World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a Trump-linked crypto venture, has minted billions in paper wealth for the former president’s family, fueled by foreign investment and high-profile exchange partnerships—even as many token holders remain underwater.

Summary

• WLFI trades near $0.11 on Binance, implying a market capitalization of roughly $2.94 billion on a circulating supply of 24.66 billion tokens, following more than $550 million raised for a “stablecoin-centric” DeFi strategy.
• A UAE-backed firm acquired 49% of World Liberty Financial for $500 million just days before Donald Trump’s inauguration, intensifying geopolitical, ethical, and conflict-of-interest concerns.
• Reporting from The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNN, Forbes, and others shows WLFI’s structure disproportionately benefits Trump-linked insiders, while many later-stage investors absorb volatility and losses.

crypto experiment into what critics describe as a dynastic cash machine—even as many supporters who bought into the token are left nursing losses, according to an explosive Wall Street Journal investigation.

A Family Project With Billions at Stake

According to the Journal, during what it called “the depths of Donald Trump’s interregnum,” Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump met at Mar-a-Lago with developer Zach Witkoff and two crypto entrepreneurs to “conjure up a new money machine.” That meeting would eventually give rise to World Liberty Financial.

Since WLFI tokens began trading freely—an event the Journal likened to a de facto IPO—the Trump family has amassed as much as $5 billion in paper wealth, a sum that rivals or exceeds the value of many of Donald Trump’s legacy real estate holdings.

Public market data now lays bare WLFI’s tokenomics. Binance lists WLFI at approximately $0.11 per token, implying a market cap near $2.94 billion based on current circulating supply. The exchange notes that the initial token sale raised over $550 million, with WLFI positioned as the backbone of a DeFi ecosystem centered on dollar-denominated stablecoin services.

Foreign Money, Domestic Risk

The capital structure behind WLFI’s rise has drawn heightened scrutiny. Just four days before Trump’s second inauguration, an Emirati-linked investment firm purchased 49% of World Liberty Financial in a $500 million deal. The firm is tied to Abu Dhabi national security adviser Tahnoon bin Zayed—often referred to as the “spy sheikh”—handing foreign-linked investors nearly half of one of the Trump family’s flagship crypto ventures.

Fortune described WLFI as “one of the Trump family’s main crypto businesses,” noting that the deal effectively exchanged half a billion dollars for near-control of the platform.

At the same time, Binance has emerged as a critical growth catalyst. Speaking at a Dubai conference, Witkoff praised a partnership with the exchange, declaring, “This is just the beginning.” The endorsement came even as Binance’s former leadership continues to seek leniency after admitting to compliance failures that enabled money laundering and other criminal activity.

Investors’ Pain, Trump Gains

For many smaller WLFI investors, the story looks far less triumphant. Reuters previously reported that early pitches encouraged investors to commit at least $20 million for governance tokens—structures that concentrated control and upside among insiders while exposing later buyers to sharp price swings.

A Forbes analysis noted that WLFI’s token sale revenues were “extraordinarily lucrative” for Donald Trump and his sons even before the UAE deal, underscoring how governance rights and cash flows were designed to favor the family and close associates.

As WLFI continues to expand its footprint across stablecoins, DeFi, and tokenized finance, critics argue its rise offers a case study in how political influence, foreign capital, and crypto mechanics can intersect—leaving retail investors to shoulder the downside while insiders cash in.