Mysterious investor poured $100 million into Trump crypto via dubious connections

The New York Times reveals who is behind one of the largest investments in World Liberty Financial, the crypto project of US President Donald Trump. The newspaper identifies Chinese businessman Guren “Bobby” Zhou as the person behind Aqua 1, the company that purchased $100 million in WLFI tokens in June 2025. Zhou previously served as head of the UAE branch of Web3Port, a market maker in the crypto sector with a controversial reputation.

In brief:

• Guren “Bobby” Zhou, former head of Web3Port in the UAE, has been linked to a $100 million investment in Trump’s WLFI token.
• Up to $75 million of that investment could flow through a profit-sharing arrangement to entities controlled by Trump and his sons.
• The origin of the money and the motivation behind the investment remain unclear.

Who is Bobby Zhou and what is Web3Port?

Zhou led Web3Port’s operations in the United Arab Emirates. Web3Port is known as a so-called market maker, a party that facilitates trading in crypto coins by providing liquidity. The company has previously been linked to irregularities surrounding the GoPlus (GPS) and MyShell (SHELL) tokens. In addition, parties affiliated with Web3Port once controlled approximately 5% of the total supply of the MOVE token through a company called Rentech. After the launch, around 66 million MOVE was sold for approximately $38 million in USDT proceeds.

How Zhou acquired his wealth and why he put such a substantial amount into the WLFI token remains unclear, according to The New York Times. That makes the matter all the more remarkable: someone with a dubious background and unknown funding sources manages to channel tens of millions to entities surrounding the sitting US president without any significant barrier.

How much money flowed to Trump and his family?

Within World Liberty Financial’s profit-sharing structure, up to $75 million of the $100 million investment could end up with companies controlled by Trump himself and his three sons. The family of co-founder Zach Witkoff also benefits from this arrangement. Critics point out that this structure makes it relatively easy for foreign parties with unclear interests to funnel money indirectly to the President of the United States.

The issue raises broader questions about oversight of investors in crypto projects that are politically sensitive. Those who put money in hardly have to account for themselves, something that is typically required in traditional financial structures.