Aqua 1’s $100 Million WLFI Buy Puts Chinese Businessman Zhou Guren in the Spotlight

Aqua 1 Foundation’s previously disclosed $100 million purchase of WLFI tokens has drawn renewed scrutiny after Chinese media and prior reporting linked the Abu Dhabi-based investment vehicle to Zhou Guren, a Shanghai-born businessman with a controversial public record. Caixin reported on August 26 that Aqua 1’s investment in World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s crypto project, exceeded Justin Sun’s cumulative $75 million commitment and made Aqua 1 the largest buyer of the token. The report identified Zhou as the ultimate financier behind the deal. Caixin said Zhou appears on China’s public enforcement records as a dishonest debtor tied to six cases involving about 25 million yuan in unpaid liabilities. The outlet also said a recent indictment document provided by the UK Crown Prosecution Service links him to a money laundering case in Britain. Reporting by Caixin and The New York Times, along with on-chain data cited from Arkham Intelligence, also connects Zhou to Web3Port and traces a path from a $20 million WLFI purchase in January 2025 to an $80 million purchase in June by a wallet labeled “aqua1.” The case has raised questions about the relationship among Aqua 1, Web3Port, and Zhou’s earlier crypto venture Caduceus, as well as whether the source of funds behind the WLFI investment was fully examined.