Aqua 1, a UAE-registered Web3 investment fund, has announced a $100 million strategic purchase of governance tokens from Donald Trump linked World Liberty Financial (WLFI). The move is intended to boost participation in WLFI’s governance framework and to support the broader growth of blockchain-based financial services.
The investment comes as part of Aqua 1’s larger goal to advance tokenized real-world assets and build decentralized infrastructure that supports financial innovation across global markets.
World Liberty Financial Collaboration With Aqua
The $100 million token acquisition will enable Aqua 1 to play a central role in the governance of WLFI, a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform. WLFI was introduced in 2024 and is associated with the Donald Trump family, who have recently decreased their ownership stake in the platform from 60% to 40%.
WLFI aims to support a global shift toward tokenizing traditional assets and integrating stablecoins. Its collaboration with Aqua 1 is part of a joint plan to create an institutional-grade marketplace that combines traditional finance with blockchain.
Zak Folkman, Co-Founder of World Liberty Financial, stated,
“Aligning with Aqua 1 validates our blueprint for global financial innovation, as we have a joint mission to bring digital assets to the masses.”
Aqua 1 has positioned this partnership as a catalyst for moving real-world asset tokenization into mainstream adoption by merging traditional finance systems with blockchain tools.
Tokenized Assets and the USD1 Ecosystem in Focus
The two organizations will work together to grow WLFI’s USD1 ecosystem and promote stablecoin usage in payment systems ahead of the GENIUS Act house vote in the US. They also intend to integrate blockchain into treasury management and commercial transaction infrastructure.
Dave Lee, Founding Partner of Aqua 1, said,
“WLFI’s USD1 ecosystem and RWA pipeline embody the trillion-dollar structural pivot opportunity we seek to catalyze.”
They aim to identify and support new blockchain startups while expanding WLFI’s infrastructure across multiple markets. The partnership will also look into ways to attract capital and technological talent from across regions to support its global efforts.
With this collaboration, Aqua 1 plans to use its investment and compliance teams to assist WLFI’s international expansion, including across Europe, Asia, South America, and other emerging markets.
New Blockchain Projects and Middle East Digital Economy Initiatives
New initiatives like Aqua Fund will also be introduced by Donald Trump linked WLFI and Aqua 1 based in the UAE. This investment will be used to fund blockchain infrastructure, AI integration and regional Web3 adoption. It is anticipated to contribute significantly to the digital economy agenda of the Middle East post the Israel Iran war.
Aqua Fund is planning to list on a secondary trading venue within the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). This would provide easier access to liquidity to investors and draw institutional interest to blockchain investment products.
Moreover, both partners are collaborating to create a platform called BlockRock with an emphasis on institutional-level tokenization of traditional financial assets. BlockRock will offer all the tools to safely transfer premium assets to blockchain networks, in a manner that complies with the established financial laws.
