An Abu Dhabi royal's investment group has secured the largest stake in the holding company backing World Liberty Financial's planned US trust bank, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan's group operates StringZ Holding RSC, which owns 49% of WLTC Holdings. An entity affiliated with US President Donald Trump's family owns another 38% of the holding company, according to people familiar with the matter.
If approved, the trust bank would handle the issuance, redemption, and custody of World Liberty's USD1 stablecoin under federal supervision.
Tahnoon serves as the UAE's national security adviser and chairman of artificial intelligence company G42. The US authorized exports of advanced AI chips to G42 in November 2025, following a broader AI cooperation agreement between Washington and Abu Dhabi.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted World Liberty Trust Company preliminary conditional approval on August 14. The OCC's published decision confirms StringZ as an investor in WLTC Holdings and notes the entity signed commitments not to influence bank operations, though it does not identify Tahnoon as the backer or disclose the ownership stake.
The trust bank cannot begin operations until it satisfies OCC pre-opening requirements and receives final approval.
Tahnoon previously backed a $500 million acquisition of 49% of World Liberty Financial. Democratic senators subsequently called for hearings into the transaction and its potential influence on US policy toward the UAE.
