UAE entity bought 49% of Trump family crypto firm for $500 million days before inauguration

UAE stake in Trump crypto firm

A UAE-backed investment fund acquired a 49 percent stake in World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company tied to the Trump family, for $500 million. The agreement was signed on 16 January 2025 by Eric Trump, four days before Donald Trump’s second inauguration as president of the United States. The Emirati investor used the vehicle Aryam Investment 1, linked to Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who also serves as the UAE’s national security adviser.

Money flows and ownership changes

The $500 million investment included an initial $250 million payment at signing and a further $250 million scheduled by mid-July 2025. Around $187 million from the first $250 million went to entities controlled by the Trump family, while approximately $31 million went to entities tied to co-founder Steve Witkoff. World Liberty Financial disclosed on its website that Trump-linked entities held about 75 percent of the company in late 2024, then around 60 percent by 24 January 2025. Subsequent updates showed the Trump family stake decreasing to about 40 percent by 8 June 2025 and settling near 38 percent later, while the Emirati side held 49 percent through Aryam Investment 1.

“President Trump and Steve Witkoff were not involved in this transaction and have not been involved in the affairs of World Liberty Financial since taking office.” 01 February 2026. — David Wachsman, Spokesperson, World Liberty Financial

Stablecoin link to Binance deal

World Liberty Financial issues a U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin named USD1, which is backed by U.S. Treasury securities and cash reserves and targets a fixed value of one dollar. A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency that aims to hold a stable price relative to a reference asset, usually a fiat currency, by maintaining reserve assets. In March 2025, Abu Dhabi fund MGX announced a $2 billion investment in Binance, a large global cryptocurrency exchange. MGX settled this deal using USD1, making the Trump-linked stablecoin the instrument for the largest single crypto investment ever paid in a stablecoin.

AI chips deal and geopolitical context

In May 2025, the United States and the United Arab Emirates announced a framework that granted the UAE access to 500,000 advanced Nvidia artificial intelligence chips per year starting in 2025. Artificial intelligence, or AI, uses specialised chips known as graphics processing units, or GPUs, to train and run large machine learning models at scale. The agreement came after public engagement between U.S. officials and Sheikh Tahnoon, who is linked to Aryam Investment 1 and MGX. U.S. authorities later issued export licences in October 2025 under this framework, enabling shipments that matched the agreed annual volume.