Abu Dhabi sheikh owns 49% stake in Trump crypto bank

An Abu Dhabi sheikh and co-investors own nearly half of the holding company behind the new crypto bank of World Liberty Financial, the crypto project linked to the Trump family. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan, the national security adviser of the United Arab Emirates, previously held a large stake in World Liberty Financial itself. Now he also appears to play a central role in the bank project that emerges from it.

In short

• Sheikh Tahnoon and co-investors own 49% of WLTC Holdings, the holding company behind World Liberty Financial’s planned bank.
• An entity linked to the Trump family holds about 38% of that holding company.
• The US regulator OCC has granted provisional approval for the establishment of a national trust bank that is to issue and manage the USD1 stablecoin.

49% via StringZ Holding

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Tahnoon and his co-investors hold their stake via StringZ Holding RSC. That stake relates to WLTC Holdings, the holding company for World Liberty Financial’s bank project. An entity connected to the Trump family owns approximately 38% of that same holding company.

This is not the first time the sheikh has put money into World Liberty Financial. In January 2025, Tahnoon and his co-investors already invested $500 million in the crypto project, thereby acquiring a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial itself at the time.

OCC grants provisional approval for trust bank

The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the regulator for national banks, has this month granted provisional approval for the establishment of a national trust bank by World Liberty. That bank is to issue, redeem and safeguard the USD1 stablecoin. USD1 is World Liberty Financial’s own stablecoin.

The approval is conditional for the time being. Before the bank can actually start operating, World Liberty must meet a series of OCC conditions and pass a final examination. The plans for its own trust bank fit into a broader trend in which crypto companies and financial institutions, including JPMorgan, are exploring the possibilities of their own stablecoins.

Interests and political context

The arrangement raises questions about the intertwining of political and business interests. Tahnoon, who is known as one of the most powerful figures in the Emirati intelligence world, has direct ties to the US presidency through his investments in the Trump family’s crypto project.

The bank project thus sits at the intersection of large international capital flows and the crypto ambitions of the current US president. Whether the bank ultimately becomes operational depends on the outcome of the OCC review.