The Deal
A private investment vehicle controlled by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s National Security Adviser, quietly acquired a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial (WLFI) for $500 million. The deal, reported by The Wall Street Journal on Feb. 1, was signed in January 2025, mere days before Donald Trump’s second inauguration. The acquiring entity, Aryam Investment 1, paid half the sum upfront, funneling $187 million directly into Trump family-controlled entities, specifically DT Marks DEFI LLC and DT Marks SC LLC.
The Numbers
The transaction effectively valued the struggling crypto project at over $1 billion, a sharp contrast to its sluggish public token sales. Eric Trump signed the agreement on behalf of World Liberty. Beyond the payout to the Trump family, the deal installed two Aryam executives, both linked to the UAE’s AI giant G42, onto World Liberty’s board. The timing is critical: shortly after the deal closed and Trump took office, his administration approved the export of restricted high-performance AI chips to the UAE, a strategic priority for Sheikh Tahnoon that had been blocked under the Biden administration.
This investment, facilitated by Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, made Aryam Investment 1… the largest shareholder in World Liberty.
Market Reaction
The WLFI token, which has struggled to maintain momentum since its launch, reacted poorly to the disclosure of foreign control. WLFI slid 16% to trade around $0.15 as holders digested the governance implications. The revelation challenges the project’s narrative of being a “DeFi protocol for the people,” exposing it instead as a vehicle for sovereign-level capital injection with potential geopolitical strings attached.
