World Liberty Financial’s WLFI token climbed roughly 18% on Wednesday as the firm opened its World Liberty Forum at Mar-a-Lago. The rally coincided with new partnership announcements aimed at expanding its USD1 stablecoin into traditional financial workflows.
Speaking to CNBC’s Sara Eisen, co-founder Eric Trump said the digital asset sector remains at the “one-yard line” despite recent volatility. He pointed to growing participation from major financial institutions that previously avoided crypto but are now offering client exposure and integrating digital assets into services. The event also highlighted a collaboration with Apex Group, which services more than $3.5 trillion in assets.
Can USD1 Bridge Stablecoins And Traditional Funds?
Apex plans to pilot the use of USD1 within tokenized fund operations, including investor subscriptions and redemptions. USD1 ranks as the fifth-largest dollar-pegged stablecoin with over $5 billion in circulation, according to stablecoin data. The test will evaluate whether settlement can occur faster than traditional bank rails, potentially reducing operational delays and weekend cutoff constraints.
Donald Trump Jr., appearing alongside Eric Trump on CNBC, said stablecoins remove inefficiencies embedded in legacy banking infrastructure.
“We’re just creating efficiencies that didn’t exist before,” he said, adding that transactions can settle in seconds rather than days.
The comments frame USD1 as institutional infrastructure rather than a retail payment tool.
The initiative unfolds amid political scrutiny in Washington. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim recently asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to review whether a reported UAE-linked investment in World Liberty should face examination by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. World Liberty has said neither former President Donald Trump nor affiliated figures were involved in that transaction.
Stablecoin integration into fund administration represents a test case for broader institutional adoption. The next catalyst will be results from the Apex pilot and whether regulators weigh in on USD1’s expanding role within U.S. financial plumbing.
