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Aster removes half the points in its USD1 rewards campaign

New Campaign Runs Through October 2@binance has launched another four-week leg of its USD1 stablecoin airdrop, keeping the program alive through October 2, 2026. There is no individual cap on rewards.

A Shrinking Pool, but a Persistent Program The previous round, which wraps on September 4, carried a pool of 170 million tokens.

USD1 is issued by World Liberty Financial, a DeFi platform associated with the Trump family.

Sources
Binance Official Announcement: Extension to the USD1 Airdrop Campaign
BusinessWire: World Liberty Financial Plans to Launch USD1
Crypto Briefing: Binance Renews USD1 Airdrop for Another Four Weeks

Source: Binance EN

Disclaimer: In compliance with MiCA requirements, unauthorized stablecoins are subject to certain restrictions for EEA users. For more information, please click here. This is a general announcement and marketing communication. Products and services referred to here may not be available in your region. Fellow Binancians, From 2026-09-04 00:00 (UTC), Binance will continue the airdrop campaign rewarding all eligible users who hold World Liberty Financial USD (USD1) on our platform. Eligible users will share rewards from a grand prize pool of 150 million World Liberty Financial (WLFI) tokens. WLFI will be distributed as weekly rewards to USD1 holders every Friday. Campaign Period: 2026-09-04 00:00 (UTC) - 2026-10-02 00:00 (UTC) How to Participate: Eligible users must hold USD1 in balance (net assets), in any of the following account categories on Binance: Spot Account;Funding Account;Margin Account (USD1 as Collateral in Cross Margin, Isolated Margin, or Portfolio Margin); USDⓈ-M Futures Account (USD1 as Collateral in USDⓈ-M Futures Accounts, Multi-Assets mode is included). USD1 in Binance Futures or Margin accounts can receive a 1.2x bonus multiplier on rewards, only if the user’s Daily Open Interest on USD1 Futures pair(s) is maintained at a minimum of 300 USD1. Binance will take hourly daily snapshots of each user’s Open Interest each day and use the lowest recorded amount to determine if the users’ Daily Open Interest on that day meets the minimum requirement and their eligibility of the 1.2x bonus multiplier. Note: If the users’ Daily Open Interest on USD1 Futures pair is less than 300 USD1 on certain days, and hold more than 0.01 USD1 in their Margin or Futures Accounts, they will still receive 1x rewards on those days, but not the 1.2x bonus rewards. USD1 acquired through borrowing of other stablecoins will receive a haircut of 70%, after accounting for liabilities in Margin Accounts from other stablecoins, including USDT, USDC, U, RLUSD, and FDUSD. Campaign Details: Prize Pool: 150 million WLFI tokens. Distribution: Rewards will be airdropped directly to users’ Binance Spot Accounts. Distribution Frequency: Weekly airdrops during the Campaign Period. Reward Distribution: Rewards start accruing from 2026-09-04 00:00 (UTC). Weekly rewards will be distributed by 18:00 (UTC) every Friday in WLFI tokens. Distribution records can be found in Distribution History. The Weekly Reward Amount will be roughly calculated as follows: Qualifying Balance of each day = Lowest USD1 balance captured during those hourly snapshots on each day.Weekly Rewards = (7-day average of the Qualifying Balance * Effective APR on the distribution day * 7) / 365 After each weekly distribution, the effective APR for that period will be updated in this announcement. In determining the effective APR on the distribution day, Binance will take into account a number of factors, including, without limitation: Minimum recorded amount of Open Interest per day;Lowest balance of the snapshots each day;The daily aggregated amount of Qualifying Balances across all eligible holders of USD1;7-day average across all eligible holders of USD1 For USD1 acquired through borrowing other stablecoins: Eligible balance in Margin Account = USD1 Balance Before Leverage + Leveraged Amount * (1 - 70%): USD1 Balance before Leverage = MAX [USD1 Balance in Margin Account - Margin Account Liabilities of the Other Stablecoins, 0] Leveraged Amount = USD1 Balance in Margin Account - MAX [USD1 Balance in Margin Account - Margin Account Liabilities of the Other Stablecoins, 0] Note: ”Other Stablecoins” include USDT, USDC, U, RLUSD, FDUSD. PeriodEffective Base APREffective Boosted APR (1.2x)WLFI Token Value1st Distribution on 2026-09-11Reward Period: 2026-09-04 00:00 (UTC) to 2026-09-11 00:00 (UTC)To be updated on 2026-09-11To be updated on 2026-09-11To be updated on 2026-09-112nd Distribution on 2026-09-18Reward Period: 2026-09-11 00:00 (UTC) to 2026-09-18 00:00 (UTC)To be updated on 2026-09-18To be updated on 2026-09-18To be updated on 2026-09-183rd Distribution on 2026-09-25Reward Period: 2026-09-18 00:00 (UTC) to 2026-09-25 00:00 (UTC)To be updated on 2026-09-25To be updated on 2026-09-25To be updated on 2026-09-254th Distribution on 2026-10-02Reward Period: 2026-09-25 00:00 (UTC) to 2026-10-02 00:00 (UTC)To be updated on 2026-10-02To be updated on 2026-10-02To be updated on 2026-10-02 Case examples: User A’s Daily Open Interest on USD1 Futures pair from Day 1 to Day 6 is maintained at 1,500 USD1, Day 7 at 100 USD1. Throughout the 7 days, the user holds 10,000 USD1 in Spot and 20,000 USD1 as collateral in Margin, and effective base APR is 20%, effective boosted APR is 24%, User A's rewards due to be received at the end of 7 days will be as follows[(10,000 * 20% * 7) / 365] + [(20,000 * 24% * 6) / 365] + [(20,000 * 20% * 1) / 365] = 128.21 USD worth of WLFIUser B’s Daily Open Interest on the USD1 Futures pair is maintained at 1,500 USD1 throughout week 1. The user borrowed 5,000 USD1 from VIP loan or Margin (“liabilities”). Among this borrowed 5,000 USD1, 4,000 USD1 was used as collateral in Margin, the remaining 1,000 USD1 was held in their Spot Account in week 1. The effective base APR is 20%, effective boosted APR is 24%, User B’s rewards due to be received at the end of week 1 will be as follows:Qualifying Balance = 0 [(0 * 20% * 7) / 365] + [(0 * 24% * 7) / 365] = 0 USD worth of WLFIUser C’s Daily Open Interest throughout Week 1 was maintained at 100 USD1. The user had 1,000 USD1 in the Margin Account and used it as collateral to borrow 4,000 USDT through Margin (“Liabilities of the other Stablecoins”), then converted this 4,000 USDT to USD1. The user now holds 5,000 USD1 in Margin (“USD1 Balance”) in week 1. The effective base APR is 20%, effective boosted APR is 24%, User C’s rewards due to be received at the end of week 1 will be as follows:Since Daily Open Interest < 300, User C doesn’t qualify for 1.2x bonus rewards. Qualifying Balance = MAX [5,000 - 4,000, 0] + {5,000 - MAX[5,000 - 4,000, 0] } * (1 - 70%) = 1,000 + (5,000 - 1,000) * (1 - 70%) = 2,200[(2,200 * 20% * 7) / 365] = 8.43 USD worth of WLFI Important Notes: Snapshots of user’s Open Interest will be taken at any point of time each hour to get users’ hourly Open Interest. The lowest USD1 Open Interest captured during those snapshots on each day will constitute their Daily Open Interest. If the Daily Open Interest is lower than 300 USD1 for a specific day, then for that day the user won’t receive 1.2x bonus rewards.Users’ USD1 Qualifying Balance will be calculated as net assets (assets minus liabilities). USD1 as liabilities (e.g., borrowed from VIP loans, Margin loan, etc.) will be excluded from the Qualifying Balance for this campaign. Snapshots of user balances and total qualifying balances will be taken at any point of time each hour to get users’ hourly balances in the above mentioned account categories. The lowest USD1 balance captured during those snapshots on each day will constitute their Qualifying Balance and be used to calculate their rewardsFor example, a user’s lowest USD1 balance captured on 2026-08-13 is zero, then their qualifying balance for that day is zero. At any snapshot time, any one of users’ supported assets must be greater than 0.01 USD1 to be included in the calculation.Users are recommended to maintain their USD1 holding throughout the Campaign Period to maximize their rewards. Rewards distributed are rounded down to 2 decimal places. Rewards of sub-accounts will be distributed to the Spot Account of corresponding sub-accounts. Kindly note that the distribution time is not guaranteed and may change from time to time.There is no individual cap on rewards. Users’ rewards depend on their qualifying balance relative to the total qualifying balance of all eligible users and other factors. Stay tuned for weekly reward distributions and updates on the Campaign. Terms and Conditions: Users may not be eligible for rewards if there are active restrictions on their accounts.WLFI token value for airdrop distribution will be based on the official Binance market closing price one day before the airdrop distribution day.Snapshots of user balances and total pool balances will be taken multiple times at any point of time each hour to get users’ hourly balances in the aforementioned account categories. The lowest USD1 balance captured during those snapshots on each day will constitute the user’s Qualifying Balance and be used to calculate their rewards.At any snapshot time, any one of users’ supported assets must be greater than 0.01 USD1 to be included in the calculation.Broker accounts are not eligible for this campaign. Binance reserves the right to periodically update the rules to accommodate changes in legal, regulatory, or other factors.Users must complete account verification (KYC) and also be from an eligible jurisdiction to participate in the campaign. Currently, users residing in the following countries or regions will not be able to participate in the USD1 campaign (notwithstanding that they may hold USD1): Åland Islands (Finland), Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Crimea (Ukraine – disputed territory), Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Donetsk People’s Republic, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hungary, Ireland, Isle of Man, Islamic Republic of Iran, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luhansk People’s Republic, Luxembourg, Malta, Martinique, Mayotte, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Cuba, Réunion, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Martin (French part), Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States of America and its territories.Please note that the list of excluded countries provided here is not exhaustive and may be subject to changes due to evolving local rules, regulations, or other considerations. This list may be updated periodically to accommodate changes in legal, regulatory, or other factors.For clarity, references to “USD1” in the content above are not direct acronyms of the “United States Dollar” fiat currency unless otherwise specified.Binance reserves the right to disqualify a user’s reward eligibility if the account is involved in any dishonest behavior (e.g., wash trading, illegally bulk account registrations/logins, self dealing, or market manipulation). Binance further reserves the right to disqualify any participants who tamper with Binance program code, or interfere with the operation of Binance program code with other software.Binance reserves the right at any time in its sole and absolute discretion to determine and/or amend or vary these terms and conditions without prior notice, including but not limited to canceling, extending, terminating or suspending this Promotion, the eligibility terms and criteria, the selection and number of winners, and the timing of any act to be done, and all Participants shall be bound by these amendments.Binance reserves the right to suspend any user's Margin borrowing at any time, without prior notice, in its sole discretion, if any abnormal or suspicious activity is detected.There may be discrepancies between this original content in English and any translated versions. Please refer to the original English version for the most accurate information, in case any discrepancies arise. Thank you for your support! Binance Team 2026-09-03 Trade on-the-go with Binance’s crypto trading app (iOS/Android) Find us on TelegramWhatsAppXFacebookInstagramDiscord Binance reserves the right in its sole discretion to amend or cancel this announcement at any time and for any reasons without prior notice. Disclaimer: Digital asset prices can be volatile. The value of your investment may go down or up and you may not get back the amount invested. You are solely responsible for your investment decisions and Binance is not liable for any losses you may incur. The APR is calculated weekly, and is expressed as an annualised percentage yield for illustrative purposes only. Each APR is not indicative of future results. The APR is likely to fluctuate week-to-week and the estimated rewards may differ from the actual rewards generated. APR is an estimate of rewards you will earn in cryptocurrency over the selected timeframe. It does not display the actual or predicted returns/yield in any fiat currency. Past performance is not a reliable predictor of future performance. You should only invest in products you are familiar with and where you understand the risks. You should carefully consider your investment experience, financial situation, investment objectives and risk tolerance and consult an independent financial adviser prior to making any investment. This material should not be construed as financial advice. For more information, see our Terms of Use, and our Risk Warning. To learn more about how to protect yourself, visit our Responsible Trading page.

