Controversial token investment intensifies scrutiny as blockchain ambitions expand globally. A UAE-based fund has invested $100 million in World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s blockchain venture, raising fresh questions over global expansion, governance tokens, and potential conflicts of interest.
A United Arab Emirates-based fund has emerged as the largest publicly known investor in World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture founded by US President Donald Trump’s family, after purchasing $100 million worth of its digital tokens.
Aqua 1 Foundation, the Dubai-based entity behind the investment, confirmed the acquisition of $WLFI tokens in a statement on Thursday, describing the move as part of efforts to accelerate the creation of a “blockchain-powered financial ecosystem” built around stablecoins and tokenised traditional assets.
A spokesperson for World Liberty Financial confirmed the investment to Reuters but declined to provide further details.
The $WLFI token, described by the company as a governance token, does not currently trade on exchanges but grants holders voting rights on changes to the platform’s underlying code. World Liberty has stated it is “working behind the scenes” to make the token transferable in the future.
“Aqua 1 and WLFI will jointly identify and nurture high-potential blockchain projects together,” Aqua 1 founding partner Dave Lee said. He added that the fund’s investment and compliance teams would assist World Liberty’s planned expansion into South America, Europe, and Asia.
Despite its significant investment, Aqua 1 maintains a notably low public profile. Its official X (formerly Twitter) account has just three posts and around 1,120 followers, while its website, according to web domain trackers, was only registered on 28 May this year.
The partnership also includes plans to launch a separate Aqua 1 fund aimed at supporting “digital economy transformation” initiatives across the Middle East, leveraging blockchain and artificial intelligence technologies, according to the statement.
Launched two months ahead of the 2024 US presidential election by Trump and his business associates, World Liberty has already generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for the president’s family business.
The venture has, however, faced persistent criticism from Democratic lawmakers and government ethics watchdogs, who have raised concerns over potential conflicts of interest given President Trump’s direct and indirect ties to the company. The Trump Organization has previously stated that the president’s investments, assets, and business interests are held in a trust managed by his children.
World Liberty has positioned itself as an alternative to traditional banking, pledging to expand access to financial services through digital tokens. Its stablecoin, USD1, received a major boost last month when an Abu Dhabi-based investment firm selected it for a $2 billion transaction on Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges.
Aqua 1 did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. World Liberty officials declined to elaborate further on the new investment.
The deal marks yet another development in the Trump family’s growing blockchain empire as questions over transparency, regulation, and political influence continue to swirl.
