Thursday, August 21

The Trump family-backed stablecoin project, World Liberty Financial (WLFI), has hit a new milestone after minting $205 million worth of USD1 for its treasury on Thursday, lifting the token’s total supply to $2.4 billion.

The sharp increase, its first since April, came just hours after a pro-stablecoin speech by Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller, raising speculation about whether central bank signals are fueling private crypto growth.

Trump Stablecoin Surge Follows Pro-Crypto Speech From Fed Governor Waller

WLFI announced the mint in a post to X, calling USD1 “the fastest-growing stablecoin of all time,” emphasizing its full backing by U.S. dollars and Treasury bills.

Since launching in April, USD1 has quickly climbed to become the world’s sixth-largest stablecoin, according to CoinGecko data.

It trails industry leaders Tether (USDT), which dominates with a $167 billion market cap and a 60% share, and Circle’s USD Coin (USDC), valued at $67.4 billion with 24% of the market.

The timing of WLFI’s latest mint has drawn attention after Waller’s comments at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium on Wednesday. In one of the most crypto-friendly speeches ever delivered by a sitting Fed governor, Waller said there was “nothing to be afraid of” when it comes to digital payments and decentralized finance.

He argued stablecoins and blockchain transactions operate on the same principles as debit card payments and praised recent legislation, the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act (GENIUS Act), as an “important step” toward adoption.

Waller’s remarks follow a series of policy shifts suggesting a softening stance from the Fed. In April, the central bank withdrew guidance from 2022 that discouraged banks from engaging in stablecoin-related activity.

Just last week, it scrapped a supervisory program overseeing crypto operations, while Vice Chair Michelle Bowman floated allowing Fed staff to hold small amounts of crypto to better understand the technology.

With Waller now seen as a frontrunner to succeed Jerome Powell when his term ends in 2026, his pro-crypto views may carry increasing weight in shaping U.S. monetary policy.

The stablecoin market, already valued at $280 billion, is widely expected to grow into the trillions. Goldman Sachs this week forecast that stablecoin adoption could unleash “trillions of dollars” into digital finance, citing last quarter’s $7 trillion in transaction volume as a harbinger of a financial system on the cusp of transformation.

The U.S. Treasury has estimated the market could reach $2 trillion by 2028, noting that a clear regulatory framework would accelerate demand for Treasuries.

That backdrop may explain the growing interest in WLFI’s USD1. Unlike most DeFi-focused stablecoins, the Trump-linked token is pitching itself as a vehicle for sovereign deals and institutional treasuries.

Influential crypto analyst VirtualBacon noted that USD1 could realistically climb to a $100 billion supply if it captures even a sliver of the vast U.S. Treasury market, calling it “built for Middle Eastern family offices and sovereign wealth funds.”

The surge in USD1 also comes amid a broader wave of stablecoin expansion. According to a report, July marked the 22nd consecutive month of market growth, with total capitalization climbing to $261 billion.

World Liberty Plans Treasury Firm as WLFI and USD1 Adoption Grows

World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s flagship crypto venture, is pursuing a $1.5 billion raise to launch a publicly traded treasury company that would hold its WLFI tokens and cash reserves.

Investor documents show Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are expected to join the board. If completed, the deal would extend the Trump family’s growing involvement in the digital asset sector.

Launched last fall, World Liberty has introduced the WLFI token and its stablecoin, USD1, which has reportedly generated $550 million in sales. The project’s recent data, according to Nansen, place WLFI treasury holdings at $548 million, with USD1 now its largest crypto asset at $212 million, or 39% of the total.

Its portfolio also includes $85 million in Aave Ethereum USDT and 19,650 ETH worth $85 million.

The group has also been steadily accumulating Ethereum. On July 29, World Liberty purchased $1 million worth of ETH, adding 256.75 coins at an average price of $3,895. That followed a $2 million buy the week before and a $13 million swap for 3,473 ETH earlier in July.

Since May, the platform has acquired 77,226 ETH, valued at about $296 million, with an unrealized profit of $41.7 million.

Beyond token accumulation, the project is advancing its decentralized finance roadmap. Updates posted in June revealed live Bridge functionality for its USD1 stablecoin, with Swap, Lending, and an app module marked “coming soon.”

On June 31, World Liberty announced a $10 million investment in Falcon Finance, calling it the first universal collateralization infrastructure for on-chain liquidity and yield. USD1 is now live as collateral on Falcon, positioning it further within the growing stablecoin market.

The post Trump-Linked Stablecoin Surges to $2.4B After $205M Mint — Fueled by Fed Speech? appeared first on Cryptonews.


https://cryptonews.com/news/trump-linked-stablecoin-surges-to-2-4b-after-205m-mint-fueled-by-fed-speech/

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