Who owns World Liberty Financial? — The Full Story Explained

Ownership Structure Overview

World Liberty Financial (WLF) is a decentralized finance (DeFi) initiative that launched in late 2024 and has since expanded its footprint within the global digital asset ecosystem. The ownership and control of the project are divided among several key stakeholders, primarily involving the Trump and Witkoff families. Unlike traditional corporations with a single private owner, WLF operates through a complex structure involving holding companies and governance tokens.

As of early 2026, the Trump family and their close affiliates hold a dominant stake in the venture. Specifically, records indicate that the Trump family owns approximately 60% of the entity. This ownership is often managed through intermediary firms such as DT Marks DEFI LLC, which serves as a vehicle for the family’s financial interests in the crypto space. This high concentration of ownership has made the project a focal point for discussions regarding the intersection of political influence and private financial technology.

Key Founding Members

The Trump Family Involvement

The most prominent figures associated with the ownership and leadership of World Liberty Financial are the sons of Donald Trump: Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Barron Trump. Eric Trump was instrumental in the initial announcement of the project in August 2024, positioning it as a way to challenge traditional banking limitations. While Donald Trump himself is listed as "co-founder emeritus," he transitioned away from active involvement upon taking office in January 2025. However, his sons remain deeply integrated into the company’s operations and strategic direction.

The Witkoff Family Role

The Witkoff family represents the other major pillar of ownership. Zach Witkoff, a businessman and the son of real estate mogul Steve Witkoff, is a co-founder of the firm. The partnership between the Trumps and the Witkoffs stems from long-standing personal and professional ties. Zach Witkoff has been a visible leader for the project, representing WLF at major international conferences like Token2049 in Singapore. His role involves bridging the gap between traditional real estate investment strategies and the emerging decentralized finance market.

Corporate Governance Entities

The legal framework of World Liberty Financial is built around several interconnected entities. According to official white papers and regulatory filings, the primary operating company is World Liberty Financial, Inc., which is registered as a Delaware nonstock corporation. This entity is a subsidiary of WLF Holdco LLC, which serves as the parent company for the group’s various crypto-related activities.

The management body includes executive directors such as Zachary Folkman and Chase Herro. These individuals are responsible for the technical and operational execution of the WLF Protocol. While the Trump and Witkoff families provide the primary backing and brand equity, Folkman and Herro handle the day-to-day management of the decentralized applications and liquidity pools that the platform offers to its users.

The WLFI Token Governance

A significant portion of the "ownership" in World Liberty Financial is decentralized through the $WLFI token. In the DeFi world, token holders often function similarly to shareholders in a traditional company. The project distributed 22.5 billion units of $WLFI to the Trump family and their affiliates. These tokens grant the holders the right to vote on key protocol decisions, such as upgrades, changes to liquidity parameters, and the integration of new third-party applications.

Between late 2024 and March 2025, the company sold approximately 35 billion WLFI tokens to external investors, raising hundreds of millions of dollars. This means that while the founding families retain a majority of the governance power, a portion of the project's future direction is technically in the hands of a global pool of token holders. This hybrid model blends private family ownership with a community-based governance structure typical of blockchain projects.

Financial Backing and Partners

Beyond the founding families, World Liberty Financial has attracted significant interest from international institutional players. In May 2025, MGX, an Abu Dhabi-state backed company, announced a major strategic move involving WLF. The firm utilized $2 billion worth of the USD1 stablecoin—a digital asset launched by World Liberty—to facilitate deals within the broader crypto market, including transactions on major exchanges like Binance.

This level of institutional adoption suggests that while the Trumps and Witkoffs are the primary owners, the project’s financial health is also tied to large-scale liquidity providers and foreign investment groups. These partnerships have allowed WLF to scale rapidly, moving from a family-backed startup to a firm capable of applying for federal banking charters and managing billions in stablecoin volume.

Regulatory and Legal Status

The ownership of World Liberty Financial has faced intense scrutiny from regulatory bodies and political committees. In mid-2025, discussions in Washington D.C. highlighted concerns over potential conflicts of interest given the owners' political ties. Despite these challenges, the firm has moved forward with efforts to formalize its status within the U.S. financial system. Recently, in January 2026, WLF applied for a national trust charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

If granted, this charter would allow the company to manage digital assets under federal regulation, further legitimizing its position as a bridge between "legacy" finance and blockchain technology. For users interested in exploring the broader digital asset market, platforms like WEEX provide a secure environment for trading; for instance, users can engage in spot trading to manage their portfolios alongside emerging DeFi projects like WLF.

Ownership and Stakeholder Summary

To better understand the distribution of influence within World Liberty Financial, the following table outlines the primary stakeholders and their respective roles as of early 2026.

Stakeholder Group	Primary Figures	Role / Ownership Type
Trump Family	Eric, Donald Jr., Barron Trump	60% Ownership / Strategic Leadership
Witkoff Family	Zach Witkoff, Steve Witkoff	Co-founders / Global Representation
Management Body	Zachary Folkman, Chase Herro	Executive Directors / Operations
Public Investors	WLFI Token Holders	Governance Voting Rights
Institutional Partners	MGX (Abu Dhabi)	Strategic Liquidity / Stablecoin Users

The Future of WLF Ownership

The ownership landscape of World Liberty Financial continues to evolve as the project matures. While the founding families remain the dominant force, the push toward a "trust bank" model and the continued sale of governance tokens suggest a gradual shift toward a more institutionalized corporate structure. The firm’s mission remains focused on strengthening the U.S. dollar’s global status through digital stablecoins like USD1, ensuring that the dollar remains the primary currency of the digital era.

As the project navigates the regulatory environment of 2026, the transparency of its ownership will likely remain a topic of public interest. However, for the time being, the control of World Liberty Financial is firmly rooted in the partnership between the Trump and Witkoff families, supported by a technical team of DeFi specialists and a growing base of global token holders.