World Liberty Financial (WLFI): Donald Trump Shares, But Key Details Still Missing
Donald Trump's World Liberty Financial DeFi will promote stablecoin adoption. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
- The World Liberty Financial DeFi project is focused on promoting DeFi and the mass adoption of stablecoins.
- 20% of the project’s tokens will go to founding members, 17% for user reards, and a final 63% for public purchase.
- The token will be offered in a Reg D token offering under the SEC.
Donald Trump’s crypto project, World Liberty Finance (WLFI), intends to promote decentralized finance (DeFi), establish the U.S. as the leader in digital assets, spur stablecoin adoption, and boost U.S. dollar dominance.
Furthermore, they intend to be a wholly regulated entity under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Well, at least that’s what Trump, his sons, and the WLFI team said.
World Liberty Financial
Speaking on X spaces with Farokh , the founder of the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO)/non-fungible token (NFT) media agency Rug Radio, the Trump family discussed the project alongside WLFI teammates.
In a lengthy and somewhat meandering conversation, Trump and the WLFI founders explained that WLFI is a crypto banking platform with DeFi features.
The team, offering little details on the actual project itself, emphasized accessibility.
Regarding borrowing, lending, and investing, Zak Folkman, who is reportedly heading up strategy and operations at WLFI, said that the project isn’t trying to “rebuild the wheel” but instead create “simple products.”
“Our goal is to build projects that are easy and simple to use and where you don’t need to phone a friend to get a walkthrough,”
As for the WLFI governance token, Trump and his sons confirmed it would be non-transferable, nor provide additional economic rights. Notably, they’re looking for governance participants, not get-rich-quick speculators.
For now, the token will be sold solely to accredited investors under a Regulation D exemption from the SEC. This exemption grants companies the right to raise capital without registering securities with the SEC.
Roadblocks Ahead
It’s hard to tell if the success of the WLFI project, overall, hinges on the results of Trump’s presidential ambitions.
However, there is no doubt that Trump’s many twists and turns over the coming weeks will influence the token’s price.
Trump Jr. discussed how DeFi is “what our founding father intended” for the U.S., citing the equilibrium it can bring back to the current financial system.
Towards the end of the chat, Trump noted:
“Crypto is one of those things we have to do, whether we like it or not, we have to do it.”
There’s also the, perhaps even more ambitious, desire to be fully regulated under the SEC. Given the regulators’ many lawsuits and enforcement actions against the crypto industry, this hope may also be pinned on Trump’s potential political success.
WLFI Launch Announcement
In a Sept. 12 post to X, Donald Trump officially announced that the WLFI project will be launching on Sept. 16, 2024.
“We’re embracing the future with crypto and leaving the slow and outdated big banks behind,” the Presidential hopeful said.
Though little is known about the project, it appears to place focus on stablecoins, borrowing and lending, and governance.
Interestingly, the project has publicly said it is committed to “spreading U.S.-pegged stablecoins around the world” to boost the U.S. dollar’s dominance around the world.
A DeFi Project?
In a string of posts to X on Sept. 3, WLFI has taken to social media to rather ambiguously provide the “real story” of the project.
To begin with, WLFI claims to be tapping top security experts who have “thoroughly reviewed” the project’s code. This includes the likes of smart contract and EVM auditors BlockSec, blockchain analytics and security firm PeckShield, and others.
WLFI confirms it is working with Ethereum-based Aave for the Decentralized Finance (DeFi) project. Outlining its mission, World Liberty Financial says it is to make crypto and America “great” through the “mass adoption of stablecoins” and DeFi.
“By spreading U.S.-pegged stablecoins around the world, we ensure that the U.S. dollar’s dominance continues, securing America’s financial leadership and influence on the global stage.”
Interestingly, the WLFI places emphasis on stablecoins, stating that the project wants to see U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoins as the “world’s settlement layer for the next 100 years.”
Trump Endorsed
After Donald Trump Jr. teased the crypto world with the prospect of a Trump-backed DeFi project in early Aug., the Trumps are going ahead with it.
World Liberty Financial (WLFI) will reportedly offer borrowing and lending services similar to those of Dough Finance, where several WLFI team members originally worked. Those familiar with the matter say that the project will include a new crypto token, though it will be a non-transferable governance token.
In his endorsement post , Trump declared that he will work to ensure the U.S. is the “crypto capital of the planet,” further embedding himself in the crypto world ahead of this year’s election.
The Roster
Again, though details are scarce, there are plenty of clues about the people WLFI is bringing on board. Headhunting for WLFI is underway. Notably, Donald Trump Jr. is named as the project’s “Chief Crypto Advocate,” with other Trump sons listed as “Web3 Ambassadors”.
As per an official announcement from WLFI, Corey Caplan has been named as an advisor for the project.
Caplan is the co-founder of Dolomite, a DeFi platform launched in 2022 that positions itself as a money market platform and decentralized exchange (DEX) offering trading, lending, and portfolio management. Initially launched on Arbitrum One, it is now present in several other blockchains.
According to circulating portions of the whitepaper, Zacahry Folkman and Chase Herro are listed as WLFI’s head of operations and strategies lead. They are reportedly former developers of DeFi liquidity protocol Dough Finance.
As such, the “whitepaper” suggests they’ll be lifting Dough Finance’s codebase for WLFI, though this is yet to be confirmed. Other Dough Finance devs are also named, which has come under some scrutiny as the DeFi protocol suffered a $1.8 million loss through a flash loan attack in July this year.
Trump Jr.’s DeFi Project
In early Aug., Trump Jr. provided some sparse details on the project, placing plenty of emphasis on inequality within the financial system.
Describing his own experience with being debanked, he explained that it “[…] isn’t about creating a memecoin” and is instead designed to challenge, or at least compete with, traditional banking systems.
There was speculation as to whether or not the project would involve real-world assets (RWAs) following earlier posts from Trump Jr. and his younger brother , who had said he’d “truly fallen in love with Crypto / DeFi.”
No Memecoins
Naturally, this would be the perfect time for scammers and fraudsters to capitalize on the hype by launching some fresh memecoins. Taking to X younger brother, Eric Trump, urged caution.
While the eldest of Trump’s sons is rather pleased with how enthusiastically the crypto community has rallied behind his father, he also advised his followers to pay close attention and not get scammed, writing :
“[…] but beware of fake tokens claiming to be part of the Trump project. The only official project will be announced directly by us, and it will be fair for everyone. Don’t be fooled—stay tuned for the real deal.“
During the Locals Q&A, the Trump brothers also addressed rumors surrounding the Solana-based Restore The Replublic (RTR) crypto that launched on Aug. 8, 2024. The pair denied having any connection to the project and called the rumors “absolutely false.”
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