UAE ‘spy sheikh’ backs 49% stake in Trump family’s crypto bank venture, WSJ reports

A powerful United Arab Emirates official, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan, is reportedly backing a significant stake in the holding company for the Trump family’s planned crypto bank. This investment deepens financial ties between the UAE and the Trump business empire. The arrangement has drawn scrutiny due to Tahnoon’s position as a foreign government official and the Trump administration’s dealings with the UAE over AI chip sales.

• Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan, UAE’s national security advisor, is behind a 49% stake in WLTC Holdings, the holding company for Trump’s planned crypto bank.
• An entity affiliated with the Trump family owns an additional 38% of WLTC Holdings.
• Tahnoon and other investors previously put $500 million into World Liberty Financial in January 2025, receiving a 49% stake in the cryptocurrency company.
• World Liberty has received preliminary conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish a federally chartered national trust bank.
• The arrangement is under scrutiny because Tahnoon is a foreign official and the administration has negotiated chip sales with the UAE.
• A World Liberty spokesman stated the firm is a private company and has no conflicts of interest.
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