Trump-backed World Liberty in $500m deal with UAE royal: report

An Abu Dhabi royal reportedly agreed to buy a 49% stake in Trump’s cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, for US$500 million, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The deal was signed with Eric Trump four days before Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration.

The first US$250 million installment was paid, with US$187 million going to Trump-related entities.

Another US$31 million went to entities linked to World Liberty co-founder Steve Witkoff’s family.

A further US$31 million was allocated to entities tied to other co-founders Zak Folkman and Chase Herro.

A World Liberty spokesperson said the investment aimed to support growth and that Trump and Witkoff had no involvement in the deal.

The remaining US$250 million was due by July 2025, but its distribution was undisclosed.

The Abu Dhabi investor is Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser and deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi, who oversees the US$1 trillion Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Abu Dhabi-linked money already boosted the venture

The US$500 million deal builds on earlier Abu Dhabi-linked funding tied to World Liberty Financial (WLFI) and its stablecoin USD1.
USD1 market value rose from about US$130 million to roughly US$2.13 billion on May 1, 2025 1.
MGX, an Abu Dhabi investment firm, put US$2 billion into Binance in May 2025 and paid in USD1, which helped drive that rise 1.
In the first US$250 million installment, US$187 million went to Trump-related entities. WLFI disclosures also grant the Trump family 75% of net proceeds from token sales plus 60% of future net profits from stablecoin operations 1.

The deal may touch Trump national security policy plus WLFI trust-bank plans

Foreign investments like this can fall under the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an interagency committee that reviews some transactions for U.S. national security risks 2.
CFIUS relies on transaction facts, including whether a covered deal gives a foreign person control of a U.S. business. An Abu Dhabi official like Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan taking a large stake does not trigger review by itself 3.
A review could weigh President Trump’s “America First Investment Policy” memorandum, which calls for tighter limits on money from nations deemed adversarial. It also says the U.S. welcomes passive investment from foreign investors including sovereign wealth funds 4.
Any CFIUS review could slow WLFI’s plan to launch a stablecoin-focused national trust bank (World Liberty Trust Company) 5.