WSJ Report: UAE Royal Backed Entity Bought 49% of Trump-Linked Crypto Firm Before Inauguration

A major foreign investment into a cryptocy company linked to the Trump family was quietly agreed just days before President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal. 

An Abu Dhabi-backed investment vehicle called Aryam Investment 1 — backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates’ national security adviser and brother of the UAE president — signed a $500 million deal in January 2025 to acquire a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial. The agreement, executed about four days before Trump’s inauguration, made the Emirati entity the company’s largest outside shareholder. 

Half of the purchase price was paid upfront, with about $187 million directed to Trump family-controlled entities. Additional tens of millions flowed to companies affiliated with co-founders, including relatives of World Liberty co-founder Steve Witkoff and other executives. The deal has not previously been publicly disclosed. 

As part of the investment, two executives from the technology firm G42 — also led by interests tied to Sheikh Tahnoon — joined World Liberty’s board, positioning the UAE-linked group as a major participant in the company’s strategic direction. 

The timing of the transaction has drawn scrutiny because it appears to have preceded a subsequent U.S. policy shift that granted the UAE access to advanced U.S. AI chips — a move that had been restricted under the prior administration due to national-security concerns. Sheikh Tahnoon’s efforts to secure that access had been a longstanding priority for decades in Abu Dhabi’s tech development strategy. 

World Liberty and White House spokespeople have denied any improper influence, telling The Wall Street Journalthat President Trump was not personally involved in the investment, and that the deal did not affect U.S. policy decisions. The company described the investment as a commercial decision designed to support its growth. 

The story has reignited debate over transparency, foreign stakes in politically connected companies, and how crypto ventures intersect with national policy and security interests, especially when significant foreign capital is involved in enterprises tied to sitting political leaders.