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The Wall Street Journal reported that an entity linked to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan holds a 49 percent stake in WLTC Holdings, the Delaware company established as the bank’s parent. A Trump family affiliated vehicle owns 38 percent of the holding company according to the newspaper. The ownership structure replicates the stakes in World Liberty Financial itself following a $500 million investment from the UAE linked group in January 2025.
Sheikh Tahnoon serves as the United Arab Emirates national security adviser and brother of the country’s president. The Journal previously detailed how the investment flowed through an entity that directed $263 million toward Trump family businesses. This connection has expanded the business relationship between the Trump backed crypto project and a foreign government official who oversees a business empire exceeding $1.3 trillion in value.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted the preliminary conditional approval to World Liberty Trust Company on August 14. The decision requires the institution to maintain at least $20 million in capital, establish proper management and audit systems and satisfy additional federal supervisory conditions before final authorization. Passivity commitments were submitted by major shareholders including Eric Trump on behalf of the family investment vehicle pledging not to influence bank operations.
The OCC has issued charters to several cryptocurrency focused national banks in recent months according to agency records. World Liberty Trust Company aims to issue redeem and safeguard the dollar backed USD1 stablecoin that World Liberty Financial introduced last year. The new bank would also assume custodial responsibilities currently managed by an external provider.
Democratic members of the Senate Banking Committee raised questions about the application in hearings earlier this year. Sen. Elizabeth Warren pressed the OCC head on whether the foreign ownership had been fully disclosed during the review process according to hearing records. Lawmakers have sought a national security review of the arrangement citing potential conflicts of interest.
The UAE investor’s stake is held through StringZ Holding RSC which maintains registrations in Abu Dhabi and Delaware. The Journal obtained the ownership details from people familiar with the matter as the OCC decision itself does not list specific percentages. World Liberty Financial has positioned the chartered bank as a bridge between traditional finance and digital asset services.