Aster and World Liberty Financial Launch USD1 RWA Boost: Phase 1, Offering 125M $WLFI + 6.25M USD1 in Rewards

TL;DRExtended until September 30th, 2026, 23:59 UTCSupported assets: USDC, USD1 & UZero gas fees across withdrawals, transfers, and bridgingOver $4.5M in gas fees has already been covered for users. That's money that would have gone on moving stablecoins around, staying in wallets instead.

The 0 Fee Carnival now runs through the end of September, on the same terms.

How you use it doesn't change. Withdraw from an exchange, send between wallets, or bridge in from another chain exactly as you would normally. You don't pay the gas.

Where You Can SaveWithdraw with Zero Fees, Across Top CEXsUSDC, USD1, and U can be withdrawn to BNB Chain without paying gas through the major exchanges.

Supported platforms include Binance, Bitget, MEXC, Ourbit, BingX, LBank, and HTX, with coverage across BNB Smart Chain and opBNB depending on the exchange.

Minimum withdrawal amounts vary by platform. In every case, funds leave the exchange without losing value on the way out.

CEX

Assets

Network

Condition

Binance

USD1

BNB Smart Chain (BSC)

Minimum withdrawal amount $10

USDC

USDC

opBNB

Minimum withdrawal amount $20

U

BSC

Minimum withdrawal amount $5

Bitget

USDC

BSC

Minimum withdrawal amount $10

USD1

MEXC

USD1

BSC

Minimum withdrawal amount $5

U

USDC

Minimum withdrawal amount $10

Ourbit

USDC

BSC

Minimum withdrawal amount $10

USD1

BingX

USDC

BSC

N/A

LBank

USDC

BSC

N/A

HTX

USD1

BSC

N/A

PS: HTX Supports USD1 — 0 Fees Forever

Free Wallet Transfers: Send Without SpendingSending stablecoins between wallets is covered too.

Supported wallets include Binance Wallet, Trust Wallet, SafePal, TokenPocket, Coin98, imToken, and others.

USD1: Unlimited transfersUSDC: 2 free transfers per dayU: Unlimited transfersMin Transfer: $0.10Eligible: Direct wallet-to-wallet transfers on BSCThis applies to direct wallet-to-wallet transfers on BNB Smart Chain only.

Bridge for Free: Move Across Chains SeamlesslyBringing funds onto BNB Chain is gas-free as well.

Celer cBridge and Meson.fi support bridging from networks like Ethereum, Arbitrum, Polygon, Avalanche, Optimism, and Tron.

Bridges

Assets

Source Chains

Fee

Condition

Celer cBridge

USDC 

Ethereum, Arbitrum, Polygon, Avalanche, Optimism

$0 bridge fee!

Limited to Bridge USDC from other chains to BSC.

Meson.fi

USDC

Ethereum, Arbitrum, Polygon, Avalanche, Optimism, Tron

100% rebate

Thanks to these partners, your cross-chain transfer literally costs nothing. Bridge, swap, and explore DeFi with zero friction.

The 0 Fee Movement Continues to GrowThe 0 Fee Carnival covers gas, and the point of it is making stablecoins cheap to move for the people using them day to day, whether that means pulling funds off an exchange, paying someone from a wallet, or bringing liquidity over from another chain.

The extension runs until September 30th, 2026, 23:59 UTC. Withdraw, send, or bridge USDC, USD1, or U before then and the gas is covered.

A Solana wallet labeled as Fireblocks Custody transferred another 30 million USD1 to Binance during a 15-hour period, according to an Aug. 31 report from blockchain tracker Onchain Lens.

Summary

Fireblocks-labeled custody wallet sent 30 million Solana-based USD1 tokens to Binance across fifteen reported hours. Onchain records confirm transfers, but they do not identify the beneficial owner or transaction purpose. The same wallet previously transferred 66 million USD1 to Binance during the preceding reported week. USD1 is issued by World Liberty Financial and operates across multiple networks, including Solana today. Neither Fireblocks, Binance nor World Liberty publicly explained whether the deposits supported trading or liquidity. The tokens had a nominal value of $30 million because USD1 is designed to track the U.S. dollar. The transfer extended a series of large deposits from the same address, but its commercial purpose remains unknown.

