Today in crypto, an Abu Dhabi investment vehicle agreed to buy 49% of World Liberty Financial for $500 million, Ether’s sharp sell-off has left one of the market’s largest crypto treasury holders nursing billions in unrealized losses. Meanwhile, the US Treasury has sanctioned two UK-registered crypto exchanges tied to Iran’s financial system.
UAE firm bought 49% of Trump-linked crypto startup for $500M: WSJ
A UAE-backed investment vehicle quietly agreed to buy nearly half of World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency startup linked to President Donald Trump, just days before he returned to the White House, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Aryam Investment 1, an Abu Dhabi entity backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, signed a deal in January 2025 to purchase a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial for $500 million, the Journal said, citing documents and people familiar with the matter.
Half of that amount was paid upfront, sending $187 million to Trump family-controlled entities, with additional tens of millions flowing to entities tied to co-founders, including relatives of US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, per the report.
The agreement was reportedly signed by Eric Trump. The Journal reported that the deal had not been publicly disclosed, despite World Liberty later revealing that the Trump family’s stake had fallen sharply.
Ether sell-off leaves BitMine facing billions in unrealized losses
BitMine Immersion Technologies, a publicly traded crypto treasury company linked to investor Tom Lee, is carrying more than $6 billion in unrealized losses on its Ether holdings following the latest wave of market liquidations.
The losses grew after BitMine acquired 40,302 Ether (ETH) last week, lifting its total holdings to more than 4.24 million ETH, according to data from Dropstab. At current prices, the company’s Ether balance is valued at roughly $9.6 billion, down from a peak of about $13.9 billion in October.
Ether’s decline toward $2,300 has been driven in part by fragile liquidity conditions. Market commentary from The Kobeissi Letter pointed to high leverage and crowded positioning as factors amplifying the sell-off.
US Treasury sanctions Iran-linked crypto exchanges for first time
The United States Treasury has sanctioned two cryptocurrency exchanges linked to Iran’s financial system, marking the first time Washington has directly targeted digital asset platforms as part of its Iran sanctions program.
In a statement on Friday, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said the sanctions are part of a wider move against Iranian officials and networks accused of violently suppressing people at home while using alternative financial channels to get around international sanctions.
Among those sanctioned was Eskandar Momeni Kalagari, Iran’s minister of the interior, who oversees the country’s Law Enforcement Forces. “Treasury will continue to target Iranian networks and corrupt elites that enrich themselves at the expense of the Iranian people,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
OFAC also designated Babak Morteza Zanjani, a well-known Iranian businessman previously convicted of embezzling billions of dollars in oil revenue from Iran’s national oil company. According to the Treasury, Zanjani was released from prison and later used by the Iranian state to help move and launder funds, providing financial support to projects tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
