US President Donald Trump has long ceased to be a newcomer in the crypto world — by October 2025, his income from related projects is estimated at nearly $1 billion. And among all his ventures, perhaps the most ambitious is the DeFi project called World Liberty Financial.
According to information on the official website, the platform was founded by Trump himself — together with his three sons. The project promises to make finance “reliable, open, and in line with the modern world”.
The launch of World Liberty Financial in August 2024 was announced by Trump’s son — Eric. The platform is managed by DeFi developers Chase Herro and Zach Folkman, as well as representatives of the Trump family and Zach Witkoff — the son of Trump’s longtime ally, Steve Witkoff.
Exactly how the platform works is not yet entirely clear. But some things are already known.
DeFi platform based on Ethereum
The World Liberty Financial platform is built on the Aave protocol, which is well known in the decentralized finance space. Despite the loud announcements, as of October 2025 it has not yet launched. However, the project has already declared its goals: to keep the digital dollar in circulation and offer loans not only to large organizations, but also to ordinary users.
Overall, the idea here is typical for DeFi — a sector of the crypto market that tries to do without banks and intermediaries. Most such solutions are based on Ethereum, and World Liberty Financial is no exception.
World Liberty Financial is no exception — the project also uses Ethereum as its technical foundation.
It is important to understand that despite the large number of DeFi applications, the sector itself remains experimental. It is regularly shaken by hacks and scam schemes. World Liberty Financial could also come under attack if it does not provide an adequate level of security.
Traditional banking has long been criticized in the DeFi space: slow, expensive, complicated. Against this backdrop, World Liberty Financial tries to show how finance could work without intermediaries — directly, through on-chain infrastructure. The project’s authors claim that their system will allow access to money regardless of country, status, or bureaucracy.
They also promise to simplify loans: instead of banks — smart contracts. Theoretically, this should make the system more transparent and fair, but how it will work in practice is still unclear.
What can you do with World Liberty Financial?
The platform does not yet allow you to take loans, but its own token — WLFI — is already available. According to CoinGecko, in October 2025 its capitalization is $3.56 billion, making WLFI the 43rd largest cryptocurrency in the world. The token is traded on leading platforms — including Binance, Coinbase, and OKX.
In addition, the project has its own stablecoin — USD1, operating on the Ethereum and BNB Chain blockchains. It was first announced in October 2024. Now USD1 is also traded on major US exchanges such as Coinbase and Kraken.
See also: The founder of Huobi launches a $1 billion Ethereum trust with Asian investors
Stablecoins are digital tokens pegged to the value of fiat currencies. In the case of USD1 — to the US dollar. Such assets play a key role in DeFi and the entire crypto economy. Traders use them to quickly enter and exit trades, bypassing traditional banking channels. This makes trading faster and more flexible.
Trump family involvement
On the World Liberty Financial website, Donald Trump is listed as a “co-founder” — that is, formally he no longer participates in the project since taking office as president in January. The same status is held by his longtime friend, White House Special Representative for the Middle East — Steve Witkoff.
Nevertheless, both the Trump and Witkoff families, apparently, have profited well from the project. Among the active participants in World Liberty Financial are still listed Zach Witkoff — Steve’s son, as well as Eric, Donald Jr., and Barron Trump.
See also: OpenSea relaunches as a multichain trading hub after the NFT market crash
The capitalization of WLFI already exceeds the meme coin Official Trump (TRUMP), which Trump launched shortly before his inauguration, by more than two and a half times. The Trump family owns a significant share of WLFI — after trading began in September, their combined wealth increased by more than $6 billion.
Conflict of interest?
The Trump family’s involvement in World Liberty Financial has sparked much controversy. Democrats regularly criticize the project, as well as other crypto initiatives of the president. In May 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren lashed out at the $2 billion investment from the MGX sovereign fund from Abu Dhabi in the Binance exchange, which uses the USD1 stablecoin, calling the deal “murky”.
Democrats in the House of Representatives pressured the Treasury: they demand all SAR reports on digital assets related to Trump — including his DeFi platform World Liberty Financial.
See also: Uniswap added support for Solana — SOL price targets $240
Trump himself has repeatedly brushed off accusations, claiming that he “didn’t look at how much they earned there” and is not interested in his family’s crypto project profits.
