A cryptocurrency startup founded by the Trump family received a $500 million investment from an Emirati royal's firm just before Donald Trump's 2025 inauguration. The deal, involving Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has raised questions about conflicts of interest amid the president's foreign policy decisions. Despite its scale, the arrangement has drawn limited political scrutiny.
In late 2024, during Donald Trump's presidential campaign, his family launched World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency venture. Days before Trump's January 2025 inauguration, an investment firm led by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, brother to the UAE president and national security adviser, agreed to pay $500 million for a 49% stake in the startup. The Wall Street Journal revealed the transaction in early February 2026, highlighting its timing and connections to UAE power structures.
Tahnoon chairs two Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth funds managing $1.5 trillion in assets and oversees G42, an AI-focused company. This marks the only known instance of a foreign government official acquiring a major stake in a Trump-linked business post-election, according to the Journal. The Trump family's crypto activities have generated $1.4 billion over the past year, contributing to their estimated $6.8 billion fortune.
Related deals underscore potential overlaps with policy. In May 2025, at a Dubai crypto conference, Eric Trump and Zach Witkoff announced a $2 billion investment from Tahnoon's MGX firm, using a World Liberty stablecoin. Witkoff described it as validation of the startup's tech prowess, though shared board members linked the entities. Shortly after, the Trump administration lifted Biden-era restrictions, allowing UAE access to advanced Nvidia AI chips despite security concerns over potential sharing with China.
The White House denied any link, with counsel David Warrington stating on Sunday: “The president has no involvement in business deals that would implicate his constitutional responsibilities.” Critics question how such ties affect U.S. leverage on issues like the UAE's role in Sudan's civil war. Meanwhile, broader Trump family ventures include $148 million from a $Trump memecoin contest, with top buyer Justin Sun investing over $20 million; the SEC later suspended a fraud case against him after a $75 million stake in another Trump crypto project.
The administration has deregulated crypto and disbanded a Biden-era fraud investigation unit, amplifying concerns over transparency in an industry prone to exploitation.
