Story perspectives

Trump's firms get $75M from $100M token purchase

8/9/2026

Summary

Story summary

United States World Liberty Financial received a $100 million WLFI token purchase from Aqua 1 linked to businessman Guren “Bobby” Zhou, who was arrested in 2021 in the United Kingdom on suspicion of money laundering.
Blockchain analysis showed a $20 million WLFI buy in January 2025 and $80 million in June 2025.
$75 million of the tokens went to companies controlled by U.S. President Donald Trump and his sons and to entities tied to co-founder Zach Witkoff.

History

Historical Context

Following the 2017 ICO surge that funded Binance’s launch with about $15 million, regulators began tightening oversight, exemplified by the SEC’s 2022 crypto-regulation announcement and the 2023 lawsuit against Binance. The trend reappeared in 2024 when World Liberty Financial purchased a large WLFI token linked to Guren Zhou, reviving calls for stricter AML enforcement.

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Story summary

United States World Liberty Financial received a $100 million WLFI token purchase from Aqua 1 linked to businessman Guren “Bobby” Zhou, who was arrested in 2021 in the United Kingdom on suspicion of money laundering.
Blockchain analysis showed a $20 million WLFI buy in January 2025 and $80 million in June 2025.
$75 million of the tokens went to companies controlled by U.S. President Donald Trump and his sons and to entities tied to co-founder Zach Witkoff.

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