UAE “Spy Sheikh” Takes Majority Stake in Trump Family’s Planned Crypto Bank

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates’ national security adviser and brother of the UAE president, is identified as the leading investor behind StringZ Holding RSC. That entity holds a 49 % stake in WLTC Holdings, the parent company of the Trump family’s proposed cryptocurrency bank. An affiliate of the Trump family retains an additional 38 % interest, leaving the remaining shares to other investors.

CNBC

In January 2025, shortly after President Donald Trump began his second term, Sheikh Tahnoon and co-investors contributed $500 million to World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company backed by the Trump organization. The transaction granted the investors a 49 % ownership share and, according to Trump’s 2025 annual financial disclosure, directed $263 million to entities linked to the Trump family.

CNBC

During the first year of Trump’s second presidential term, his businesses earned at least $59.5 million in foreign licensing revenue, a figure previously reported by CNBC. The combined stakes in both World Liberty Financial and the new crypto bank illustrate a pattern of substantial foreign capital flowing into Trump-affiliated enterprises.

CNBC

The partnership deepens financial ties between the Trump business empire and a senior UAE official who has been labeled the “spy sheikh” in media coverage. Such cross-border investments may raise questions about the influence of foreign capital on U.S. political figures and the regulatory scrutiny of cryptocurrency banking ventures. Observers note that the sizable foreign involvement could attract additional oversight from U.S. financial regulators and congressional committees monitoring foreign investment in domestic financial services.

CNBC