World Liberty Financial’s governance token, WLFI, is gearing up for its first major release, and the excitement has already set markets buzzing.
According to data from Coinglass, trading activity around WLFI derivatives has skyrocketed—24-hour volumes climbed more than 530% to nearly $4 billion, while open interest jumped over 60% to $932 million. This surge came just hours before the scheduled token unlock at 8:00 a.m. ET on Sept. 1.
Early Investors Set for Big Gains
The initial token release will unlock 20% of holdings purchased in the earliest rounds, where WLFI was priced at just $0.015 to $0.05. These unlocked tokens represent about 5% of the overall supply. At today’s pre-market valuations, the earliest backers could be looking at returns of more than 20x on their investment.
Trading Restrictions and Launch Price
While WLFI officially begins trading on Sept. 1, early buyers will only be permitted to sell one-fifth of their allocation. High-profile backers such as Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are excluded from this phase, with their tokens remaining locked.
Some platforms are already quoting WLFI at around $0.42, which would give the project a fully diluted valuation close to $40 billion. At this level, WLFI could land among the top 45 cryptocurrencies, and optimists argue it has the potential to break into the top 20, which may speed up listings on larger exchanges.
Political Weight Behind a Young Project
Although barely a year old, World Liberty Financial has drawn outsized attention because of its close ties to the Trump family. Former president Trump endorsed the project on social media before returning to office, while real estate developer Steven Witkoff is listed as a co-founder.
The Trump family has expanded aggressively into crypto over the past year, with ventures in stablecoins, Bitcoin mining, and digital asset funds. These moves come as Washington shifts toward a friendlier stance on digital assets. Since retaking the White House, Trump has signed a stablecoin regulation bill and appointed regulators seen as supportive of the industry.
Founders’ Tokens Remain Locked
A large portion of WLFI remains in the hands of DT Marks DEFI LLC, an entity tied to the Trump family, which owns 38% of WLF Holdco—the parent company of World Liberty. This entity also controls 22.5 billion WLFI tokens and has already collected fees from token sales.
However, the founders’ tokens cannot be released until governance token holders vote on the schedule, leaving the family’s stake subject to community approval.
For everyday investors, the big question now is whether to take profits immediately during the launch rally or hold for long-term upside as WLFI rolls out on more exchanges.
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