Neither Fireblocks, Binance nor USD1 developer World Liberty Financial had publicly identified the beneficial owner or explained the transfers when the latest movement was reported.

TRUMP-BACKED solana:USD1ttGY1N17NEEHLmELoaybftRBUSErhqYiQzvEmuB KEEPS FLOWING TO BINANCE

Fireblocks Custody sent another 30M solana:USD1ttGY1N17NEEHLmELoaybftRBUSErhqYiQzvEmuB to Binance over the past 15 hours.

Address: 9Rycov3U4efJf5HiqZYGjN7qJJHEtMsj4vbmkG4xfCxk pic.twitter.com/w5n2RzlKWE

— Onchain Lens (@OnchainLens) August 31, 2026 USD1 transfer is visible on Solana Onchain Lens identified the sending address as 9Rycov3U4efJf5HiqZYGjN7qJJHEtMsj4vbmkG4xfCxk. Its activity can be reviewed through the Solscan account page.

The tracker described the address as Fireblocks Custody and the receiving destination as Binance. Those labels are blockchain-analytics attributions rather than identities recorded directly inside Solana transactions.

Onchain data verifies that tokens moved between addresses. It cannot, by itself, establish who beneficially owned the assets or whether the transfer represented a sale, market-making activity, customer withdrawal, treasury operation or internal exchange movement.

Accordingly, the Onchain Lens report should not be interpreted as proof that Fireblocks, World Liberty or another party sold $30 million of USD1.

Fireblocks-labeled wallet previously moved $66M The same address previously transferred 28 million USD1 to Binance through three transactions over 21 hours, according to an earlier Onchain Lens update.

A subsequent report said the wallet had deposited 66 million USD1 into Binance over one week after sending another 10 million tokens. The latest 30 million transfer appears to follow that reported sequence.

If the periods do not overlap, the cited movements would represent approximately 96 million USD1 sent to Binance. However, Onchain Lens did not provide a complete transaction inventory in its latest post, so the combined figure should be treated cautiously.

Fireblocks provides wallet and transaction infrastructure for institutions. A wallet using its custody technology can hold assets for a customer without Fireblocks owning those assets economically.

World Liberty’s USD1 already has close Binance ties USD1 is a dollar-pegged stablecoin associated with World Liberty Financial, the crypto business linked to U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his family.

World Liberty’s official documentation lists USD1 deployments across several blockchains. The Solana token address begins with USD1ttGY1N17, matching the asset identified in the transfer report.

USD1 already has substantial links to Binance. Abu Dhabi-backed investment company MGX used $2 billion of the stablecoin to settle an investment in the exchange during 2025.

As crypto.news previously reported, the MGX transaction gave USD1 an early institutional use shortly after its launch.

Binance-controlled wallets and customer accounts held nearly 87% of USD1’s supply at one stage. Such concentration can reflect exchange customer holdings, institutional settlement balances and Binance’s own operational wallets.

Binance deposits do not establish selling pressure Sending a volatile cryptocurrency to an exchange can indicate possible selling. That interpretation is less direct for a stablecoin because dollar-pegged assets commonly move to exchanges as trading collateral, settlement funds or quote-currency liquidity.

Binance offers USD1 trading pairs, including a SOL/USD1 market. Deposits could therefore support customer trading, market-making or liquidity management.

World Liberty says USD1 circulation has exceeded $4 billion. As crypto.news reported, company CEO Zach Witkoff attributed its expansion to institutional demand. That remains a company explanation rather than proof of the purpose behind these transfers.

World Liberty also received preliminary conditional approval to establish a national trust bank that could eventually issue and redeem USD1. The institution cannot open until it satisfies the OCC’s conditions.

Further wallet movements, changes in Binance balances or statements from the involved companies could clarify the deposits. No verified price movement in USD1, WLFI or another asset was directly attributable to the reported transfer.

World Liberty Financial launches USD1 natively on Canton NetworkLatest NewsPublishedAug 25, 2026

USD1 is the sixth-largest stablecoin, with a market capitalization of more than $4 billion, according to industry data.

World Liberty Financial has launched its USD1 stablecoin natively on the Canton Network, allowing institutions to use it to settle transactions involving tokenized real-world assets.

The stablecoin can be used as the cash leg for transactions including derivatives collateral, institutional lending, asset issuance and redemptions, according to a Tuesday announcement.

Native issuance allows USD1 to settle alongside tokenized assets in the same transaction while using Canton’s privacy and permissioning controls.

USD1 has a market capitalization of about $4.05 billion, making it the sixth-largest stablecoin, according to DeFiLlama data. The stablecoin is issued by BitGo Bank & Trust, which manages its reserves and processes mints and redemptions, according to World Liberty.

World Liberty Financial is a Trump family-backed crypto venture launched in 2024. USD1 debuted in March 2025 and is backed by reserves including short-term US Treasurys, government money market funds and dollar deposits, according to the company.

Canton, a public, permissionless blockchain designed for institutional finance, says it processes and issues more than $9 trillion in tokenized assets each month, with more than $350 billion in onchain US Treasurys moving across the network daily.

The integration follows another Canton expansion announced last week, when Digital Asset and former US House Speaker Paul Ryan’s American Idea Foundation unveiled plans to pilot a Canton-based system for distributing state-administered benefits across three US states beginning in 2027.

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World Liberty Financial has launched its $4.05 billion USD1 stablecoin natively on the Canton Network, giving institutions a dollar-based settlement asset for tokenized securities and other real-world assets.

Summary

USD1 can settle tokenized assets through Canton’s privacy and permissioning controls. Institutions can use the stablecoin for collateral, lending, issuance, redemptions, and cross-border payments. DeFiLlama ranks the $4.05 billion USD1 as the sixth-largest stablecoin. World Liberty’s proposed U.S. trust bank still requires final OCC authorization. USD1 gives Canton transactions a cash settlement option World Liberty Financial said in an Aug. 25 announcement that USD1 is now issued directly on Canton rather than arriving through a bridge from another blockchain.

Native issuance lets an institution exchange USD1 and a tokenized asset as parts of the same transaction. According to the announcement, Canton’s system synchronizes both transfers so the cash and asset can settle together, reducing the risk that one side completes while the other remains outstanding.

Canton applies privacy and permission controls to transactions conducted on its public blockchain. The network says the system allows participating firms to control which parties can view transaction information while supporting the compliance requirements used in regulated financial markets.

Through the integration, World Liberty said institutions can use USD1 to provide collateral for derivatives and institutional loans. The stablecoin can also fund asset issuances, process redemptions, support financing arrangements and settle cross-border payments around the clock.

Tokenized government debt and other financial assets often require a corresponding cash payment when they change hands. World Liberty said adding USD1 gives Canton users a fully reserved dollar stablecoin for that cash side without moving the transaction through a separate payment network.

According to World Liberty, USD1 is redeemable for U.S. dollars on a one-to-one basis. The company says its reserves include dollar deposits, U.S. government money market funds, and other cash equivalents, with reserve reports published monthly.

USD1 enters a network built around institutional assets Canton said more than $9 trillion in tokenized assets are issued or processed through its network each month. The company also reported that more than $350 billion in onchain U.S. Treasurys moves across Canton daily, although the figures represent activity rather than the total value locked on the blockchain.

Government debt on Canton is used as collateral, repurchase agreements, and treasury-management transactions, according to the USD1 announcement. In such trades, delays between the transfer of an asset and the related payment can tie up capital or require financial institutions to retain additional liquidity.

Canton’s synchronized settlement design allows the asset and payment to move at the same time. Native USD1 can now serve as the dollar-denominated payment in those transactions while remaining subject to the network’s privacy settings.

An earlier institutional transaction showed how the structure works with another stablecoin. Tradeweb said in July that Franklin Templeton transferred a tokenized U.S. Treasury security to Virtu Financial in exchange for USDCx, with Canton synchronizing the two sides in real time.

World Liberty and Canton initially disclosed plans for the USD1 deployment in December 2025, when the stablecoin had a market capitalization of more than $2 billion. At the time, the companies identified intraday repo and digital bond settlement among the intended uses.

USD1’s market value has since reached approximately $4.05 billion, according to DeFiLlama stablecoin data, placing it sixth among dollar-pegged tokens by capitalization. Stablecoin supply can increase when authorized parties mint new tokens and decline when holders redeem them.

