Abu Dhabi sheikh becomes largest investor in Trump family crypto bank
Abu Dhabi’s royal family is linked to the largest investor in the holding company behind World Liberty Financial’s plans to establish a U.S. trust bank, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to the report, a group led by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan is behind StringZ Holding RSC, which owns 49% of WLTC Holdings. Another 38% of the holding company is controlled by an entity linked to the family of U.S. President Donald Trump.
If the project receives final regulatory approval, the new bank will handle the issuance, redemption and custody of World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin under federal supervision.
Tahnoon serves as the UAE’s national security adviser and chairs artificial intelligence company G42. In November 2025, the U.S. authorized exports of advanced AI chips to G42. The decision followed a broader agreement between Washington and Abu Dhabi on cooperation in artificial intelligence.
Bank has yet to receive final approval
The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) granted preliminary conditional approval for World Liberty Trust Company on Aug. 14. The regulator’s decision identifies StringZ as one of the investors in WLTC Holdings. The company also committed not to influence the bank’s operations.
However, the OCC did not disclose who stands behind StringZ or the size of its stake. World Liberty Trust Company will be able to begin operations only after meeting all of the regulator’s pre-opening requirements and receiving final approval.
Tahnoon was previously involved in a $500 million deal to acquire a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial. Democratic senators later called for hearings to determine whether the transaction could have influenced U.S. policy toward the UAE.
World Liberty Financial’s reputation problems
World Liberty Financial has already found itself at the center of several controversies. One of the biggest involves Justin Sun, who previously invested $75 million in the project. In April 2026, the Tron founder sued World Liberty, accusing the company of unlawfully freezing up to $1 billion worth of his tokens and attempting to pressure him into investing hundreds of millions of dollars more in the USD1 stablecoin. According to the lawsuit, the company froze Sun’s assets after he refused to provide additional funding.
Questions have also been raised about how thoroughly World Liberty vets its investors and partners. In May, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Jack Reed called for an investigation into the company following reports that it had worked with a crypto project previously led by individuals subject to U.S. sanctions. The lawmakers also alleged that in 2025, WLFI tokens were purchased by buyers linked to businesses associated with North Korean hackers, Russian money-laundering networks and other sanctioned actors.
As a reminder, World Liberty Financial recently decided to overhaul the project’s governance system.
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