September 1 could mark a KEY moment in DeFi’s recent history as World Liberty Financial prepares to unlock the first batch of WLFI tokens, part of a project closely tied to President Donald Trump.
The token, built on Ethereum, will be distributed through a system called Lockbox. Early backers who purchased tokens at $0.015 and $0.05 will be able to claim 20% of their holdings starting September 1, representing about 5% of the total supply.
The remaining 80% will be subject to community governance, reflecting the project’s participatory design. Founders’, advisors’, and partners’ allocations remain locked to reassure markets.
The activation process is straightforward but tightly managed. Investors must connect their wallets to the official website to transfer WLFI into a secure smart contract. From there, they can unlock their share beginning September 1.
Cyfrin, a Web3 security firm, audited the contracts, and presale wallets were verified to exclude non-compliant addresses. WLFI will also debut on leading exchanges — Binance, Coinbase, and Hyperliquid — with official announcements expected in the coming days.
Behind WLFI stands DT Marks DEFI LLC, a Trump-linked holding that controls 22.5 billion tokens. At current futures prices of $0.20-$0.30, WLFI’s fully diluted valuation exceeds $40 billion, with Trump’s 15.75 billion tokens worth more than $6 billion.
That figure surpasses Forbes’ $5 billion estimate of his net worth. This suggests that much of his wealth now stems from digital assets, including NFTs, memecoins, Bitcoin, and Ethereum. However, Trump’s deep involvement raises ethical concerns.
Critics point to the GENIUS Act, recently signed by Trump, which regulates stablecoins but omits conflict-of-interest safeguards. The simultaneous launch of World Liberty’s stablecoin, USD1, has intensified scrutiny from lawmakers.
WLFI’s success has not been without disruption. Rumors of a partnership with lending protocol Aave triggered an 8% drop in AAVE’s token price, though the rumors were was swiftly denied. Still, the episode reflects the influence battles shaping DeFi projects today.
The WLFI launch unfolds against a broader backdrop of DeFi expansion, with total value locked surpassing $167 billion. Post-election regulatory momentum in the U.S. has bolstered optimism, attracting investor focus toward high-profile projects like WLFI.
