The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is expected to approve World Liberty Financial's application for a national trust banking charter in the near future, according to media reports.
Banking status would allow World Liberty Financial to issue its stablecoin USD1 directly — cutting out intermediaries — and collect settlement fees on transactions processed through its own platform. Beyond that, a federal charter would give the company the upper hand over state-level liquidity requirements.
Trump currently holds 70% of the LLC that owns 38% of the holding company behind the venture. According to his financial disclosure, the president personally earned $57M from the project in 2024 — a figure experts say has since climbed into the hundreds of millions.
Conflict of Interest Allegations
"For the first time in history, a president is using a banking regulator to secure federal government backing for his own private business," said Corey Frayer of the Consumer Federation of America.
Critics also point out that in October 2025, Trump pardoned CZ, whose exchange Binance holds more than half of all USD1 in circulation; a UAE-linked entity acquired a 49% stake in the company four days before the inauguration; and Senator Elizabeth Warren flagged the platform's transactions with PancakeSwap — an exchange with reported ties to North Korea.
WLFI rejected the allegations, with a company spokesperson arguing that charter approval would actually mean permanent OCC oversight — including audits and full compliance with anti-money laundering laws.
Read also: