Crypto Reporter
Shalini Nagarajan
Crypto Reporter
Shalini Nagarajan
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World Liberty Financial’s crypto token, WLFI, is set to become tradable following a landslide community vote that could significantly boost President Donald Trump’s crypto fortune.
On Wednesday, token holders overwhelmingly approved a proposal to unlock WLFI for trading, with 99.94% voting in favor.
The move marks a turning point for the Trump-linked project, which was launched last year as a decentralized finance platform offering both a governance token and a stablecoin.
The proposal, first introduced on July 9, outlined plans to transition World Liberty from a closed ecosystem to one with broader market participation.
Trading Begins for Early World Liberty Financial Holders, Full Unlock Still Pending
“This would mark a major milestone in the development of the World Liberty Financial ecosystem,” the team wrote. It added that this would open the door for wider community access and protocol development.
WLFI tokens were initially sold in two tranches, priced at $0.015 and $0.05. However, buyers were not allowed to trade them at the time. Instead, they received voting rights on protocol decisions and access to Trump-related events.
For instance, in May, top TRUMP memecoin holders were invited to a gala dinner with the president. Among the guests was Tron founder Justin Sun.
With trading enabled, price discovery and speculation will now begin. Although only early investor tokens will be unlocked initially, a second vote will determine when the remaining supply of the 100b WLFI tokens can be released.
Trump’s Inner Circle Anchors World Liberty’s Leadership and Ownership
The team noted that founder, advisor and team allocations will follow a longer vesting schedule. This is meant to signal long-term alignment with the project’s success.
Meanwhile, Trump’s three sons serve as official advisors to World Liberty. They are joined by real estate executive and longtime Trump ally Steve Witkoff, who now serves as the US special envoy to the Middle East. Additionally, Witkoff’s sons, Zach and Alex, are co-founders of the project.
A company linked to Trump, DT Marks DEFI LLC, is expected to receive 22.5b WLFI tokens. Additionally, Trump personally held 15.75b WLFI as of the end of last year.
According to Bloomberg, the Trump family has earned roughly $390m from WLFI sales, contributing to a total $620m in crypto-linked wealth.
Lawmakers Question Conflicts as Trump Crypto Profits Soar
Democratic lawmakers have voiced concerns over Trump’s growing involvement in crypto. This includes his ventures in Bitcoin mining and stablecoin development. As a result, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Maxine Waters have called on the US SEC to investigate possible conflicts of interest.
Meanwhile, the White House has stated that Trump’s assets are held in a trust managed by his children and has denied any conflict of interest. However, the terms of this trust have not been disclosed. Importantly, Trump remains the sole beneficiary. This means he could access proceeds from crypto ventures at any time or once he leaves office.
Despite the controversy, supporters see WLFI’s trading debut as a financial opportunity and a show of political loyalty. “We invested to get rich,” one holder posted on the project website.
Another simply wrote, “To make America great again.” Most token holders remain anonymous, shielded behind crypto wallet addresses.
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