UAE Firm Invests $500M in World Liberty Financial

Details have emerged of how Aryam Investment 1, an Abu Dhabi entity, agreed to purchase 49% of World Liberty Financial for $500 million. World Liberty Financial (WLFI), launched in 2024, is a cryptocurrency startup linked to President Donald Trump. 

According to a report, Aryam Investment 1 is backed by the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) national security adviser, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He agreed to the deal days before Trump’s return to the White House for a second term in office.

How Trump Family Entities Received Advance Payment

Notably, about half of the agreed sum was paid in advance, as 187 million was sent to the Trump family-controlled entities. The claim is that Eric Trump signed off on the agreement on behalf of the family. This is despite the assertion by World Liberty that the Trump family stake dropped significantly.

Tahnoon, who is the brother of the UAE’s president, has remained a critical figure in nudging Abu Dhabi to become a global hub for artificial intelligence. Perhaps his role as national security adviser plays a critical role in his AI interests.

During the Biden administration, Tahnoon attempted to secure advanced U.S.-made AI chips. However, it recorded limited success as there were concerns that China could access such technology from the UAE through entities like G42.

UAE’s Influence on World Liberty Financial 

Reports indicate that Tahnoon is now making significant progress on that front, having met several times with President Trump and other senior U.S. officials.

Meanwhile, G42 executives who manage Aryam Investment 1 are on the World Liberty board. This forms part of the deal. It has also been revealed that MGX, another firm led by Tahnoon, used WLFI stablecoin to complete a $2 billion investment in the world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance.

U.S. Scrutiny Grows Over Foreign Influence and Token Sales

Amid the growing concerns in the U.S. over these revelations, the White House and World Liberty have denied any wrongdoing. They maintain that President Trump was not a party to the deal, nor does it have any undue influence over US policy with the UAE.

 Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Jack Reed, in November 2025, petitioned U.S. authorities to probe links between World Liberty Financial’s token sales and foreign entities sanctioned by the government.  

The Democrats alleged that the WLFI tokens were purchased by addresses linked to the Lazarus Group in North Korea. They argue that World Liberty Financial presents a conflict of interest given its association with Trump’s family.