World Liberty Financial
World Liberty Financial is a decentralized finance protocol and cryptocurrency company founded in 2024. It has been noted for directly advertising its connection with Donald Trump and his family. A New York Times investigation described it as "eviscerating the boundary between private enterprise and government policy in a manner without precedent in modern American history".
It has been involved in multiple controversies regarding its conflicts of interest, alleged secret deals, and business with individuals under criminal investigation and with criminal records.[1][2] One of World Liberty's few publicly known investors is Chinese billionaire Justin Sun; shortly after Trump took office in 2025, Sun invested $30 million into World Liberty and subsequently a SEC investigation into Sun was dropped.[3] A firm associated with the Abu Dhabi government invested $2 billion into World Liberty in 2025.[3]
History
[edit]In September 2024, Trump announced that his sons would enter the crypto marketplace with a new venture called World Liberty Financial. In October, it announced its first initiative marketing a cryptocurrency called $WLFI. By the end of October, the company had only sold $2.7 million worth of $WLFI, which abruptly changed and soared following Trump's victory in the 2024 United States presidential election.[1]
In March 2025, World Liberty announced it would launch USD1, a dollar-pegged stablecoin backed by U.S. treasuries, dollars, and other cash equivalents.[2] In June 2025, World Liberty announced on the social media platform X that it is considering making $WLFI transferable. The company revealed it reached the decision based on requests from investors.
Ownership
[edit]The company has been noted for its close connections to Donald Trump. A Trump business entity owns 60 percent of World Liberty, and is entitled to 75 percent of all revenue from coin sales. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are actively involved in the management of the company, and rely on three partners, Zachary Folkman, Chase Herro, and Zach Witkoff, to maintain daily operations. The Trump family and its affiliates were given 22.5 billion units of World Liberty's coins, $WLFI; the company says those who buy $WLFI will be able to vote on certain decisions like shareholders in a traditional company.[1]
Controversies
[edit]The company has been described by The New York Times as "eviscerating the boundary between private enterprise and government policy in a manner without precedent in modern American history". An investigation by The Times described it as having directly solicited access to Trump with secret payments and currency swaps from foreign investors, companies, and individuals with criminal records and investigations. At least one investigation was dropped after payment worth several million was made to the firm, and Trump granted an official pardon to an investor of a company World Liberty had invested in. Several actions taken by Trump's administration regarding cryptocurrency were noted to bolster the company's assets and position. A spokeswoman for Trump stated that since his assets were in a trust managed by his children, there were "no conflicts of interest".[1]
USD1 stablecoin and investments
[edit]In May 2025, MGX, an Abu Dhabi-state backed company led by Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the Abu Dhabi royal family, announced it would use $2 billion worth of the USD1 stablecoin launched by World Liberty to finance a deal in crypto exchange Binance.[4] The deal was criticized by government ethics experts over potential conflicts of interest. As of April 30, USD1 was one of the fastest growing stablecoins in use, reaching a circulation of $2.1 billion. A Reuters investigation found that an "anonymous cryptocurrency wallet that holds $2 billion worth of USD1 received the funds between April 16 and 29". It also reported that Zach Witkoff and two other World Liberty co-founders met with Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao in Abu Dhabi, who previously pleaded guilty to money laundering.[2]
Investments by Justin Sun
[edit]The most prominent buyer of World Liberty Financial tokens is Chinese businessperson Justin Sun, reportedly spending at least $75 million on tokens.[5] Sun is also a World Liberty Financial advisor.[5] In February 2025, shortly after Trump took office as president for the second time, the Securities and Exchange Commission was reported to be backing off an investigation that it was conducting into Sun's companies.[5] The financial relationship between Trump and Sun raised potential conflicts of interest.[5] Steve Witkoff later announced that stablecoin USD1 would be integrated into Tron, Sun's blockchain.[2]
Key people
[edit]Donald Trump's company title is "chief crypto advocate", Barron Trump is listed as the project's "DeFi (decentralized finance) visionary", Ogle from Glue is listed as a key advisor, and Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. each have the title, "Web3 ambassador."[6][7][8] Steve Witkoff's son Zach Witkoff is a co-founder of the company. It has been marketed as a portal for traders to invest in cryptocurrency, and use those cryptocurrency assets for both borrowing and lending.[9][10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Lipton, Eric; Yaffe-Ballany, David; Protess, Ben (April 29, 2025). "Secret Deals, Foreign Investments, Presidential Policy Changes: The Rise of Trump's Crypto Firm". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Maccioni, Federico (May 1, 2025). "Trump's stablecoin chosen for $2 billion Abu Dhabi investment in Binance, co-founder says". Reuters. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
- ^ a b "Trump family's net worth has increased by $2.9 billion thanks to crypto investments, new report says". CBS News. May 2, 2025.
- ^ Yaffe-Bellany, David (May 1, 2025). "At a Dubai Conference, Trump's Conflicts Take Center Stage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
- ^ a b c d "US SEC, Tron founder Justin Sun explore resolution of civil fraud case". Reuters. 2025.
- ^ Goldstein, Matthew; LaFraniere, Sharon; Yaffe-Bellany, David (September 16, 2024). "Trump Rolls Out His New Cryptocurrency Business". The New York Times.
- ^ LaFraniere, Sharon; Yaffe-Bellany, David (October 7, 2024). "The 'Crypto Punks' Behind Trump's Murky New Business Venture". The New York Times.
- ^ Chandonnet, Henry (October 4, 2024). "Scammers are flooding Trump's new crypto exchange". Fast Company.
- ^ Jacob Kornbluh (December 15, 2024). "Newborn grandson of Trump’s Mideast envoy named after Trump," The Forward.
- ^ Eric Lipton, Ben Protess, and David Yaffe-Bellany (December 5, 2024). "Trump Organization Plans an Ethics Policy Without Banning Foreign Deals," The New York Times.
External links
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