TLDR
- Trump-affiliated World Liberty Financial (WLFI) has raised approximately $550-590 million in its completed token sale
- The sale happened in two phases, with a slow start that gained momentum after Justin Sun’s investment
- All WLFI tokens are locked for 12 months and function only as governance tokens with no financial benefits
- The project’s crypto portfolio has already lost about $110 million due to market declines
- No exchange listing date has been announced, leaving investors without immediate liquidity options
World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the cryptocurrency project linked to President Donald Trump, has wrapped up its token sale with impressive final numbers.
The project has raised between $550 million and $590 million, placing it among the top ten largest token sales in history.
The journey to this substantial sum was far from smooth. When WLFI launched its initial token offering in October 2024, expectations were high. The team set an ambitious $300 million target.
Only approved investors who passed strict verification checks could participate. These restrictions limited the buyer pool to accredited investors with ERC-compatible wallets.
The first phase results were disappointing. The sale generated just $11 million, distributing 766 million tokens at $0.015 each. This forced the team to lower their goal to a more modest $30 million.
Everything changed in November 2024. Justin Sun, founder of the Tron blockchain, invested $30 million into the project. His involvement marked a turning point for WLFI’s fortunes.
The first sale phase closed on January 20, having distributed 20% of the total supply. By this time, interest in the project had grown considerably thanks to Sun’s backing.
WLFI launched a second phase on January 20. This time they offered 5 billion tokens at a higher price of $0.05 each. The price increase did not deter buyers.
By March 13, nearly all of these additional tokens had sold. This remarkable turnaround took the project from an $11 million disappointment to a $550+ million success story.
Justin Sun
WLFI co-founder Zak Folkman publicly thanked Justin Sun for the project’s success. Speaking at Consensus 2025 in Hong Kong, Folkman explained the challenges they faced. “There was a lot of scrutiny on our project due to who was involved,” he said.
Traditional crypto venture capitalists avoided the token entirely. Sun saw past the political connections. According to Folkman, Sun believed “this project is a monumental move forward for the entire crypto community.”
Investors should note important restrictions on the tokens. All purchased WLFI tokens remain locked for a full year after the sale. No trading is possible during this period.
The tokens function solely for governance within the World Liberty Financial Protocol. They allow holders to submit and vote on proposals. They do not provide ownership rights or financial returns.
WLFI has clearly stated that the token is neither a security nor a digital currency. It cannot be used for transactions. Its value does not depend on the operational success of the project.
No date has been announced for an exchange listing. This leaves investors without a clear timeline for when they might be able to trade their tokens.
Crypto Losses
Despite the fundraising achievement, WLFI has already faced financial challenges. As of March 10, the project had lost approximately $110 million on its crypto holdings.
The project had allocated $336 million to purchase nine different cryptocurrencies. Market downturns reduced this portfolio’s value to around $226 million. Ethereum made up 65% of these holdings and suffered the largest losses.
WLFI bought ETH at an average price of $3,240. With prices falling to around $1,896, this investment declined substantially in value. Other digital assets in the portfolio also lost value during this period.
The scale of the fundraise puts WLFI in elite company. According to data from ICODrops, this sale ranks among the top ten largest token sales ever. The record holder remains EOS, which raised $4.21 billion.
With all tokens locked and no exchange listing in sight, the next chapter of the WLFI story remains to be written. The project has successfully raised funds but faces the challenge of delivering value to its investors.
