Overview
- World Liberty Financial received a $100 million purchase of its WLFI governance tokens from the UAE-based Aqua 1 Foundation in June 2025, according to reporting and blockchain analysis.
- Reporting identified Guren “Bobby” Zhou as the person behind Aqua 1 and noted he was arrested in the UK in 2021 on suspicion of money laundering while a UK investigation remained active as of late July 2026.
- Blockchain tracing showed related $20 million and $80 million buys linked to the network but could not determine the ultimate source of the $100 million used for the purchases.
- Under World Liberty’s token-sale payout rules, as much as $75 million of the proceeds was routed to a company controlled by President Trump and his three sons, and Eric Trump met Zhou in Dubai to discuss the investment.
- World Liberty says its compliance program meets or exceeds industry standards but declined to confirm knowledge of where the funds originated, a disclosure that has prompted calls for tougher KYC/AML rules and closer regulatory review.