In March 2025, World Liberty introduced USD1 as a dollar-backed token for institutional and retail transactions. BitGo Bank & Trust currently issues the stablecoin, manages its reserve assets, and processes minting and redemption requests on the company’s behalf.

World Liberty’s USD1 growth faces U.S. scrutiny The Canton deployment adds another institutional use for USD1 one day after crypto.news reported its $4 billion growth. World Liberty CEO Zach Witkoff attributed the increase to institutional demand and rejected claims that the company’s relationship with the Trump family accounted for the stablecoin’s adoption.

A $2 billion transaction has formed a large part of USD1’s early use. In May 2025, Abu Dhabi-backed investment firm MGX used the stablecoin to settle its investment in Binance after initially announcing the deal without identifying the settlement asset.

World Liberty’s connections to President Donald Trump and the involvement of a foreign state-backed investor have drawn questions from Democratic lawmakers. Public disclosures cited in previous coverage show that an entity affiliated with Trump and members of his family holds an interest in World Liberty’s parent company.

For U.S. institutions considering USD1, federal oversight of its issuer remains an important procedural issue. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted World Liberty Trust Company conditional charter approval on Aug. 14, allowing the company to proceed with organizing a national trust bank.

The OCC’s decision does not allow the proposed bank to begin operating. According to the regulator’s approval, World Liberty Trust must maintain at least $20 million in eligible capital, appoint a qualified internal audit manager, and complete other preopening requirements before receiving final authorization.

If the OCC issues that authorization, the trust company plans to take over USD1 issuance, redemption, and reserve management from BitGo. The proposed institution would also provide digital-asset custody and stablecoin conversion services to institutional clients under federal supervision.

Unlike a conventional commercial bank, World Liberty Trust would not accept ordinary deposits or make standard loans. National trust banks generally concentrate on custody, fiduciary, settlement, and asset-servicing activities, and the OCC can change, suspend, or withdraw its preliminary approval before the institution opens.

Canton is also preparing a U.S. benefits pilot Digital Asset, the company behind Canton, has also expanded the network’s proposed role in U.S. public-sector payments. In August, Digital Asset and former House Speaker Paul Ryan’s American Idea Foundation unveiled a benefits pilot scheduled to begin in three states during the first quarter of 2027, subject to federal approval.

Called Resources for Independence, Stability, and Employment, the program would combine separate benefits into monthly or twice-monthly payments. The organizations said Canton would apply rules covering approved spending categories while restricting access to recipients’ sensitive information.

Program administrators would also be able to adjust payments automatically when a recipient’s reported income changes, according to the announcement. Digital Asset and the foundation have not identified the participating states or disclosed which benefit programs will enter the pilot.

Key Takeaways World Liberty Financial has integrated its USD1 stablecoin as a native asset on Canton Network, targeting institutional applications With a valuation of $4.05 billion, USD1 now ranks as the sixth-largest stablecoin globally The stablecoin enables institutional firms to settle derivatives collateral, facilitate lending, issue assets, and execute cross-border transactions Canton Network handles more than $9 trillion in tokenized assets each month, with daily movements of $350 billion in tokenized US Treasurys World Liberty Trust Company secured conditional OCC charter approval in August but remains unauthorized to conduct operations World Liberty Financial has rolled out its USD1 stablecoin as a native asset on Canton Network, providing financial institutions with a dollar-denominated settlement mechanism for tokenized real-world assets.

This integration marks a shift from bridging USD1 from external blockchains to native issuance on Canton itself. The approach enables simultaneous settlement of both cash and asset components within a single transaction.

Canton’s Native Settlement Architecture The Canton platform employs a synchronized transfer mechanism that ensures both transaction legs complete together or not at all. This atomic settlement structure minimizes counterparty risk in institutional transactions involving tokenized instruments such as securities, bonds, and sovereign debt.

Canton incorporates granular privacy features and permission frameworks, enabling organizations to control transaction visibility according to their compliance obligations and regulatory constraints.

According to network data, Canton facilitates the transfer of over $9 trillion in tokenized assets monthly. The platform reports daily movement of more than $350 billion in tokenized US Treasury securities.

A practical demonstration of this infrastructure occurred last July when Tradeweb reported that Franklin Templeton executed a tokenized Treasury transfer to Virtu Financial against USDCx payment, with Canton coordinating the atomic swap in real time.

Financial institutions now have the option to substitute USD1 for alternatives like USDCx in the payment component of these transactions.

USD1 Development and Market Position USD1 made its debut in March 2025. The stablecoin maintains reserve backing consisting of short-duration US Treasury securities, government-sponsored money market funds, and cash deposits. BitGo Bank and Trust serves as the current issuer and reserve custodian.

The stablecoin’s market capitalization has expanded significantly from approximately $2 billion in December 2025, when World Liberty and Canton initially revealed their integration plans, to its current $4.05 billion level.

A substantial portion of this early expansion stemmed from a single $2 billion transaction. In May 2025, MGX, an Abu Dhabi government-backed investment entity, utilized USD1 to finalize its stake acquisition in Binance.

World Liberty CEO Zach Witkoff attributed the expansion to genuine institutional appetite and rejected suggestions that the Trump family’s association with the project influenced market adoption. World Liberty Financial emerged as a Trump-affiliated cryptocurrency initiative that launched in 2024.

The venture’s connections to President Donald Trump and participation from a foreign government-linked investor have attracted examination from Democratic members of Congress.

On August 14, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted World Liberty Trust Company preliminary authorization to establish a national trust bank. The entity must satisfy capital adequacy standards and additional regulatory prerequisites before commencing operations.

Upon final approval, World Liberty Trust would assume responsibility for USD1 issuance and reserve administration from BitGo, while offering federally regulated digital asset custody capabilities.

Canton is simultaneously pursuing public sector applications. Digital Asset, in partnership with former House Speaker Paul Ryan’s American Idea Foundation, intends to test a Canton-powered benefits disbursement platform across three US states beginning in early 2027, subject to federal authorization.

TLDR World Liberty Financial says USD1 stablecoin circulation has topped $4 billion, driven by institutional demand. CEO Zach Witkoff denies that political ties to the Trump family fueled the growth. MGX used USD1 for its $2 billion Binance investment in 2025, an early institutional use case. The OCC gave preliminary approval for a related trust bank on August 14. Lawmakers continue to question foreign ownership links tied to the company. World Liberty Financial says its USD1 stablecoin has grown past $4 billion in circulation. The company’s CEO, Zach Witkoff, says the growth reflects real demand rather than political favors.

Witkoff made the comments after CNBC reported on the story on August 25. He said USD1’s growth shows the token is being used regardless of any ties to President Donald Trump’s administration.

The comments came shortly after federal regulators gave early approval for a new trust bank tied to the company.

How USD1 Has Grown Since Launch USD1 launched in March 2025. It is a dollar backed digital token, meaning each coin is supposed to be backed by cash and similar safe assets held at financial institutions.

The token became one of the larger dollar backed cryptocurrencies in the market. Its early growth was tied closely to one large deal.

Abu Dhabi backed investment fund MGX used USD1 to complete a $2 billion investment in the crypto exchange Binance in May 2025. Witkoff announced the deal at a conference in Dubai, calling USD1 the official settlement token for the transaction.

That single deal gave USD1 a boost in credibility. But it also tied much of its supply to one exchange.

A Forbes report from February, based on data from Arkham Intelligence, found that wallets linked to Binance and its customers held close to $4.7 billion in USD1. That made up about 87 percent of the token’s total supply at the time.

Circulation has since dropped below that peak level. World Liberty Financial says it remains above $4 billion today.

The stablecoin is currently available on several exchanges, including Coinbase, Kraken, and Crypto.com.

Regulatory Approval and Political Questions On August 14, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency gave preliminary conditional approval to World Liberty Trust Company. The application had been filed by WLTC Holdings LLC back in January.

Under the proposed structure, the trust would issue and redeem USD1 tokens. It would also manage reserves and provide custody services, work currently handled by BitGo.

The trust would not offer retail banking services. It would not take deposits, offer checking accounts, or issue loans.

Political scrutiny of the company has grown alongside its business. According to Reuters, a firm connected to the Trump family controls 38 percent of World Liberty Financial’s parent company.

