A crypto venture linked to Donald Trump has secured $500 million from investors connected to the United Arab Emirates, reigniting questions about conflicts of interest as Trump manages US relations with Abu Dhabi.
The company, World Liberty Financial, confirmed the investment on Saturday after a Wall Street Journal report revealed that an Emirati-backed entity had taken a 49% stake in the business.
According to the report, the deal was signed by Eric Trump just days before Trump’s January 2025 inauguration. That timing has drawn attention because it effectively made the Trump family business partners with UAE-linked capital just as the new administration was pursuing key diplomatic and economic priorities with the Gulf state.
The investor group is tied to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser and a powerful Abu Dhabi royal whose influence stretches across technology, finance, and security. Two senior figures from his circle have since joined World Liberty’s board, adding another layer of scrutiny around governance and political influence.
Asked about the timing and structure of the deal, World Liberty spokesman David Wachsman said the company moved forward because it believed the investment was “what was best for our company as we continue to grow.”
The scrutiny has intensified as the crypto partnership intersects with broader UAE ambitions, particularly in artificial intelligence and access to advanced US semiconductor technology.
While reporting has noted that discussions around US chip policy and the crypto deal unfolded around the same time, there has been no evidence of any explicit trade — such as chips in exchange for investment. Both World Liberty and the White House have firmly denied any connection.
Wachsman dismissed the suggestion outright, saying claims that the deal was linked to the administration’s chip decisions are “100 percent false.” White House counsel David Warrington echoed that stance, stating that the president has no involvement in business deals that could conflict with his constitutional duties and that Trump carries out his role “in an ethically sound manner.”
Still, World Liberty’s ties to the UAE appear to be deepening. At a Dubai conference in May 2025, a company co-founder said Abu Dhabi-backed firm MGX used World Liberty’s dollar-pegged stablecoin in a $2 billion investment in Binance — a move that further linked the venture to major Gulf-backed crypto capital flows.
Trump’s financial disclosures have also kept the project in the political spotlight. Reports describe World Liberty as a meaningful revenue source connected to a Trump-controlled entity, alongside revenue-sharing arrangements involving partners tied to the administration’s Middle East network.
Democrats have seized on the overlap. Senator Elizabeth Warren labeled the situation a national security issue and called for tougher oversight, saying, “This is corruption, plain and simple,” and urging Congress to step in and curb what she described as “Trump’s crypto corruption.”
