World Liberty Financial, the decentralized finance (DeFi) platform backed by the Trump family, is making headlines as its native token, WLFI, prepares for its market debut. The project's recent moves and ambitious valuation have sparked both investor excitement and political controversy.
A High-Stakes Debut
Perpetual futures trading for the WLFI token has launched on major exchanges at a price of $0.42, giving the project a stunning fully diluted valuation of $40 billion. The token, which was initially non-transferable and used for community governance, is set to become publicly tradable on September 1.
This debut is a significant milestone for the project, which raised $550 million from over 85,000 investors during its token sale. The high valuation of the perpetual futures market indicates strong investor interest and high expectations for the project.
The First Token Unlock and Personal Wealth
On September 1, the project will begin its first token unlock for early investors. This release will make 20% of the tokens purchased in the initial $0.015 and $0.05 funding rounds available for trading, representing about 5% of the total supply. The rest will remain locked, pending future governance votes.
For the Trump family, this event could be a major financial boon. Based on current perpetual futures prices, Donald Trump’s personal stake of 15.75 billion tokens would be worth over $6 billion, potentially doubling his Forbes-estimated net worth. The Trump family’s combined stake of 22.5 billion tokens, held through DT Marks DEFI LLC, would be valued at over $9 billion.
Starting August 25, only compliant investors will be able to activate the on-chain "Lockbox" verification system to claim their tokens.
Political and Regulatory Scrutiny
The project has drawn sharp criticism from political opponents who view it as a potential source of corruption. While the GENIUS Act, which was signed into law in July, failed to include conflict-of-interest protections, critics continue to raise concerns about the project's connections to a sitting president.
World Liberty Financial is actively promoting its USD1 stablecoin, which is pegged to the U.S. dollar and backed by U.S. Treasury reserves, while also pursuing a listing on Coinbase. This dual approach highlights the project's ambition to integrate with both the DeFi world and traditional financial markets.