Zach Witkoff is the son of Steve Witkoff, who serves as a Trump envoy and is also an emeritus founder of the crypto company.

The White House has said Trump’s business assets are held in a trust controlled by his children. It has also said Trump is not personally managing World Liberty Financial while in office.

Scrutiny increased further after reports that an investment vehicle called Aryam Investment 1 took a 49 percent stake in World Liberty Financial for $500 million. That vehicle is backed by UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who also chairs MGX.

In June, Democratic senators called for hearings into the deal. They want to know whether it played any role in decisions about selling weapons or advanced AI chips to other countries.

The OCC has said foreign investors cannot serve as principal shareholders of the proposed bank. Several investors reportedly signed agreements limiting their control over the bank’s operations to address that requirement.

For now, World Liberty Financial says USD1 remains above the $4 billion mark, and the trust bank application continues moving through the federal approval process.

Claude's paid usage tiers are criticized for deceptive wording: The $200 "20x" plan only grants 5 hours of access, with its weekly quota being three times that of the $100 tier.

According to Dongcha Beating AI Express, the quota issue with Anthropic’s Claude Max has reignited controversy on social media. The $100 Max 5x and $200 Max 20x are easily misinterpreted by their names as meaning the latter offers four times the quota of the former. However, Anthropic’s official documentation specifies that the “5x” and “20x” refer to usage limits per 5-hour windows. All paid plans also include weekly quotas, but Anthropic has not disclosed how these compare to the Pro plan’s weekly limit—a major source of user frustration. A recent reverse calculation by a Reddit user found that during the current temporary bonus period, Max 20x’s total weekly quota is only approximately 2.25 times that of Max 5x. Anthropic has even faced legal action over this. A proposed class-action lawsuit filed in June alleges that Max 20x’s actual total usage is just 6 to 8 times that of the Pro plan, while Max 5x is around 3.5 times. Under this framework, the weekly usage gap between the two tiers is also only about twice. The case remains ongoing, and the court has not yet ruled that Anthropic engaged in false advertising.

10 minutes ago

Binance will support cash dividend distributions for Qualcomm, PayPal, and Alphabet via bStocks.

According to an official announcement, Binance will support cash dividend distributions for Qualcomm (QCOM), PayPal (PYPL), and Alphabet (GOOGL) holders via its bStocks product for QCOMB, PYPLB, and GOOGLB token holders. After deducting applicable withholding taxes, fees, costs, and other related expenses, net dividends will be reinvested into the corresponding underlying securities, with users receiving dividends in the form of QCOMB, PYPLB, and GOOGLB bStocks respectively. Eligibility snapshots: QCOMB holders must hold relevant assets at 00:00 UTC on September 3, 2026; PYPLB and GOOGLB holders must hold their assets at 00:00 UTC on September 4, 2026. Spot trading for all three tokens remains unaffected, but QCOMB will suspend token conversions, deposits, and withdrawals at 23:30 UTC on September 2. PYPLB and GOOGLB will suspend their respective related services at 23:30 UTC on September 3, with services resuming after dividend distribution is completed.

10 minutes ago

Metaplanet has deposited 2,400 BTC, valued at approximately $186 million, into Coinbase Prime over the past three hours.

According to monitoring by on-chain analytics platform Lookonchain, Metaplanet has deposited 2,400 BTC (valued at approximately $186 million) into Coinbase Prime over the past three hours. Earlier, the company purchased 43,000 BTC at an average price of $96,191 per coin, with the total value of the holdings reaching around $3.48 billion.

10 minutes ago

Microduck surged more than 40% before quickly pulling back, now trading at $0.0145.

According to GMGN market data, the meme token microduck on the Robinhood Chain saw a rapid rally at midday. Its price surged from around $0.013 to a high of approximately $0.0188 in a short period, with its stage gain once exceeding 40% and its peak market cap reaching nearly $19 million. The price then quickly pulled back, currently trading at around $0.0145, with its market cap falling to roughly $14.55 million, a retracement of about 23% from the high.

10 minutes ago

PONS's market cap briefly rebounded to cross $350 million, trading at $0.352 at press time.

According to GMGN market data, PONS' market capitalization has briefly rebounded to surpass $350 million, with its current price standing at $0.352.

10 minutes ago

Fireblocks Custody moved 30 million USD1 tokens to Binance over the past 15 hours.

According to monitoring by Onchain Lens, Fireblocks Custody transferred 30 million USD1 tokens to Binance again over the past 15 hours. Note: USD1 is a stablecoin backed by a Trump-associated project.

10 minutes ago

Analysis

The Trump-backed stablecoin's native deployment on the institutional settlement network completes the plumbing Tradeweb and Virtu just proved works — but Binance concentration and political baggage complicate the picture.

Tokenization has long suffered from a persistent plumbing problem: the assets moved, but the cash stayed behind. Today, World Liberty Financial (WLFI) attempted to bridge that gap by launching its USD1 stablecoin natively on the Canton Network. This is not merely another stablecoin deployment in a crowded market; it is the arrival of the missing cash leg required to make institutional-scale tokenized finance functional.

Canton Network, which already processes more than $9 trillion in tokenized assets monthly and over $350 billion in daily onchain U.S. Treasury repo, has been waiting for this kind of liquidity. Following the recent milestone where Tradeweb, Virtu, and M1X completed the first fully onchain repo transaction, the network had the infrastructure. Now, it has the currency to settle it.

USD1 enters the ecosystem with approximately $4.05 billion in market capitalization, positioning it as the sixth-largest stablecoin. Crucially, it is issued by BitGo Bank & Trust, N.A., a federally regulated trust authorized by the OCC. This institutional-grade issuance is bolstered by the preliminary conditional approval granted on August 14, 2026, for the World Liberty Trust Company (WLTC), a de novo national trust bank. This charter, which we previously covered in our reporting on the WLFD OCC Charter approval, may well serve as a regulatory template for future stablecoin issuers seeking to operate within the federal perimeter.

The technical advantage here is atomic settlement. By utilizing the CIP-56 token standard and the Global Synchronizer, Canton enables tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) to settle alongside their cash legs without the friction of traditional clearing delays. As Zak Folkman, WLFI co-founder and COO, noted: “Institutions have put trillions in US Treasuries and government debt onchain, but the dollar leg of settlements still runs on outdated infrastructure, creating a gap where the cost and the risk sit.”

For institutional participants like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and BNY Mellon, the addition of USD1 provides a necessary layer of optionality. Eric Saraniecki, co-founder and head of network strategy at Digital Asset, observed: “Deep, efficient markets need choice on both sides of a transaction. As more stablecoins become natively available on Canton, institutions gain greater flexibility in how they fund, settle, and move liquidity across applications and markets.”

However, the structural reality of USD1 is not without its vulnerabilities. The asset suffers from extreme concentration risk, with Binance wallets and user accounts holding approximately 84% of the circulating supply following the exchange’s conversion of BUSD reserves in December 2025. While the utility of the token is clear, this dependency on a single venue creates a potential point of failure that institutional risk managers will find difficult to ignore.

Then there is the political dimension. The Trump-backed venture, which raised approximately $590 million since its 2024 founding, carries significant reputational baggage. Between the UAE-linked investments exceeding $2 billion and the complex history involving the Binance CZ pardon and the Justin Sun litigation, the project is a lightning rod. For some institutions, the political optics may outweigh the technical utility. Yet, the market mechanism remains indifferent to the headlines; the demand for a compliant, natively settled dollar on a high-throughput network is a structural incentive that persists regardless of the venture’s origins.

Ultimately, the launch of USD1 on Canton represents a shift from pilot-phase experimentation to production-grade liquidity. By providing a regulated, natively settled cash leg, the network is moving closer to the goal of a fully integrated, onchain financial system. The market has signaled its preference for efficiency, and the underlying plumbing of atomic settlement is now the primary variable determining the success of these institutional deployments.

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Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

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Key Points An investment group led by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser, reportedly controls 49% of WLTC Holdings, the parent company of World Liberty Financial’s proposed trust bank Trump family interests control an additional 38% stake in WLTC Holdings World Liberty Trust Company received preliminary conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on August 14 The proposed institution would manage issuance, redemption, and custody services for the USD1 stablecoin, which currently maintains approximately $4 billion in market capitalization Congressional Democrats have demanded oversight hearings regarding possible conflicts of interest surrounding the transaction According to a Wall Street Journal report, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who serves as the UAE’s national security adviser, along with his investment partners, controls the largest ownership position in the holding company backing World Liberty Financial’s proposed United States trust bank.

