WSJ: UAE national security adviser linked to stake in Trump family’s crypto bank
UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his co-investors are behind StringZ Holding RSC, which owns 49% of WLTC Holdings, the holding company for the planned World Liberty Financial crypto bank. CNBC Top News reports this, citing The Wall Street Journal.
According to the WSJ, another 38% of WLTC Holdings belongs to an entity linked to the family of U.S. President Donald Trump. Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the brother of the UAE president.
Previous investments
In January 2025, Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other investors invested $500 million in the Trump-backed company World Liberty Financial, receiving a 49% stake in the cryptocurrency company. According to Trump’s 2025 annual financial disclosure, $263 million under this deal was directed to Trump family entities.
CNBC also notes that Trump’s businesses received at least $59.5 million in income from foreign licensing during the first year of his second presidential term.
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Conditional approval of banking license
This month, the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted World Liberty preliminary conditional approval to establish a federally chartered national trust bank. The planned bank is to issue, redeem, and hold USD1, World Liberty’s dollar-backed stablecoin. Before beginning operations, the company must meet additional conditions.
The deal drew attention because Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan is a foreign official, while the Trump administration was negotiating with the UAE over access to advanced U.S. artificial intelligence chips. The administration approved the sale of chips to state-backed AI company G42, which Tahnoon controls, and last month eased restrictions on the number of chips it can purchase.
World Liberty representative David Waksman said the company is a private U.S. fintech company and that its trust structure has separate management. He also said World Liberty neither seeks nor receives special treatment, but did not comment on the reported ownership structure.
