The Trump Family’s Vision for the Future of Finance… World Liberty Financial [Hwang Doo-hyun’s Web3+]

Trump–Witkoff family DeFi project ‘World Liberty Financial’

A global experiment touting financial democratization and defending dollar hegemony

Token ‘WLFI’ jumps to an $8 billion market cap immediately after issuance

WLF’s flagship product: stablecoin ‘USD1’

CEO to visit Korea for the first time on the 22nd… major announcements teased in Seoul

World Liberty Financial (WLF), a decentralized finance (DeFi) project founded last year around US President Donald Trump’s family that drew widespread attention, has once again taken center stage in the crypto market. That is because, following the launch of stablecoin USD1, it issued the WLFI token and began a full-fledged push as a financial platform.

Market reaction was red-hot. WLFI was listed on major global exchanges including Binance, Coinbase and Bitget immediately upon issuance on the 1st, surging as high as $0.478 intraday. In just one day, its market capitalization reached $8 billion, placing it in the global top 20 by crypto market cap. As of the 11th (local time) on CoinMarketCap, WLFI’s price had pulled back to the $0.2 range, but it still ranks 28th by market cap (about $5 billion). It also remains at a high level compared with its initial offering price ($0.015).

The domestic market response was also intense. WLFI was listed simultaneously on Upbit and Bithumb, attracting strong buying. Last week, WLFI trading volume on Upbit totaled $1.17 billion, ranking third after Ethereum (ETH, $1.4 billion) and XRP ($1.28 billion). Blockchain research firm INF Crypto Lab said, “WLFI’s listing on Korean exchanges is one of the most talked-about events so far this year.”

As WLFI investors and trading volume rise rapidly, attention is naturally turning to the project’s plans and goals. So what objectives is the Trump family setting through WLF?

WLFI backed by the Trump and Witkoff families… aiming to become a flagship US DeFi

WLF, based on President Donald Trump’s vision, has set out two goals: democratizing access to financial opportunities and maintaining the US dollar’s status as the global reserve currency. The idea is to make it easy for ordinary Americans to access DeFi and stablecoins, while preserving dollar dominance for the next 100 years by expanding the reach of dollar-based stablecoins.

To that end, WLF is developing the ‘WLF Protocol.’ Through digital wallet service providers, it will enable custody and transfers of dollar-based stablecoins and non-security digital assets, and it also plans to support asset provisioning via liquidity pools and collateralized lending. In its white paper, WLF emphasized that “such financial opportunities are inherent advantages of DeFi,” adding that it would “support a strong dollar, eliminate the need for central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and enable direct financial transactions without traditional financial intermediaries.”

WLF also focuses in its white paper on simplifying user experience (UX) and the user interface (UI). It aims to minimize DeFi’s inherent complexity by designing the platform so that anyone—from beginners to advanced users—can navigate it intuitively and smoothly. In other words, through WLFI it hopes to achieve two goals at once: mainstreaming DeFi and accelerating crypto adoption.

Another WLF strategy is to actively leverage the Trump family’s public influence. Building on the name recognition of former President Trump—dubbed the “Chief Crypto Advocate”—it aims to draw into the Web3 world members of the public who have been unfamiliar with or hesitant about DeFi.

The roster of participants is also high-profile. President Donald Trump is listed as an honorary co-founder of WLF, and his three sons—Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Barron Trump—have joined as co-founders. Steve Witkoff (the US special envoy to the Middle East), a close Trump confidant and real estate development titan, and his sons Zach and Alex Witkoff are also listed as co-founders.

WLF’s core governance token ‘WLFI’

WLFI, issued on the 1st, is WLF’s core governance token. Total supply is 100 billion, and it was issued as a token on the Ethereum mainnet. WLFI’s only utility is governance participation; holders are granted no financial rights whatsoever, such as profits, dividends, or airdrops.

Initially, all tokens are locked in a non-transferable state, and only a portion is unlocked through governance votes. Going forward, whether to unlock will also be decided via community voting. This design is intended to reinforce the token’s role as a community decision-making tool rather than a vehicle for speculation.

The allocation is: △token sales 33.893% △community growth and incentives 32.6% △co-founder allocation 30% △team and advisors 3.507%. In particular, the sale allocation was assigned to eligible participants, focusing on broadening the governance base of the WLF Protocol. Governance follows a ‘1 token = 1 vote’ principle, but voting power is capped at 5% per individual wallet to prevent concentration of power.

In a report, DWF Labs said, “WLFI’s token launch carries significance far beyond a typical token issuance,” adding, “Its fundraising power—raising more than $500 million in total—and its ability to quickly enter the top tier by (market cap) demonstrate potential to connect traditional financial capital with crypto liquidity.”

It continued, “WLFI’s success signifies a structural shift in the digital-asset landscape, encouraging institutional adoption and enabling capital inflows that comply with regulation,” adding, “It could even attract countries seeking to participate in regulated blockchain ecosystems.”

WLF stablecoin ‘USD1’

USD1, WLF’s stablecoin whose issuance began in May ahead of this, is expected to become the flagship product of the WLF Protocol. Built on a dollar-pegged structure, USD1 can be used across various platforms and exchanges and on multiple blockchains, and is also expected to be used for retail payments in the future. It is also designed to be integrated into the WLF Protocol so that holders who meet the requirements can participate in financial activities such as lending and borrowing.

USD1’s convertibility is also ensured. BitGo users who meet eligibility requirements can directly redeem USD1 for an equivalent value in US dollars, and exchange is also possible through various exchanges and regulated custodians. However, specific redemption conditions vary by institution depending on terms and eligibility requirements.

A key revenue source for USD1 and related parties is interest generated from reserve assets. BitGo and WLF affiliates have the right to receive interest on reserve assets, and DT Marks—an entity linked to President Donald Trump and some family members—also receives indirect economic benefits as a major shareholder of a WLF affiliate. Interest generated from USD1 reserve assets is also included among the amounts to be collected.

As a dollar-pegged stablecoin, USD1 can be additionally issued once reserves are secured, and there is no cap on maximum supply. It is redeemable 1:1 for US dollars and is 100% collateralized by short-term US Treasuries, dollar deposits, and cash-equivalent assets. The reserves are managed by BitGo Trust, a trust company chartered in South Dakota, and BitGo Technologies, a financial services business approved by the federal government.

BitGo also handles USD1 issuance, while WLF and its affiliates hold the brand rights. BitGo supports USD1’s broad use in global markets by providing related technical infrastructure and services, in addition to initial purchases and redemptions.

WLF CEO to visit Korea… what will he say

As WLF continues an aggressive push by rolling out both a stablecoin and a token in quick succession, Zach Witkoff, WLF’s chief executive officer (CEO), will visit Korea on the 22nd. WLF will participate as a co-host in the ‘Eastpoint Seoul 2025’ event to be held that day in Seoul.

CEO Witkoff said on the 3rd (local time), “I’m very pleased to serve as a co-host of the Eastpoint event being held in Seoul. I’m preparing several major announcements.”

The industry says the visit carries strong symbolic meaning as WLFI’s first official trip to Korea. In particular, because it is planned as a closed-door event attended only by key decision-makers, it has the character of a kind of “Web3 summit.” An industry official said, “We are watching closely to see what major announcement WLF will make at this event,” adding, “WLFI holders in particular should follow it carefully.”