Abu Dhabi Sheikh Tahnoon and Co-Investors Hold 49% Stake in World Liberty’s New Bank Holding Company

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser, and co-investors hold a 49% stake in WLTC Holdings, the holding company for World Liberty Financial’s… pic.twitter.com/jZWVPbucVi

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) August 27, 2026

The sheikh’s investment interests are channeled through StringZ Holding RSC, an entity that maintains a 49% ownership stake in WLTC Holdings. Meanwhile, a Trump family-connected entity commands an additional 38% interest.

The proposed banking institution is associated with World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency enterprise linked to President Donald Trump’s family. The trust bank would consolidate the issuance, redemption, and custodial operations for the USD1 stablecoin within a federally regulated framework.

USD1 maintains a market capitalization of approximately $4 billion, positioning it as the fourth-largest stablecoin by market value, trailing only Tether and USDC.

Regulatory Approval From OCC On August 14, 2026, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued preliminary conditional approval to World Liberty Trust Company. While the OCC’s published determination acknowledges StringZ as an investor, it does not specifically identify Tahnoon or reveal the exact ownership percentage.

The banking entity remains prohibited from commencing operations until it satisfies all pre-opening conditions set forth by the OCC and secures final authorization.

Sheikh Tahnoon serves as chairman of artificial intelligence firm G42. In November 2025, the United States government approved exports of sophisticated AI chips to G42, following a comprehensive bilateral AI cooperation framework between the US and UAE.

Earlier reporting by the WSJ revealed that Tahnoon’s investment platform discreetly obtained a 49% ownership position in World Liberty Financial for $500 million, mere days before Trump’s presidential inauguration.

Legislative Oversight Concerns Senate Democrats have called on Republican congressional leaders to convene hearings examining the deal and whether it influenced United States policy decisions concerning the UAE.

In February 2026, Representative Ro Khanna initiated a formal inquiry into UAE royal family capital being directed to World Liberty Financial.

The White House has dismissed conflict of interest allegations. Anna Kelly, serving as Principal Deputy Press Secretary, stated that “no conflicts of interest” exist and emphasized that “President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public.”

The OCC’s conditional authorization indicates the trust bank must still satisfy numerous regulatory prerequisites before commencing operations.

The arrangement continues to face examination from congressional Democrats and media outlets as the cryptocurrency banking initiative advances through the federal regulatory approval pipeline.

Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.

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Aster DEX is putting serious money where its mouth is. The decentralized exchange, working alongside World Liberty Financial, has rolled out a Phase 1 rewards campaign designed to jumpstart trading activity across its newly minted USD1-denominated real-world asset perpetual markets.

The campaign runs from August 31 through December 31, 2026, distributing 125 million WLFI tokens based on eligible open interest and an additional 6.25 million USD1 tied to trading volume. The total liquidity backing the program sits at roughly $28 million, pooled from approximately 250 million WLFI and 12.5 million USD1.

What Aster actually built Before the rewards campaign even kicked off, Aster launched five RWA perpetual markets on August 20, 2026. The lineup includes SPCXUSD1, CLUSD1, XAUUSD1, SNDKUSD1, and SKHYNIXUSD1, all settled exclusively in USD1.

The integration between Aster DEX and World Liberty Financial dates back to December 2025. Phase 1 is explicitly positioned as the first in a series of reward programs meant to build out the USD1 RWA ecosystem over time.

How the rewards work The dual reward structure splits incentives across two behaviors Aster wants to encourage: holding positions and actually trading.

The 125 million WLFI tokens are allocated based on eligible open interest. The 6.25 million USD1 component rewards trading volume, giving active traders an additional reason to route their activity through Aster’s RWA markets.

Traders using single-asset mode with USD1 as their sole collateral qualify for a 2X open interest boost. That effectively doubles the weight of their positions when calculating WLFI rewards. Multi-asset traders can still participate, but they need to keep at least 50% of their collateral in USD1 to remain eligible.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

Bessent on Trump's increased tariffs on Canadian autos and steel: Trump hopes to sit down and negotiate in good faith.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent commented on former President Donald Trump’s announcement to raise tariffs on Canadian autos and steel to 50%. Bessent said Trump wants Canada to engage in sincere negotiations. Trump posted earlier that Canada has long taken advantage of the U.S., imposing ridiculously high tariffs on American farmers and agricultural products, leaving these producers struggling to make ends meet, and creating a $60 billion trade deficit between the two nations over time. “This situation is unsustainable and will not continue!” Trump wrote. Starting January 1, 2027, tariffs will be hiked to 50% on all cars, trucks (large and small), auto parts, and steel. Goods manufactured in the U.S. will be fully exempt from tariffs. “Canada will no longer be treated as a state,” Trump added. “Whether in trade or other areas, Canada is among the world’s most difficult countries to deal with. They believe they deserve special treatment, but the truth is: we don’t need Canada—they need us! 95% of Canada’s business is conducted with the U.S., while our relationship with Canada is the exact opposite!”

1 seconds ago

Bessent discusses the US Treasury bond repurchase plan: No bonds have been purchased yet, and the next operation is scheduled for September 9.

US Treasury Secretary Bessent discussed the US Treasury bond repurchase program, noting: "We have not purchased any bonds yet, and the next operation is scheduled for September 9." The US Treasury Department earlier announced that starting September 9, it will raise the size of its long-end liquidity support repurchase operations from a maximum of $2 billion per operation to at least $40 billion. Additionally, market sources indicate the US Treasury may draw on nearly $1 trillion in funds from its Treasury General Account (TGA) to finance the recently unveiled expanded US Treasury bond repurchase program.

1 seconds ago

U.S. Treasury: Sanctions Imposed on Nearly 60 Iran-Related Entities, Individuals and Vessels

U.S. Treasury Department: Sanctions nearly 60 Iran-related entities, individuals, and vessels, covering nuclear, missile, cyber, and oil networks. The action imposes potential secondary sanctions on five sectors—including digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping—and suspends general licenses for certain remittances to Iran.

1 seconds ago

Multicoin Capital-associated address transferred 1,061,100 HYPE tokens to Coinbase.

According to monitoring by OnchainLens, a wallet linked to Multicoin Capital transferred 1,061,100 HYPE tokens (valued at around $8.41 million) to Coinbase Prime minutes ago, potentially indicating an imminent sell-off.

1 seconds ago

ZEC hits an approximately 8-year high, briefly touching $888; the NU7 network upgrade snapshot is imminent.

According to HTX market data, ZEC hit an approximately 8-year high today, touching its highest price since 2018 at $888 with a weekly gain of over 70%. It is currently holding steady near the $844 level. The Zcash community will launch an 18-day token holder vote starting on the 24th (Beijing time: early morning of the 25th) to determine the scope of the upcoming NU7 upgrade. The minimum voting participation threshold is 1 million ZEC. Voting rights are based on spendable, shielded ZEC held in the Ironwood pool at the snapshot time (estimated 19:00 UTC on the 24th, mainnet block height approx. 3,459,350). The vote opens August 25 and closes at 19:00 UTC on September 14. Votes are cast privately via supported wallets, including Zodl, Vizor, Zkool, and Keystone hardware wallets; only aggregated data will be released, with no individual voting details disclosed. The initiative aims to gather holders’ feedback on the upgrade scope for reference by the community and developers.

1 seconds ago

Justin Sun, Founder of TRON, has once again taken a jab against President Donald Trump-linked World Liberty Financial (WLF). In his recent X post, Sun warned investors about the risks he believes exist around WLFI and its stablecoin, USD1.

Sun says his lawyers appeared in a California federal court because WLF wanted the dispute moved into private arbitration and wanted certain documents sealed.

Justin Sun vs. World Liberty Financial However, Sun was completely against this idea, as he wanted the case to remain publicly accessible.

Sun said,

We argued forcefully that this case belongs in open court—and the Court agreed with us.

That said, the judge too wants Sun and WLF to discuss which company-related claims should remain in federal court and which, if any, should proceed through arbitration. This alone has made Sun think,

This is a significant win.

