The Trump Family Crypto Company That Paid UFC Fighters Could Soon Get Bank-Like Powers
World Liberty Financial, the Trump family crypto company that helped fund UFC Freedom 250 bonuses in USD1, is now in line for a federal trust-bank charter that would give it banking-style privileges in the United States. If approved by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the company would gain a faster path to issue its stablecoin directly, process payments with fewer middle layers, and operate under a federal framework that can override parts of state-by-state regulation.
Trump Run World Liberty Financial Paid UFC Freedom 250 Bonuses and May Soon Win Federal Banking Access
The link between the UFC event and the charter push is direct. World Liberty Financial was identified as the sponsor behind a $250,000 “Performance of the Night” pool at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House grounds, and those bonuses were paid in USD1, the same stablecoin tied to the company’s banking application. That made the fight card more than a sports event. It doubled as a live demonstration of how the company wants its digital dollar product used in public, high-visibility transactions.
World Liberty Financial filed for a national trust bank charter with the OCC on Jan. 5, according to the reporting on the application and the regulator’s review timeline. People familiar with the charter process said approval is widely expected, especially because OCC chief Jonathan Gould has already approved around a dozen similar crypto-related trust charters and has reshaped the standards to make them friendlier to digital-asset firms. He has also cut the target wait time for approvals to roughly 120 days, a sharp shift from the longer timelines that once defined these applications.
If the charter is granted, World Liberty would not become a traditional retail bank with insured deposits, but it would gain meaningful powers. It could settle transactions on its own platform in a way similar to major payment services, issue USD1 in the domestic market without relying on an outside intermediary, and benefit from federal preemption over some state rules, including certain liquidity standards. At present, the company has used BitGo as an intermediary for stablecoin issuance, so a charter would remove a layer between World Liberty and the market it wants to serve.
That potential shift is why critics see the move as more than a technical licensing issue. Good-government advocates and Democratic lawmakers argue that a president-linked business gaining federal banking privileges while its product is being used in White House-branded sports promotion potentially creates a conflict unlike anything seen in prior administrations. Corey Frayer of the Consumer Federation of America argued that the arrangement would give the president’s private venture the kind of federal imprimatur companies could treat as a signal to route business its way.
The ownership structure adds to the scrutiny. Trump’s latest financial disclosure and company materials describe a layered arrangement in which Trump owns 70% of an LLC that holds a 38% stake in the holding company behind World Liberty Financial. The company was launched in 2024 and has listed Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Barron Trump as co-founders or leading public figures tied to the venture, while Steve Witkoff was initially listed before later divesting. Trump reported earning $57 million from World Liberty Financial over a period that appears to cover 2024, and outside watchdogs believe the total economic upside tied to the venture has grown far beyond that figure since then.
The company has already faced several lines of controversy before the charter decision. Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao in October 2025, and Binance has been reported as holding more than half of all USD1 in circulation. A firm backed by senior United Arab Emirates officials bought a 49% stake in the family crypto business shortly before Trump’s inauguration, and Pakistan later agreed to work with an affiliate of World Liberty Financial while playing a role in administration diplomacy involving Iran. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has also raised concerns about security risks linked to transactions involving PancakeSwap.
The same crypto company that paid UFC Freedom 250 bonuses in USD1 is expected to receive federal banking-style privileges that could let it issue that token more directly, process more payments through its own system and gain added legitimacy in the market. For critics, that looks like an opening for businesses and foreign-linked actors to steer money toward a president-connected enterprise. For supporters, it is a natural extension of a more permissive U.S. approach to crypto finance. Either way, the UFC event now looks less like a one-off sponsorship and more like a real-world preview of what World Liberty wants to become.
