World Liberty Financial’s deal with ALT5 Sigma Corporation has set the first market value for WLFI, the Trump-backed DeFi project’s token, at $0.20, marking its debut valuation since the token’s sale last year.
Key Takeaways:
ALT5’s share swap with World Liberty Financial set WLFI’s first valuation at $0.20. Several institutional investors and venture capital firms participated in the $1.5B share sale to buy WLFI. ALT5’s board additions include WLFI holders, raising potential conflict of interest concerns.On Monday, ALT5 said it will pivot to operate as a crypto treasury company, selling 200,000 new shares and using the proceeds to purchase $1.5 billion worth of WLFI.
Half of the newly issued shares will be swapped directly for WLFI held by World Liberty Financial, according to ALT5 chief investment officer Matt Morgan.
ALT5 Says Institutional and VC Investors Joined WLFI Share Sale
ALT5 did not confirm whether other WLFI holders are participating in the swap, though it said several unnamed institutional investors and venture capital firms took part in the share sale.
This is the first time WLFI has been priced since World Liberty Financial sold $550 million worth of tokens to investors between October and March.
Pricing during that sale varied depending on purchase timing. Notable backers include Tron founder Justin Sun, who acquired $75 million worth of WLFI.
Initially, the token was non-tradable, preventing any open market valuation.
The transaction also underscores the rise of crypto treasury companies, public firms that raise capital via debt or equity to buy cryptocurrencies.
Michael Saylor’s Strategy pioneered the model in 2020 with Bitcoin purchases funded by share and debt issuance, a move that has since driven its stock up more than 3,500%.
Favorable U.S. crypto policies under the Trump administration have spurred similar strategies from other companies, often formed through reverse mergers with struggling public firms.
Conflicts of interest have emerged in some cases. For example, Tron Inc, which aims to accumulate TRX tokens, lists Weike Sun, father of Justin Sun, on its board.
ALT5’s pivot comes with its own potential conflicts: the company has added World Liberty Financial CEO Zach Witkoff, COO Zak Folkman, and Eric Trump to its board.
All three hold WLFI and thus stand to benefit from the token’s appreciation.
WLFI Grants Governance Rights Without Being a DAO
WLFI serves as a governance token for World Liberty Financial, granting holders voting rights on protocol changes. The project has emphasized it is not a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO).
In July, WLFI holders voted to make the token tradable, with World Liberty Financial indicating trading could begin by the end of August.
Just recently, it was reported that World Liberty Financial is seeking to raise $1.5 billion to launch a publicly traded treasury company holding both its proprietary WLFI token and cash reserves.
If completed, the venture would mark another expansion of the Trump family’s growing presence in the digital asset sector.
Notably, the crypto industry has donated over $26 million to Donald Trump this year, according to newly released campaign finance filings.
Campaign finance records show that contributions to the pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., came from some of the biggest names in crypto.
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