However, it does not mean he has won the underlying lawsuit.

For context, Sun was one of WLF’s earliest and largest investors and had invested $45 million in WLF and received WLFI tokens in return. However, he claimed,

World Liberty secretly embedded a backdoor into the $WLFI smart contract that gave themselves unilateral power to freeze, restrict, and burn any holder’s tokens without notice or due process.

WLF threatens Tron’s founder Sun further alleges that WLF used this capability against his own WLFI tokens, which he describes as an unlawful seizure of his property. He also claims that when he attempted to exercise his legal rights, WLF threatened him with criminal referrals.

After filing the lawsuit, Sun says he obtained a court order preventing WLF from burning, destroying, reallocating, or permanently disposing of his WLFI tokens.

He claims the order was necessary because WLF had allegedly threatened to destroy the tokens and had the technical ability to do so. Not only this, but Sun even claimed that USD1 also has administrative controls that could allow WLF to freeze or potentially destroy tokens.

Not the first time! Well, this isn’t the first time Tron’s founder has alleged WLF. Back in April 2026, Sun also alleged that WLF deposited around 5 billion WLFI tokens as collateral on Dolomite and borrowed at least $75 million in stablecoins, including USD1.

However, defying all claims, WLFI had filed a defamation lawsuit against the billionaire crypto investor in May 2026.
Therefore, this time Sun put it best when he said,

In my opinion, there is serious reason to be cautious about both $WLFI and USD1.

Final Summary Tron founder slams Trump’s WLF, pointing out the risks that exist around WLFI and USD1. Justin Sun alleges that WLF threatened him with criminal referrals when he attempted to exercise his legal rights. 

Arthur Hayes: Ethereum has significant room for a catch-up rally; once it breaks through $3,000, the next target is $5,000.

Arthur Hayes told Laura Shin during a podcast appearance that ETH is one of the most despised large-cap altcoins in the market. As the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, it has yet to break through its 2021 all-time high. From a risk-reward standpoint, at least in how he manages portfolios at Maelstrom, ETH is currently his largest position outside of Bitcoin. “I’m not particularly worried about waking up one day to find ETH has gone to zero. Of course, that scenario could occur, but that risk is far lower compared to other cryptocurrencies, so I’m very comfortable allocating a large position to this trade. Since it has not rallied much in this cycle, I believe it has significant catch-up upside. Once it starts moving higher, the reflexive momentum train will kick in. There are so many people who want to go long ETH for various reasons, and there were very valid justifications for why they didn’t do so in past years,” Hayes noted. He added: “Once we break through the $3,000 level, I think you will truly see ETH’s rally get underway, and it could quickly surpass $5,000. My year-end target is within reach.”

10 minutes ago

Multiple crypto-related stocks rose more than 10% intraday, while the AI sector remained unmoved.

According to market data from BIT (bit.com), multiple crypto-related stocks extended their rally after the US stock market opened, surging over 10% intraday: GEMI rose 10.03%, HOOD gained 12.98%, CRCL climbed 9.25%, and COIN increased 9.6%. The AI sector was relatively muted today with mixed performances. Storage stock SanDisk fell 0.34%, NeoCloud’s stock NBIS rose 2.78%, US-listed SK Hynix gained 1.85%, and optical communication concept stock LITE climbed 2.01%.

10 minutes ago

Bitwise CIO: Bessent’s Repurchase of US Treasuries Highlights Bitcoin’s 'Hard Asset' Attribute

In response to Scott Bessent’s move to ramp up US Treasury bond repurchases, Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan wrote in an article: "When the government artificially suppresses long-term interest rates, it erodes the value of savings. Investors need to buy hard assets to get out of this predicament. Bitcoin is the fastest horse in this race."

10 minutes ago

In August, the U.S. S&P Global Manufacturing PMI came in lower than expected, while the Services PMI exceeded expectations.

The preliminary S&P Global Manufacturing PMI for the US in August came in at 53.2, against expectations of 53.9 and a prior reading of 53.9. The preliminary S&P Global Services PMI for the US in August stood at 56.8, compared with forecasts of 54 and a previous figure of 54.6.

10 minutes ago

Peter Brandt: Bitcoin has shifted to a valid bottom pattern, and he bought when it broke out.

Famous trader and chart analyst Peter Brandt, who accurately predicted the 2018 Bitcoin crash, posted yesterday that Bitcoin originally formed an inverted head-and-shoulders pattern and was in an overall downtrend, leading him to be bearish. However, the recent sharp rally has fully shifted Bitcoin’s pattern into a valid bottom. Brandt bluntly stated he “bought at the breakout, for better or worse.” On July 20, Peter Brandt noted that he expects Bitcoin’s current market cycle to bottom on October 4, 2026, and believes returns from investing in Bitcoin over the next two to three years may outperform those from AI stocks.

10 minutes ago

HYPE breaks through $77, approaching its all-time high.

According to HTX market data, HYPE has broken through $77, currently trading at $77.02, approaching its all-time high.

10 minutes ago

Binance runs its global exchange under Abu Dhabi’s regulator. Emirati police still detained two of its employees over financial crime inquiries, the New York Times reported.

All have been released. A third staff member, who leads the company’s Dubai arm, answered questions at a police station in July.

A Foothold Built on Licenses and State MoneyThe Emirates is not a side market for Binance. It is the base.

Abu Dhabi’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority granted the exchange three licenses on December 8. No other crypto exchange had won a global license under that framework. The permissions went live on January 5.

The money runs just as deep. State-backed fund MGX invested $2 billion in March 2025. It paid in USD1, a stablecoin from World Liberty Financial, a venture the Trump family part-owns.

The relationship even shapes policy. Binance has cited its Abu Dhabi licensing rules to explain why it now handles some foreign police requests differently.

Airport Stops and an Overnight HoldTwo workers were pulled aside at Emirati airports, people familiar with the inquiries said. One midlevel employee passed through Sharjah this month. Officers took him to a station and held him overnight.

What police are chasing is unclear. Binance told the Emirati government that its staff were swept into fraud cases centered on customers. None were tied to the offenses, the company said.

The link may be mundane. Some employees’ names sit on a corporate bank account Binance keeps in the country. That account processes customer deposits and withdrawals.

“A small number of our personnel were recently asked to provide standard statements to local authorities as part of routine inquiries relating to third-party fund flows… all who provided statements were promptly cleared and released,” A Binance spokesman, speaking to the New York Times.

Follow us on X to get the latest news as it happens

A Familiar Pattern for Binance StaffEmirati authorities were already tracing money around the exchange. Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority fined an unlicensed local firm, Shelbit, on July 24. Reuters tracked about $4 billion through Shelbit, and roughly $676 million reached Binance.

Binance’s record invites that attention. The company pleaded guilty in the United States in November 2023 and paid $4.32 billion. Prosecutors found it had let more than $898 million in trades pass between US and Iranian users.

That deal placed an independent compliance monitor over the company for three years. The term still has months left to run.

Staff have been caught in national cases before. Compliance executive Tigran Gambaryan spent months held in Nigerian custody in 2024. US diplomatic pressure secured his release.

The detentions have rattled the workforce. Binance approached Emirati officials this month, seeking help and raising concerns about employee safety.

Whether the questioning stays limited to customer fraud will test how much protection those licenses actually buy.

Five New RWA Perp Markets Go Live on Aster@Aster_DEX has listed five new perpetual markets settled in solana:USD1ttGY1N17NEEHLmELoaybftRBUSErhqYiQzvEmuB, covering SPCXUSD1, CLUSD1, XAUUSD1, SNDKUSD1 and SKHYNIXUSD1. The exchange describes these as the first real-world asset (RWA) perpetual contracts denominated in the stablecoin. Further markets are planned under its AOS-2 listing standard.

Every perpetual contract tracking real-world assets on Aster will settle exclusively in $USD1, @worldlibertyfi's dollar-pegged stablecoin. The move positions $USD1 as the sole margin and settlement layer for Aster's RWA vertical, replacing conventional alternatives such as USDT or USDC for these pairs.

The fee structure for $USD1 commodity pairs is set at 1 basis point for takers and a negative 0.5 basis points for makers, meaning the exchange will pay a rebate to liquidity providers.

