Eric Trump has stepped down from the board of ALT5 Sigma, a newly established World Liberty Financial Treasury company. As reported by Forbes on Tuesday, the decision has led to a 7% decline in the WLFI price, causing it to fall below the crucial $0.20 threshold. Confusion Surrounds Eric Trump’s Exit From ALT5 Sigma The announcement of Trump’s departure was made through a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, which revealed that the change came just weeks after ALT5 Sigma had initially appointed him as a director. Related Reading: This Week In Crypto: What Investors Need To Know And Why It Matters According to the report, the decision to remove Trump was made in consultation with The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC to ensure compliance with its listing rules. However, the specific regulations that prompted this action were not disclosed in the filing. Interestingly, three securities law professors consulted by Forbes were unable to identify a clear reason why Nasdaq would accept one appointee from the company while rejecting another. Nasdaq requires that a majority of board members at listed companies be independent, and if Eric Trump did not meet these criteria, it raises further questions about why Zachary Folkman, his replacement, would qualify. WLFI Price Sinks To $0.19 Just weeks prior, Eric Trump, alongside his brother Donald Trump Jr. and executives from World Liberty Financial, participated in a ceremonial ringing of the Nasdaq opening bell. This event coincided with ALT5 Sigma’s announcement of a significant fundraising effort, aiming to raise $1.5 billion through private share sales to acquire WLFI tokens, the native cryptocurrency issued by World Liberty Financial. Despite the formal announcement made to the SEC, it is noteworthy that ALT5 Sigma’s website still lists Eric Trump as a board director on its leadership and investor relations pages. Related Reading: Solana Power Play: Galaxy, Jump Crypto, Multicoin Behind New $1.6 Billion Treasury Strategy Following the filing, the WLFI price dropped to $0.1961, further exacerbating its negative performance over the last 24 hours and seven days, with a 14% decline over the latter period. According to CoinGecko data, the WLFI price is currently trading 39% below its all-time high (ATH) of $0.33, which was reached on September 1st—the day the token debuted on major exchanges after months of anticipation. Featured image from Politico, chart from TradingView.com
The launch of the World Liberty Financial platform’s native token, WLFI, was anticipated as a significant event in the cryptocurrency market, especially with backing from the Trump family. However, just a day after its debut, the token’s price plummeted, sparking intense speculation regarding its major investors, particularly Justin Sun, the founder of the Tron blockchain. Alleged Manipulation By Justin Sun Market expert Quinten Francois provided insights into the WLFI launch, which initially priced at $0.20, reaching a market capitalization of $1 billion. Despite the excitement surrounding the launch, which generated billions in trading volume, the token’s value continued to decline. Interestingly, this downturn occurred even as the community seemed to hold onto their tokens rather than sell them. Francois speculated that exchanges might have offloaded part of their holdings, estimated at 2.8%. Related Reading: Analyst Predicts The XRP Price If 10% Of Global Assets Are Tokenized Allegations have surfaced that Justin Sun engaged in dubious tactics by channeling WLFI through his exchange, HTX. He reportedly offered users a 20% annual percentage yield (APY) for depositing WLFI, allowing him to offload a significant portion of his own holdings under the guise of user staking. Allegations suggest that this maneuver not only enabled him to profit from the situation but also that he intended to cover any withdrawals or sell-offs with his own tokens, further complicating retail investors’ returns. As Bitcoinist reported on Thursday, Sun’s alleged manipulation led to the freezing of his wallet address. As a result, there is growing concern among experts that WLFI could ultimately face a trajectory toward zero. Could The WLFI Price Plummet To Zero? In a recent social media post, user OxPunisher outlined the patterns of manipulation associated with Sun, referencing his history of questionable trades between 2018 and 2020, which reportedly resulted in $31 million in illicit profits. This ongoing saga continued into 2024, when Sun withdrew $732 million worth of Bitcoin from USDD collateral, and in late 2024, he invested $30 million into WLFI just as the SEC paused his case, further raising alarms among investors. Related Reading: First US Dogecoin ETF Could Debut Next Week—How Will It Impact Price? The narrative surrounding WLFI appears precarious at best. The expert asserts that without Justin Sun’s liquidity strategies the token’s value could collapse. Moreover, without the backing of high-profile figures like President Donald Trump, the narrative that initially attracted investors may lose its momentum entirely. This situation has led OxPunisher to believe that this situation can result in panic selling and a shift toward safer investment options by the platform’s investors, which could further increase the WLFI’s sell-off and downtrend seen in the past few days. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com