The Trump family’s cryptocurrency token, World Liberty Financial, stumbled on its first day of trading, erasing early gains and showing the immediate losses faced by investors.
WLFI, the governance token of the decentralized finance platform launched last year, began trading above $0.30 on Monday before sliding to $0.24, according to CoinGecko. That represented a more than 15% drop from intraday peaks.
The decline left WLFI with a market capitalization just below $7b, ranking it as the 31st largest cryptocurrency in circulation. Several of the world’s biggest exchanges, including Binance, OKX and Bybit, listed the token at launch, drawing immediate attention from traders.
Early Investors Allowed To Sell Up To 20% Of Holdings
The launch followed a July vote by investors to make WLFI tradable. Until then, the tokens functioned only as governance instruments, giving holders the right to weigh in on code changes and business adjustments. Early investors are permitted to sell up to 20% of their holdings, the company said.
That first 20% unlock, estimated at 3b to 5b tokens sold at presale prices of $0.015 and $0.05, triggered a wave of selling. The pressure tempered excitement from the debut and weighed on prices despite strong speculative demand.
According to the project’s official blog, 24.6b tokens were made available at the time of launch.
The Trump Factor: Driving Investor Interest
Trading activity was robust. Spot volumes hit $2.25b while derivatives turnover surged to between $3b and $8b, reflecting heavy positioning across futures platforms. Pre-market trading on venues such as Hyperliquid and Binance Futures had already signalled turbulence, with WLFI changing hands between $0.30 and $0.56.
Since its inception last year, World Liberty Financial has reportedly generated around $500m for the Trump family. The platform also issues a stablecoin and has been marketed as a gateway for retail investors into decentralized finance.
For early backers, the main attraction was the Trump name. Many said they believed the token’s value would rise on the strength of that connection rather than its technical design. The tradable launch gave them the first real chance to test that assumption in open markets.
World Liberty’s debut drew political scrutiny as well. Democratic lawmakers and ethics experts have warned that the Trump family’s crypto ventures raise conflicts of interest, given the president’s influence over digital asset regulation.
Influencer Trades Add To Speculative Frenzy Around WLFI
Traders also followed the token’s celebrity exposure. Blockchain analytics platform Lookonchain reported
that influencer Andrew Tate’s WLFI long was liquidated for a $67,500 loss Tuesday. Soon after, he re-entered the market with a new long. This move shows the highly speculative mood surrounding the token.
WLFI’s circulating supply at launch was limited to about 4% to 6.8% of the total, intensifying volatility. The combination of a constrained float, political ties and future unlocks has left market sentiment cautious despite heavy trading volumes.
The launch marked one of the most closely watched token debuts of the year. Its rocky first session showed the Trump brand’s drawing power and the risks of tying political capital to a speculative market.
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