to generate higher returns compared to traditional Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). REITs typically own properties that produce income and pay out the majority of their taxable income to shareholders in dividends. Cardone highlights a key limitation: conventional REITs cannot include Bitcoin within their balance sheets, which restricts their growth. By merging real estate cash flow with the appreciation potential of Bitcoin, he estimates that investors could see returns in the range of 22% to 32%.
In contrast, traditional REITs have historically provided long-term annualized returns between 8% to 11%, depending on market conditions. They are known for outperforming private real estate and bonds, maintaining competitiveness with the S&P 500 over time.
This latest Bitcoin investment builds on Cardone Capital’s earlier acquisition of 1,000 BTC in 2025, raising their total Bitcoin exposure to approximately $200 million. Cardone aims to increase his holdings to 10,000 BTC by the end of 2026.
A notable aspect of Cardone's strategy is its ability to attract new investors to the cryptocurrency market. Reports indicate that around 80% of the participants in this latest fund had no prior exposure to Bitcoin, suggesting an expanding interest in digital assets.
Founded in 2016, Cardone Capital aims to democratize access to high-quality multifamily deals for everyday investors. The firm is also preparing for an IPO in 2026, which will likely introduce additional regulatory transparency and market scrutiny, moving from its current operation as a private fund to a public entity.