An Abu Dhabi royal and his co-investors are reported to be backing the largest stake in the holding company behind World Liberty Financial’s proposed US trust bank, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal said Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s group is behind StringZ Holding RSC, which owns 49% of WLTC Holdings. One person told the newspaper that an entity affiliated with US President Donald Trump’s family owns another 38%.
WLTC Holdings sits behind the planned World Liberty trust bank. If it receives final approval, the bank would bring the issuance, redemption and custody of World Liberty’s USD1 stablecoin under a federally supervised venture.
Tahnoon is the UAE’s national security adviser and the chairman of artificial intelligence company G42. The report said the US authorized exports of advanced AI chips to G42 in November 2025, months after Washington and Abu Dhabi agreed to a broader AI cooperation framework.
OCC granted preliminary conditional approval
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted World Liberty Trust Company preliminary conditional approval on Aug. 14. Its published decision confirms that StringZ is an investor in WLTC Holdings and signed commitments not to influence the bank.
The OCC filing does not identify Tahnoon as StringZ’s backer, and it does not disclose the size of the stake.
The trust bank still cannot start operating until it satisfies the OCC’s pre-opening requirements and receives final approval.
Earlier World Liberty deal also drew scrutiny
The report said Tahnoon had previously backed a $500 million purchase of 49% of World Liberty Financial. Democratic senators later called for hearings into that transaction and whether it influenced US policy toward the UAE.
Cointelegraph said it contacted the Trump Organization for comment but did not receive a response before publication.