Trumps’ Crypto Project Raised Over $500 Million

World Liberty Financial has completed its latest token sale.

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Nina Bambysheva Staff Writer, Forbes Money & Markets

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WORLD LIBERTY FINANCIAL’S TOKEN SALE

World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a crypto venture with ties to the Trump family, has completed its second round of token sales, adding $250 million to its growing treasury. Launched in September, the project markets itself as a platform “supporting U.S. dollar-based stablecoins and DeFi applications that seek to preserve the U.S. dollar’s status.”

Donald Trump’s son Eric sits on the project’s board, while an entity linked to the family, DT Marks DEFI, holds a 60% stake in WLF Holdco, the company that controls World Liberty Financial. That entity is also entitled to 75% of WLFI’s token sale proceeds and holds 22.5 billion WLFI tokens.

The latest sale brings WLFI’s total public offering to 25% of its 100 billion token supply. The first round, in October, raised $300 million, selling 20 billion tokens at $0.015 each. The second round, completed Friday, saw 5 billion tokens sold at $0.05 apiece, pulling in another $250 million. Tron founder Justin Sun invested $30 million last year, acquiring 2 billion tokens. Investment platform Web3Port followed with a $10 million commitment in January.

Yet, despite raking in over half a billion dollars, WLFI has its skeptics. Critics argue that its high fees, revenue structure and unclear utility make it feel more like a cash grab than a real DeFi breakthrough.

BINANCE SECURES $2 BILLION FROM ABU DHABI’S MGX

The world’s largest crypto exchange has sold a minority stake to MGX, an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, in a $2 billion deal paid entirely in stablecoins. The investment marks Binance’s first institutional investment and the single largest investment into a crypto company, though further details of the deal weren’t disclosed.

For MGX, this marks its first foray into crypto. The firm is best known for backing Stargate, a $500 billion AI infrastructure project supported by OpenAI and SoftBank.

Shortly after the announcement, Binance’s founder and former CEO, Changpeng Zhao, took to X to push back against a Wall Street Journal report claiming the Trump family had explored investing in Binance’s U.S. arm and that he was seeking a presidential pardon (Zhao served four months in prison after pleading guilty to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program). He also disputed a Bloomberg follow-up that World Liberty Financial had discussed doing business with Binance.

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CURRENT PRICE OF TOP 5 COINS (7-Day % Change)

Coin

Price

Percent Change

Bitcoin (BTC)

$84,229

3.3%

Ether (ETH)

$1,922

10.8%

Tether (USDT)

$1.00

0.0%

XRP (XRP)

$2.34

5.8%

BNB (BNB)

$586

1.8%

Sources: Forbes Digital Assets, CoinGecko. Prices as of 5:57 p.m. on March 14, 2025.

STABLECOIN BILL CLEARS SENATE BANKING COMMITTEE

On Thursday, the Senate Banking Committee passed the GENIUS Act, a bill that would establish a federal regulatory framework for stablecoins—digital tokens pegged to assets like the U.S. dollar. This marks the first time a Senate panel has advanced major crypto legislation, signaling growing momentum for clearer crypto oversight. The bill now faces a full Senate vote. Read more.

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