A UAE fund has acquired a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial, linked to the Trump family, raising concerns over foreign investments and conflicts of interest.
A fund linked to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE has quietly acquired a 49% share in World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a cryptocurrency venture associated with the Trump family, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
During a press conference on February 3, 2026, former President Donald Trump claimed he was unaware of the investments made by the Abu Dhabi entity in WLFI. He noted, “My sons are involved in this, my family is involved… I have enough on my plate with Iran, Russia, and Ukraine.”
On February 5, 2026, U.S. Representative Ro Khanna formally inquired about WLFI’s dealings amid investigations into foreign investments and possible conflicts of interest concerning the Trump family. Lawmakers are demanding clarification on a significant $187 million transfer to entities owned by Trump’s family and additional details regarding payments to the co-founders.
Furthermore, questions have emerged about the role of the USD1 stablecoin in MGX's $2 billion investment into Binance, alongside concerns regarding potential national security implications tied to AI chip exports.
Documents related to the deal are expected by March 1. The acquisition, finalized by Eric Trump in January 2025 just before his father’s inauguration, was not made public at the time.
The buyer, Aryam Investment 1, which is overseen by Sheikh Tahnoon, paid half of the total $250 million upfront. Of this, around $187 million was allocated to Trump family entities, with at least $31 million going to firms connected to co-founder Steve Witkoff.
Post-acquisition, representatives from the Emirati AI company G42, which Sheikh Tahnoon leads, became the largest external shareholders of the DeFi platform.
Concerns Over UAE Involvement
Further investigation by WSJ highlighted the UAE's significant role. Just before the Trump administration's announcement of an AI chip deal with the UAE, Sheikh Tahnoon's MGX invested approximately $2 billion in Binance using WLFI’s USD1 stablecoin.
This deal, according to the investigation, set the stage for launching a new stablecoin, with oversight from G42, controlled by Sheikh Tahnoon. The timing has drawn scrutiny from Democrats, particularly after Senators Elizabeth Warren and Elissa Slotkin called for an investigation into potential conflicts involving key figures like Steve Witkoff and David Sachs, an advisor on AI and cryptocurrency.
Lawmakers pointed to a New York Times investigation that highlighted the timing of WLFI’s agreements with UAE partners and concurrent negotiations by the Trump administration regarding advanced microchip exports.
Previously, G42 faced restrictions under the Biden administration due to its connections with China, but these were lifted under Trump, who approved the supply of substantial computing power to the UAE in November 2025.
In October, the Financial Times reported that the Trump family had accrued over $1 billion from various cryptocurrency ventures.
