A UAE-backed investment vehicle reportedly purchased a 49% stake in Trump-linked crypto startup World Liberty Financial for $500 million just before Trump returns to the White House in January 2025.
A year after this investment, we examine its effect on World Liberty Financial and the broader Trump-related crypto ecosystem.
Top UAE royal official secretly bought 49% stake in Trump World Liberty Financial for $500 million pic.twitter.com/xi8ByzJcyf
– database (@tier10k) February 1, 2026
It also comes at a time when global funds are pushing deeper into the DeFi and broader crypto space, betting that continued more favorable U.S. policy will unlock more growth.
The crypto market took a beating this weekend, with over $300 billion wiped from the total market capitalization as Bitcoin .cwp-coin-chart svg path { Stroke-width: 0.65 !important; } .cwp-coin-widget-container .cwp-graph-container.positive svg path: nth-of-type (2) { trait: #008868 !important; } .cwp-coin-widget-container .cwp-coin-trend.positive { color: #008868 !important; background-color: transparent !important; } .cwp-coin-widget-container .cwp-coin-popup-holder .cwp-coin-trend.positive { border: 1px solid #008868; border-radius: 3px; } .cwp-coin-widget-container .cwp-coin-trend.positive::before { border-bottom: 4px solid #008868 !important; } .cwp-coin-widget-container .cwp-coin-price-holder .cwp-coin-trend-holder .cwp-trend { background-color: transparent !important; } .cwp-coin-widget-container .cwp-graph-container.negative svg path: nth-of-type (2) { trait: #A90C0C !important; } .cwp-coin-widget-container .cwp-coin-popup-holder .cwp-coin-trend.negative { border: 1px solid #A90C0C; border-radius: 3px; } .cwp-coin-widget-container .cwp-coin-trend.negative { color: #A90C0C !important; background-color: transparent !important; } .cwp-coin-widget-container .cwp-coin-trend.negative::before { border-top: 4px solid #A90C0C !important; } the price fell below $80,000 and is currently trading at $78,250.
(SOURCE: CoinGlass)
How significant is Abu Dhabi’s $500 million investment in Trump-backed World Liberty Financial?
The Wall Street Journal reports that Aryam Investment 1, an Abu Dhabi company backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has agreed to buy a 49% stake in the company just days before the start of his second term as US president.
Half the money came in advance. About $187 million went to entities controlled by the Trump family, with more going to groups linked to the project’s founders. Donald’s son, Eric Trump, reportedly signed the deal.
The deal with World Liberty Financial, which was not previously announced, was signed by Eric Trump, the president’s son. At least $31 million is also expected to go to entities affiliated with the family of Steve Witkoff, co-founder of World Liberty who weeks earlier was named U.S. envoy to the Middle East, the WSJ said.
Sheikh Tahnoon’s involvement is significant as the Abu Dhabi royal family allegedly pressured the United States for access to closely guarded artificial intelligence chips. Tahnoon is the brother of the UAE president, the government’s national security adviser and the head of the oil-rich country’s largest wealth fund.
He oversees an empire valued at more than $1.3 trillion, financed by his personal fortune and state money, ranging from fish farms to AI to surveillance, making him one of the most powerful investors in the world.
The deal marked something unprecedented in American politics: a foreign government official taking a major stake in a company linked to the new American president.
So… a bribe?
Trump received $500 million and the UAE got ‘closely guarded’ AI chips. How come this isn’t exactly a bribe? pic.twitter.com/ZS9Pt9Ippn
– The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) February 1, 2026
DISCOVER: The 12+ Most Popular Crypto Presales to Buy Now
Why are big money from the UAE important here?
This is not retail speculation. This is state-linked capital going into crypto on a large scale. For ordinary investors, this speaks to confidence that crypto will move closer to the financial mainstream under Trump.
This also corresponds to a larger model. The UAE has put pressure on digital assets, from exchanges to stablecoins. Recent moves The expansion of crypto in the UAE shows that the country wants to influence the intersection of finance and technology..
Weeks before the deal surfaced, another company led by Tahnoon used World Liberty’s $1 stablecoin to settle a $2 billion investment in Binance. This connects Trump Crypto, the world’s leading crypto exchange, with sovereign capital in a single transaction.
Trump Crypto Projects Are Currently Making Headlines For All The Wrong Reasons
(SOURCE: CoinGecko)
This story, reported by the Wall Street Journal, comes during a period of extreme volatility in the cryptocurrency market, particularly for projects associated with the President.
The official Trump memecoin is down more than 94% from its all-time high and is currently trading at just $4.15, after briefly trading above $40 in January 2025.
Then there’s the president’s wife, Melania, and her official memecoin. MELANIA is down 99% from its January 2025 high of over $7 and trades today at just $0.12.
Finally, the native token of Trump’s DeFi platform, World Liberty Financial, is down -63% from its September 2025 high. WLFI is trading at $0.125, down 17% on the day, and its market cap has fallen to $3.2 billion from $6.6 billion just six months ago.
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