A $28 Million Liquidity Fund Backs the LaunchTo seed depth across the new pairs, the two projects have established a dedicated growth fund. @worldlibertyfi is contributing 250M ethereum:0xda5e1988097297dcdc1f90d4dfe7909e847cbef6, while Aster is adding 12.5M $USD1, bringing the combined pool to roughly $28 million at current prices.

Both teams indicated they are exploring deeper integration across their respective token ecosystems, suggesting the partnership could expand beyond settlement.

$USD1 is a fiat-backed stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar, launched in March 2025, and is fully collateralized with reserves including U.S. dollar deposits, short-term Treasury bills, and cash equivalents held by regulated custodian BitGo Trust and subject to monthly audits. By Q1 2026, USD1 had grown to a circulating supply near $4.5 billion, making it the fastest-growing fiat-backed stablecoin of that period.

For Aster, the launch marks a deliberate push beyond crypto-native derivatives. The move signals a strategic shift toward multi-asset perpetuals beyond pure crypto. With more markets set to follow under AOS-2, the platform is building out what it frames as a new category of on-chain, stablecoin-settled RWA trading.

Sources:
The Defiant: Aster to Settle RWA Perps Exclusively in USD1
World Liberty Financial: Meet USD1 (Official)
BusinessWire: USD1 Crosses $3 Billion in Market Capitalization

Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.

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Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.

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World Liberty Financial, which has received backing from former US President Donald Trump, is partnering with AI platform WorldClaw to broaden the adoption of its USD1 stablecoin. The collaboration allows users to pay with USD1 to access a range of AI models, including those from major Chinese technology companies previously scrutinized by US authorities for national security concerns.

WorldClaw’s AI model lineupWorldClaw, a Hong Kong-based artificial intelligence company, provides access to more than 90 AI models. Of these, 43 originate from Chinese developers such as Alibaba, Baidu, Z.ai, DeepSeek, and Moonshot. The platform also features AI tools from US-based OpenAI and Anthropic, offering customers a wide array of model options.

The partnership involves WorldClaw accepting USD1, a stablecoin issued by World Liberty, as payment for its services. World Liberty executive Ryan Fang acts as an adviser to WorldClaw, and members of the Trump family, including Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, have publicly promoted the venture.

World Liberty spokesperson David Wachsman described the offering of both Chinese and American AI models as typical in the industry. He emphasized that WorldClaw operates independently and pointed to US technology firms using a similar approach to diversify their AI offerings.

“This is a common and widely accepted approach,” David Wachsman said, noting that several major US companies also provide both Chinese and American AI models.

Scrutiny of Chinese AI developersSeveral of the Chinese companies whose models appear on WorldClaw have faced action from US authorities. In January 2025, the US Commerce Department added Z.ai—previously known as Zhipu AI—to its Entity List, which curtails its access to US technology. In June, the Department of Defense classified Alibaba and Baidu as “Chinese Military Companies Operating in the United States,” a move that blocks the Pentagon from engaging in business with them.

An Alibaba spokesperson disputed the Pentagon’s classification, asserting that “Alibaba is not a Chinese military company nor part of any military-civil fusion strategy.” The company called the designation “arbitrary and capricious,” and said it intends to take legal action to seek removal from the list.

Details regarding the financial relationship between the Trump family and WorldClaw remain undisclosed. Ryan Fang, an executive at World Liberty, reportedly also advises WorldClaw.

Mini dictionary: Entity List – A US government trade restriction list managed by the Department of Commerce. Companies or individuals placed on this list face strict US technology export controls due to national security or foreign policy concerns.

Growing concerns over model distillationSome Chinese AI companies available on WorldClaw have attracted criticism from US developers. In February, AI company Anthropic accused DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, and MiniMax of using approximately 24,000 fraudulent accounts to create over 16 million Claude model exchanges through a process known as model distillation, where one AI system learns by replicating another’s outputs.

Mini dictionary: Model distillation – An AI training technique in which a “student” model learns to mimic the behavior and outputs of a more advanced “teacher” model. It is commonly used to create lightweight or efficient versions of complex systems but has raised IP and security concerns when done illicitly.

In June, Anthropic called on Congress to strengthen export controls and enact penalties targeting mass scale model extraction activities. The company argued that government and industry should coordinate to address the threat posed by illicit model distillation and safeguard American AI leadership.

Anthropic emphasized the need for coordinated government and industry action to protect American AI innovation, stating that it will continue collaborating with Congress and the administration to address illicit distillation threats.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

Key Highlights WorldClaw provides access to approximately 90 artificial intelligence models, including 43 from Chinese technology firms currently flagged by U.S. authorities. The platform integrates World Liberty’s USD1 stablecoin as a payment method for accessing AI capabilities. The Trump family maintains a 38% ownership stake in World Liberty and generates income from cryptocurrency token activities. Chinese tech giants like Alibaba, Baidu, and Z.ai appear on WorldClaw’s roster despite facing Pentagon or Commerce Department limitations. Ryan Fang, a World Liberty executive, holds an external advisory position with WorldClaw. A significant partnership has emerged between World Liberty Financial, the cryptocurrency initiative supported by the Trump family, and WorldClaw, a Hong Kong-based artificial intelligence aggregator providing users with models from Chinese firms currently under U.S. national security scrutiny.

🚨SHOCKING: Trump-backed World Liberty Financial partners with a WorldClaw offering access to RESTRICTED Chinese AI models flagged by the U.S.

Reuters reports that Hong Kong-based AI platform offers 90 AI models, including 43 from Chinese firms such as Alibaba, Baidu, Z .ai,… pic.twitter.com/d8pWfuyQa2

— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) August 18, 2026

The WorldRouter platform operated by WorldClaw delivers connectivity to approximately 90 different AI models. Of these, 43 originate from Chinese technology developers such as Alibaba, Baidu, and Z.ai. The service simultaneously includes models from American companies including OpenAI and Anthropic.

Payment for WorldClaw services can be made using World Liberty’s USD1 stablecoin. The Trump family controls a 38% ownership position in World Liberty Financial and generates revenue streams through its cryptocurrency tokens, including portions of interest accrued on the assets supporting USD1.

U.S. Government Restrictions on Chinese AI Developers The U.S. Department of Defense has classified Alibaba and Baidu as entities with Chinese military connections, prohibiting American defense contractors from engaging in business relationships with them. Z.ai appears on the Commerce Department’s Entity List, which substantially restricts its ability to access American technology or partner with U.S. companies.

Additional models available through WorldClaw come from DeepSeek and Moonshot. American government officials have publicly alleged that both organizations engaged in intellectual property theft targeting U.S. artificial intelligence companies. The Chinese government has rejected these accusations.

Nevertheless, accessing these AI models remains typically lawful for American citizens and enterprises. The primary restrictions target direct commercial dealings with entities appearing on U.S. government restriction lists.

Ryan Fang holds dual roles as World Liberty’s head of growth and as an external consultant to WorldClaw. His responsibilities center on expanding USD1 stablecoin adoption and cultivating strategic partnerships.

Trump Family Involvement and Financial Stakes Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who co-founded World Liberty Financial, have actively publicized WorldClaw through posts on social media platform X. Trump Jr. announced exclusive Mar-a-Lago meeting opportunities for WorldClaw competition winners, while Eric Trump characterized the partnership as representing “the future of finance.”

Financial disclosures indicate the Trump family has generated over $1.4 billion from World Liberty token transactions, representing the majority of $2.3 billion in aggregate cryptocurrency earnings documented by Reuters in June.

WorldClaw representatives emphasized the company functions autonomously from World Liberty Financial. A company spokesperson clarified that providing access to a model doesn’t constitute endorsement of its creator.

David Wachsman, speaking for World Liberty, noted that prominent American technology corporations similarly provide Chinese AI models. “This is a common and widely accepted approach,” he stated.

White House officials asserted there are “no conflicts of interest” regarding this arrangement.

Cybersecurity specialists have identified potential risks associated with Chinese AI models, including possible surveillance by Chinese government agencies and the likelihood of censored or manipulated responses. WorldClaw maintains it implements comprehensive privacy and security protocols but acknowledges that user queries may be transmitted to the original model developers.

Current statistics show WorldRouter supporting more than 10,000 active users while handling in excess of 50 million computational tasks each day.