Donald Trump’s World Liberty Financial Sued Over Alleged Profits From UAE Crypto Deals

US President Donald Trump and his family-linked cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, are facing a lawsuit over a $500 million stake sale and a separate $2 billion cryptocurrency transaction involving an Abu Dhabi investment fund.

J. Benjamin Greenberg, a shareholder in Circle Internet Group, has filed the case in a federal court in Washington, alleging that the transactions violated the US Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause. The complaint also claims that World Liberty Financial’s competition in the stablecoin market has harmed Circle and its shareholders.

According to Bloomberg, the clause restricts federal officeholders from accepting payments or benefits from foreign governments without congressional approval. The lawsuit alleges that Trump benefited from the UAE-linked transactions in violation of this restriction. The claims have not been established in court.

UAE-Linked Deals At The Centre Of The Lawsuit

The complaint alleges that an investment vehicle backed by a member of the UAE’s ruling family purchased a 49 per cent stake in World Liberty Financial for $500 million. It also points to a $2 billion investment in cryptocurrency exchange Binance by Abu Dhabi’s MGX fund, which used World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin to finance the transaction.

Greenberg alleges that the deals allowed Trump to benefit financially from his position as president. He has brought the case as a shareholder derivative action, seeking to recover damages on Circle’s behalf over the alleged harm caused by World Liberty Financial’s competition in the stablecoin market.

Trump co-founded World Liberty Financial with his sons in the months before the 2024 presidential election. The venture has issued the WLFI token and USD1, a stablecoin linked to the US dollar.

World Liberty, White House Respond To Allegations

World Liberty Financial has rejected the claims. Its spokesperson, David Wachsman, said the company complies with all US laws and regulations and that nobody at the venture works for the US government.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly also denied that Trump had a conflict of interest, describing the lawsuit as frivolous and part of longstanding criticism from Democrats against Trump, his family and his administration.

Circle said the lawsuit was brought by an individual shareholder and not by the company. Its spokesperson said Circle did not initiate, direct, authorise or participate in the filing.

Greenberg is seeking an order barring Trump from violating the Foreign Emoluments Clause, the return of profits alleged to have been obtained unlawfully and unspecified damages. The case, Greenberg v. Trump, was filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency venture established in 2024, launched its WLFI token for public trading in September 2025. Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Barron Trump are co-founders, while President Trump holds the title of co-founder emeritus.

WLFI is not the only Trump-linked business with crypto exposure. Trump reported more than $1.4 billion in crypto-related income for 2025, according to his financial disclosure released in 2026.