INTERNATIONAL VISITORS CONTRIBUTE TO TOURISM
The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau announced that 26.5 million people traveled to Miami-Dade County last year. At 4.7 million visits, foreign tourists comprised 25 percent of the overnight market and 29 percent of tourism-related spending. Most international visitors came from South America, Central America, and the Caribbean, with Colombia leading, followed by Brazil, Canada, and Mexico.
SWIRE PROPERTIES UNVEILS NEW PLANS
Hong Kong-based Swire Properties is partnering with New York’s Related Companies on a joint venture to develop One Brickell City Centre, a commercial building, 1,000 feet tall, at 700 Brickell Avenue and 799 Brickell Plaza in Miami. When finished, One Brickell City Centre would become Florida’s tallest office building, joining Brickell’s 830 building – the first new standalone office tower in over a decade, now more than 90 percent leased. Swire Properties also released details of One Island Drive, a new residential addition to Brickell Key. The new residences will feature two towers at 800 and 400 feet.
FUEL VENTURE CAPITAL LAUNCHES FLAGSHIP FUND II
Miami-based Fuel Venture Capital is introducing its Flagship Fund II after investing $100 million in South Florida startups with its first Flagship Fund. The international early-stage investment firm aims to raise $300 million. The fund will concentrate on fintech, enterprise SaaS, consumer technology, and sports and entertainment technology. In 2021, Fuel Venture Capital also raised $63.6 million to invest in 60 UK tech startups.
VIAMERICAS MOVES GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS TO MIAMI
Viamericas Corporation, an international remittance company focusing on immigrants sending money home, has moved its global headquarters from Maryland to Coral Gables, Florida. The company relocated to the Miami area because of its connectivity to the Americas.
MIAMI INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS ACQUIRES LEDGERX
Financial exchange platform Miami International Holdings, Inc. has announced the acquisition of LedgerX, a Miami-based crypto derivatives platform, for $50 million. LedgerX was previously a subsidiary of FTX, the now bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange and hedge fund whose collapse sent cryptocurrency values plummeting worldwide.
GLOBAL CROSSINGS AIRLINES GROUP EXPANDS
Miami-based GlobalX will increase its fleet from 11 to 16 aircraft, authorized by the U.S. Department of Transportation. This announcement is on track with the airline’s 2023 business plan to add more passenger and freighter aircraft. Joining the fleet will be two Airbus A320 passenger jets and two Airbus A321 cargo jets.
MIAMI EV COMPANY ACQUIRES NEW FIRM
Blink Mobility LLC, an electric car-sharing service, announced the acquisition of Envoy Technologies, Inc., a Miami-based electric car-sharing service that offers e-vehicles as an amenity to hotels and residences. Blink Mobility is a subsidiary of Miami-based Blink Charging, one of the world’s leading electric-vehicle charging companies, with operations in 19 countries and plans for a 500-worker factory. Blink Charging also announced a new CEO, Brendan S. Jones, replacing Michael D. Farkas, the company founder, who will continue to serve on the board.
UK COMPANY SELLS MIAMI BEACH HOTEL
UK-based Quadrum Global has sold the Art Deco, beachfront Nautilus hotel to Service Properties Trust, a Massachusetts-based REIT (real estate investment trust), for $164.5 million. Quadrum acquired the Nautilus for $61 million in 2011. The property will be operated by Sonesta, which oversees all 262 Service Properties hotels in the United States and Canada. The property has been renamed Nautilus Sonesta Miami Beach.
MALAYSIAN GROUP SELLS DOWNTOWN PROPERTY
Casino operator Genting Malaysia has sold a 15.5-acre development site in Downtown Miami for $1.225 billion. The bayfront property was purchased by SmartCity Miami LLC, an investment group led by Miami-based Terra and its CEO David Martin. The property is the biggest undeveloped waterfront site in the city and the highest price ever paid for a property in Miami. Genting originally bought the site for $236 million in 2011 hoping to turn it into a casino. The sale was brokered by an Avison Young team led by Michael T. Fay.
AUSTRIAN LOGISTICS PROVIDER OPENS OFFICE IN MIAMI
Gebrüder Weiss has opened an air and sea freight office in Miami, furthering the company’s U.S. presence. Six employees now work for the company in Miami. The site is slated to become a center for shipments to Latin American markets.
CODING BOOTCAMPS OFFERED AT MARLINS STADIUM
The Miami Marlins reached an agreement with Ironhack, a Spain-based company that provides nine-week bootcamp training in web development, data analytics, and UX/UI design, to make LoanDepot Park the new site of its flagship U.S. campus. The new deal will help develop local tech talent.
ACI WORLDWIDE APPOINTS NEW CEO
Miami-based ACI Worldwide, a payments systems company, has appointed Thomas Warsop as the new CEO, replacing Odilon Almeida. Warsop joined the ACI Board of Directors in June 2015. ACI also announced the addition of Swift Go to its cross-border payment offerings. Swift Go lets consumers and corporate clients send cross-border payments directly from their bank accounts.
SOUTH FLORIDA FREIGHT COMPANY ACQUIRED
Southern Companies, a trucking and logistics company headquartered in Medley, Florida, has been acquired by French company Geodis, a global logistics provider with over 150 warehouses in the U.S. alone. The absorption of Southern Companies will enhance Geodis’ supply chain capabilities in the U.S. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
GLOBAL PAYTECH VENTURES INVESTS IN DUTCH FIRM
Miami-based Global PayTech Ventures, a venture capital firm that focuses on payment technologies, has invested $2.24M in Amsterdam-based Klearly, a firm that provides wireless payment solutions to European merchants. Its free app allows vendors to accept payments via smartphones and provides analytics to help sales and marketing.
INTERVAL INTERNATIONAL EXPANDS GLOBAL REACH
Interval International, a worldwide provider of vacation services based in Miami, recently affiliated with ALMA, a high-end resort in Vietnam owned and operated by Paradise Bay Resort Company Limited. Paradise Bay Resort Company Limited is based in Vietnam and owned by Israeli-born investor Igal Ahouvi.
ELECTRIC SCOOTER COMPANY EXPANDS
Bird Global, Inc., a leader in green electric transportation, has announced that it will begin offering service in eight new metropolitan markets in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. The company’s e-scooters and e-bikes are projected to launch in the added markets over the spring and summer.
PORTMIAMI WELCOMES NEW LINE TO THE PORT
Zim Shipping Company announced that its new Colibri Xpress line will now operate from PortMiami. With a fleet of more than 80 vessels and service to more than 180 ports globally, Zim is one of the top container shipping firms in the world. The new service will connect PortMiami to ports in Jamaica, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Chile.
REVOLUTION BRANDS INTERNATIONAL ACQUIRES MEKA INC.
Miami-based Revolution Brands International has expanded its manufacturing capabilities by acquiring California-based MEKA Inc. MEKA designs and manufactures micro-mobility products, focusing on hardware and software platforms for personal electric vehicles. Revolution Brands International distributes recreational e-vehicles globally.
