UAE Sheikh Takes 49% Stake in Trump-Linked WLFI Bank Venture
World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture linked to President Donald Trump’s family, has expanded from decentralized finance into dollar-backed payments through USD1. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan, the UAE national security adviser and brother of the country’s president, has become a pivotal foreign backer. His network invested $500 million for 49% of WLFI in January 2025, with about $187 million flowing to Trump-family entities, intensifying conflict-of-interest and national-security scrutiny in Washington.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 27 that Sheikh Tahnoon and co-investors hold 49% of WLTC Holdings, the parent of World Liberty Trust Company, through StringZ Holding RSC, making them the banking venture’s largest shareholder. The OCC granted WLTC preliminary conditional approval on Aug. 14 to organize a national trust bank. The lender plans to issue, redeem and custody USD1, which has more than $4 billion in circulation, but must meet pre-opening conditions and secure final regulatory approval before commencing operations.
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The history behind this eventTrump-Linked AI Financial Eyes Payments Unit Sale as WLFI Token Plunges 70%
AI Financial, formerly Nasdaq-listed ALT5 Sigma, was originally focused on cryptocurrency payments and trading platforms. In August 2025, the company launched a $1.5 billion WLFI treasury strategy and acquired tokens issued by Trump family-backed World Liberty Financial. The transaction allowed the Trump family to cash out about $540 million and also sparked concerns over conflicts of interest and corporate governance.
The Wall Street Journal reported on July 7, 2026, that AI Financial was in talks with Tokyo blockchain company Perpetuals.com to sell its core payments subsidiary, ALT5 Sigma Canada, for as much as $15 million. Since the August 2025 transaction, the company’s shares have fallen more than 90%, while WLFI has plunged about 70% from its peak, underscoring the cost of its shift to a crypto-asset treasury strategy.
Trump Family-Backed WLFI Reportedly Set for National Trust Bank Charter to Issue USD1 Independently
World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a crypto project backed by the Trump family, issues USD1, a U.S. dollar stablecoin designed to maintain a value of $1 per token. Custodian BitGo currently facilitates issuance and redemptions. An Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) national trust bank charter would allow WLFI to handle reserves, settlement and fund flows itself, making the review a focus of financial-regulatory and conflict-of-interest concerns.
As of July 20, 2026, market reports indicated that the OCC was set to approve WLFI's charter application. A former OCC official said regulators would struggle to find grounds for rejection under existing review standards. Approval would allow WLFI to dispense with intermediaries such as BitGo. Democratic senators and banking industry groups oppose the application, questioning whether the Trump family's ties to federal regulatory decisions create a conflict of interest. The OCC has yet to formally announce an approval date or the charter's conditions.
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