Four days before taking office, secret transactions! The United Arab Emirates acquires nearly half of WLFI's shares for 500 million USD

The Wall Street Journal revealed on Saturday that a UAE investment firm purchased a 49% stake in WLFI, a Trump-affiliated company, for $500 million. The deal was signed by Eric Trump four days before the inauguration but was never made public. The Trump family received $187 million, and months later, the Trump administration approved the sale of AI chips to the UAE, with overlapping timelines that raise questions about potential conflicts of interest.

Mysterious Deal Four Days Before Inauguration Never Publicly Disclosed

According to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal, the shocking transaction took place on January 16, 2025, just four days before Trump’s official inauguration on January 20. The buyer was Aryam Investment 1, based in Abu Dhabi, supported by Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, brother of UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed and UAE National Security Advisor. This sheikh holds a prominent position within the UAE power structure, overseeing the sovereign wealth fund and AI strategic initiatives.

Eric Trump signed the agreement on behalf of WLFI, but the deal was never publicly announced until the WSJ disclosure. The secrecy itself raises concerns, as significant equity changes involving a presidential family enterprise just before inauguration should have attracted stricter public scrutiny. World Liberty Financial, established in October 2024, engages in stablecoin issuance, DeFi lending, and is applying for a national trust bank license. The project lists President Trump and his children Eric, Donald Jr., and Barron as co-founders.

Of the $500 million in funds, half has already been prepaid. From this initial payment of $250 million, $187 million went directly to entities controlled by the Trump family, and at least $31 million went to entities associated with the family of Steve Witkoff, a real estate magnate and co-founder of WLFI, later appointed by Trump as U.S. Middle East envoy. Witkoff’s son Zack currently serves as CEO of the project.

This flow of funds raises obvious concerns about conflicts of interest. The Trump family received a large sum before inauguration from foreign-backed entities poised for major strategic negotiations with the U.S. government, and the family of the Middle East envoy also profited. Such layered entanglements are extremely rare in U.S. political history.

Secret Changes in WLFI Equity Structure Finally Revealed

(Source: The Block)

This disclosure helps explain previously undisclosed changes in WLFI’s ownership structure. As reported by The Block in June 2025, DT Marks DeFi LLC (the holding company behind World Liberty Financial), associated with Trump, quietly reduced its stake in the project’s holding company from 75% in December 2024 to 40%. At that time, it was not clarified who acquired these shares, prompting widespread speculation.

If Aryam’s 49% stake was acquired proportionally from all existing shareholders, the calculation roughly indicates that after dilution of the original 75% stake by 49%, DT Marks would hold about 38%, close to the 40% currently disclosed on WLFI’s website. This calculation confirms the accuracy of the WSJ report and explains why the Trump family’s ownership share sharply declined within just a few months.

According to the WSJ, senior executives at G42 helped manage Aryam Investment 1 and gained seats on WLFI’s board, making Tahnoun’s company the largest external shareholder of the crypto project. G42 is an AI group chaired by Tahnoun, which had previously been restricted by the Biden administration from acquiring advanced chips due to its past dealings with Chinese firms, citing national security concerns.

This board seat arrangement means the UAE government-backed entity will have direct influence over WLFI’s strategic decisions. Given WLFI’s application for a national trust bank license, foreign influence could have profound implications for U.S. financial regulation. A financial entity led by a presidential family, with nearly half foreign government ownership and involved in stablecoin issuance, raises questions about whether its regulatory approval process can remain independent.

AI Chip Export and Crypto Investment Timeline Astonishingly Overlap

This revelation intensifies concerns about the increasingly close financial ties between WLFI and UAE interests. The overlapping timelines are highly suspicious: just weeks before the Trump administration announced a framework agreement allowing the UAE to receive 500,000 advanced AI chips annually, another Tahnoun-led company, MGX, used WLFI’s USD1 stablecoin to invest $2 billion in the cryptocurrency exchange Binance.

This transaction helped USD1 become one of the fastest-growing stablecoins by market cap, now exceeding $5 billion in circulation. From a business perspective, MGX’s investment provided USD1 with significant liquidity and market confidence, directly benefiting WLFI, which is controlled by the Trump family. Almost simultaneously, the Trump administration lifted restrictions on G42’s chip exports and approved the sale of computing capacity equivalent to 35,000 NVIDIA GB300 processors to G42 in November 2025.

Key Timeline Comparison

January 16, 2025: Aryam acquires 49% stake in WLFI for $500 million

January 20, 2025: Trump’s inauguration

Several months later in 2025: MGX uses USD1 to invest $2 billion in Binance

November 2025: Trump administration approves sale of AI chips to G42

Tahnoun has played a central role in the UAE’s efforts to become a global AI and tech hub. As chairman of G42, he previously faced restrictions during the Biden era due to its ties with Chinese firms, which prevented it from acquiring advanced chips. These restrictions were lifted during Trump’s presidency, allowing the UAE to receive an export license for 500,000 chips annually, including direct sales to Tahnoun’s company.

Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Elissa Slotkin called in September 2025 for investigations into potential conflicts of interest involving Witkoff and White House AI and crypto official David Sachs. They cited a New York Times investigation documenting the close links between WLFI’s transactions in the UAE and U.S. chip export negotiations. The coincidence of these timelines is difficult to explain as normal business dealings and appears more like a carefully orchestrated exchange of favors.

Trump and White House Deny Wrongdoing but Suspicion Lingers

In response to the WSJ report, WLFI and the White House quickly denied any misconduct. A spokesperson told the paper that Trump was not involved in the deal and that it did not influence U.S. policy decisions. The project has previously maintained that Trump and his family do not participate in daily management, with operations led by executives including CEO Zack Witkoff, co-founder Zack Fockman, and Chase Horrow.

However, this defense is unconvincing. First, the Trump entity directly received $187 million, making him the primary beneficiary even if he did not participate in negotiations. Second, Eric Trump, acting as a representative of Trump’s family, signed the agreement, making it hard to believe Trump was unaware. Third, the deal occurred just four days before inauguration, a highly sensitive timing that raises suspicion.

More critically, even if Trump himself was not directly involved, his family’s enterprise received massive foreign government-backed investments just before inauguration, and the foreign entity gained significant policy benefits within months afterward. These facts are sufficient to create an appearance of conflicts of interest. In U.S. political ethics, “appearance of conflicts” is as important as actual conflicts.

Witkoff’s dual role is at the core of the issue. Steve Witkoff is both a co-founder of WLFI and Trump’s appointed Middle East envoy, with his family receiving at least $31 million from the deal. His son Zack is CEO of WLFI, directly managing relations with the UAE. This arrangement creates a direct financial link between U.S. Middle East policy makers and the region’s largest investor.

WLFI’s expansion ambitions also raise regulatory concerns. The project is applying for a national trust bank license, which would allow its USD1 stablecoin business to operate under federal regulation. Given Trump remains U.S. president, his family’s enterprise applying for a federal bank license, with the approval ultimately overseen by a regulator accountable to the president, presents systemic conflicts of interest.