World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the decentralized finance (DeFi) venture associated with President Donald Trump and his sons, said early Monday that it had been targeted in what it described as a “coordinated attack” involving its stablecoin, USD1. According to CoinGecko data, USD1 — which carries a market capitalization of nearly $4.8 billion — briefly lost its dollar peg before recovering to $1. The temporary dislocation drew immediate attention across crypto markets, particularly given the project’s political ties and growing profile within the digital asset sector. World Liberty Financial Addresses Incident In a statement posted on its official account on X (previously Twitter), the project alleged that multiple attack vectors were deployed simultaneously. “A coordinated attack was launched against USD1 this morning,” WLFI wrote. The team claimed that hackers compromised several cofounder accounts, paid influencers to spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD), and opened significant short positions in the WLFI token in an attempt to profit from market disruption. Related Reading: Why The XRP Price Bottom Could Be In, And A Jump Above $2 Is Coming A spokesperson for World Liberty told Bloomberg that the company’s engineering and security teams had successfully countered the incident. The spokesperson described the event as a multi‑pronged attempt to undermine confidence in the project, but said internal systems functioned as intended. Beyond the temporary depeg itself, online speculation quickly shifted toward another development that some community members believe could be connected. A social media user known as Chris Coffee suggested that the alleged attack might relate to a forthcoming insider trading investigation teased by on‑chain investigator ZachXBT. Insider Probe Speculation Grows ZachXBT announced on X that he plans to publish a report on February 26 detailing alleged insider trading by employees of “one of the most profitable crypto companies.” The timing has fueled conjecture. Some users pointed to reports that Eric Trump, who has been publicly supportive of WLFI, deleted several posts related to the project following the stablecoin’s volatility. He later posted again about WLFI, further drawing attention to the situation. In crypto circles, speculation intensified that World Liberty Financial could be the subject of the pending investigation, though no evidence has been presented to confirm such claims. Related Reading: Expert Crypto Trader Predicts The Exact Year Bitcoin Will Reach $250,000 The conversation has even extended to prediction markets. On Polymarket, bettors are placing odds on which company ZachXBT’s investigation might target. Current probabilities cited on the platform assign roughly a 20% chance to Pump.fun, 18% to World Liberty Financial, and 14% to Binance. For now, there is no confirmed link between Monday’s reported “coordinated attack” on USD1 and the investigation scheduled for release on February 26. Whether the two events are related or simply coincidental remains uncertain. As of this writing, the company’s native token, WLIF, is trading at $0.1121. This represents a 66% gap between the current trading price and the token’s all-time high of $0.33. Featured image from Sky, chart from TradingView.com
CNBC reported Thursday that a group of House Democrats are pressing the Treasury Department to examine potential conflicts of interest and national security risks tied to World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the crypto venture associated with the Trump family. Security Concerns Over Trump-Linked Crypto Venture In a letter sent Thursday to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, more than 40 Democratic lawmakers, led by Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, called for a formal review of the company’s structure and foreign investment ties. The letter follows a tense House Financial Services Committee hearing earlier this month, during which Bessent testified before lawmakers. At that hearing, Meeks sharply criticized the Treasury secretary, referring to him as a “flunky” of President Trump. Related Reading: ‘Sell Bitcoin Now,’ Peter Schiff Warns, Predicts $20,000 Target On Breakdown He also raised concerns about a $500 million investment in World Liberty Financial made last year by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the United Arab Emirates’ royal family who has sometimes been referred to as the “spy sheikh.” In a statement accompanying the letter, Meeks said the half‑billion‑dollar deal involving an Emirati royal presents both financial and national security concerns. “The Trump family’s $500 million deal connected to the Emirati royal family is not only a matter of national financial instability, but it also carries serious national security implications,” he said. Treasury Asked To Clarify White House Role The lawmakers’ request comes as World Liberty Financial is pursuing a national bank charter. Democrats are seeking assurances that the chartering process remains insulated from political or foreign influence. As such, they argued that the matter extends beyond a technical debate over crypto regulation. “This is no longer just a debate about crypto chartering theory,” they wrote. “It is about foreign ownership, national security, regulatory integrity, and whether our bank‑chartering process is resilient to political and geopolitical pressure.” Related Reading: Revealed: The Biggest Bitcoin Holders Of 2026, According To Arkham Data The group asked Treasury officials to detail what safeguards are in place to prevent foreign governments, their proxies, or politically connected investors from using the national bank chartering process to gain leverage within the US financial system or access sensitive financial and technological infrastructure. They also sought clarification on the role, if any, played by the White House, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Treasury Department in reviewing or influencing charter decisions made by the OCC. The lawmakers requested a response from the Treasury Department by Feb. 26. In closing, they emphasized the broader implications for public trust. “The credibility of America’s banking regulatory framework, and of the institutions charged with protecting it, depends on transparency, independence, and a demonstrated willingness to resist undue influence,” they wrote. As of this writing, World Liberty Financial’s native crypto, WLFI, is trading at $0.1168, marking a 3% decline over the past 24 hours. However, according to CoinGecko data, the cryptocurrency has increased by nearly 10% in the past seven days. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com
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