Crypto Reporter

Shalini Nagarajan

Crypto Reporter

Shalini Nagarajan

About Author

Shalini is a crypto reporter who provides in-depth reports on daily developments and regulatory shifts in the cryptocurrency sector.

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Last updated: 

September 2, 2025

The Trump family’s cryptocurrency token, World Liberty Financial, stumbled on its first day of trading, erasing early gains and showing the immediate losses faced by investors.

WLFI, the governance token of the decentralized finance platform launched last year, began trading above $0.30 on Monday before sliding to $0.24, according to CoinGecko. That represented a more than 15% drop from intraday peaks.

The decline left WLFI with a market capitalization just below $7b, ranking it as the 31st largest cryptocurrency in circulation. Several of the world’s biggest exchanges, including Binance, OKX and Bybit, listed the token at launch, drawing immediate attention from traders.

Early Investors Allowed To Sell Up To 20% Of Holdings

The launch followed a July vote by investors to make WLFI tradable. Until then, the tokens functioned only as governance instruments, giving holders the right to weigh in on code changes and business adjustments. Early investors are permitted to sell up to 20% of their holdings, the company said.

That first 20% unlock, estimated at 3b to 5b tokens sold at presale prices of $0.015 and $0.05, triggered a wave of selling. The pressure tempered excitement from the debut and weighed on prices despite strong speculative demand.

According to the project’s official blog, 24.6b tokens were made available at the time of launch.

The Trump Factor: Driving Investor Interest

Trading activity was robust. Spot volumes hit $2.25b while derivatives turnover surged to between $3b and $8b, reflecting heavy positioning across futures platforms. Pre-market trading on venues such as Hyperliquid and Binance Futures had already signalled turbulence, with WLFI changing hands between $0.30 and $0.56.

Since its inception last year, World Liberty Financial has reportedly generated around $500m for the Trump family. The platform also issues a stablecoin and has been marketed as a gateway for retail investors into decentralized finance.

For early backers, the main attraction was the Trump name. Many said they believed the token’s value would rise on the strength of that connection rather than its technical design. The tradable launch gave them the first real chance to test that assumption in open markets.

World Liberty’s debut drew political scrutiny as well. Democratic lawmakers and ethics experts have warned that the Trump family’s crypto ventures raise conflicts of interest, given the president’s influence over digital asset regulation.

Influencer Trades Add To Speculative Frenzy Around WLFI

Traders also followed the token’s celebrity exposure. Blockchain analytics platform Lookonchain reported
that influencer Andrew Tate’s WLFI long was liquidated for a $67,500 loss Tuesday. Soon after, he re-entered the market with a new long. This move shows the highly speculative mood surrounding the token.

WLFI’s circulating supply at launch was limited to about 4% to 6.8% of the total, intensifying volatility. The combination of a constrained float, political ties and future unlocks has left market sentiment cautious despite heavy trading volumes.

The launch marked one of the most closely watched token debuts of the year. Its rocky first session showed the Trump brand’s drawing power and the risks of tying political capital to a speculative market.

Crypto Reporter

Shalini Nagarajan

Crypto Reporter

Shalini Nagarajan

About Author

Shalini is a crypto reporter who provides in-depth reports on daily developments and regulatory shifts in the cryptocurrency sector.

Share

Last updated: 

August 28, 2025

American Bitcoin, the Bitcoin mining company backed by US President Donald Trump’s two sons, is preparing to begin trading on the Nasdaq in early September after finalizing a merger with Gryphon Digital Mining.

The company has secured both crypto-focused and traditional institutional investors for the all-stock deal, Asher Genoot, CEO of Hut 8, which owns 80% cent of American Bitcoin, told Reuters in an interview.

Anchor shareholders have already been lined up to support the debut.

Once the merger is completed, American Bitcoin will retain its name and trade under the ticker ABTC.

Trump Brothers and Hut 8 Retain Near-Total Control of American Bitcoin After Merger

Co-founders Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr, together with Hut 8, will hold a combined 98% of the entity.

Genoot told Reuters that the team opted for a merger rather than a direct listing. He said the route gave the company better access to financing by leveraging an existing business already connected to capital markets.

American Bitcoin has been exploring acquisitions in Hong Kong and Japan to expand its footprint, the Financial Times reported earlier this month. Genoot confirmed that the company is actively assessing opportunities in Asia, with the aim of giving investors broader access to bitcoin-linked assets beyond the US.

He said that while discussions are under way, no firm commitments have been made. The focus, he added, is to create options for investors who cannot directly buy Nasdaq-listed crypto stocks due to local restrictions.

American Bitcoin Born From Hut 8’s Strategic Shift Into Infrastructure

Founded earlier this year, American Bitcoin emerged from Hut 8’s pivot away from pure crypto mining into energy infrastructure and data centres. The new venture, created in partnership with the Trump brothers, is now positioning itself as a global bitcoin miner with ambitions to expand through acquisitions and partnerships.

The strategy has been described as mirroring the approach of large US-listed bitcoin firms that use equity financing and mergers to accelerate growth. Genoot said the goal is to build a vehicle that can appeal to both institutional investors and retail traders looking for exposure to bitcoin through regulated exchanges.