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UFC Freedom 250 paid combatant bonuses successful USD1, the stablecoin issued by the Trump-linked crypto task World Liberty Financial, astatine a contention held astatine the White House.
Updated Jun 15, 2026, 9:08 a.m. Published Jun 15, 2026, 8:09 a.m.
Eric Trump (Keith Tanner/CoinDesk)- World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin, backed by the household of President Donald Trump, was utilized to wage $250,000 successful combatant show bonuses astatine UFC Freedom 250 connected the White House lawn.
- The promotion comes months aft World Liberty Financial borrowed $75 cardinal from a DeFi protocol, which temporarily locked retired retail USD1 depositors, and amid litigation with crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun.
- USD1’s circulating proviso has grown to astir $4.6 cardinal arsenic World Liberty Financial seeks a national banking license.
USD1, the stablecoin issued by the Trump family's crypto task World Liberty Financial, has gone from locking retail depositors retired of a DeFi lending excavation to being utilized to wage fighters connected the White House lawn.
The UFC said Friday that World Liberty Financial would service arsenic the presenting spouse of a $250,000 show bonus excavation astatine UFC Freedom 250, a mixed martial arts contention held connected the southbound tract of the statesmanlike residence connected Sunday, June 14, President Donald Trump's 80th birthday. The bonuses were paid retired successful USD1 to fighters crossed 7 matches.
The awards are among the astir salient commercialized deployments of USD1 to date.
The visibility propulsion comes months aft CoinDesk reported connected a borrowing controversy that concisely deed prices of WLFI, World Liberty Financial's token, and rattled the project's sentiment successful societal circles.
The institution had borrowed much than $75 cardinal successful stablecoins from Dolomite, a DeFi lending protocol whose co-founder Corey Caplan advises WLFI, utilizing 3 cardinal of its ain WLFI governance tokens arsenic collateral and depositing its ain USD1 arsenic portion of the arrangement.
The borrowing pushed the USD1 excavation to 93% utilization, meaning retail depositors who had lent USD1 to the excavation expecting to retreat astatine volition could not bash truthful until the loans were repaid. WLFI repaid $25 cardinal of the position, past minted $25 cardinal successful caller USD1 days later, actively managing the token's proviso done April. World Liberty Financial did not respond to a petition for remark connected the report.
World Liberty is besides successful litigation with Justin Sun, the crypto tycoon and aboriginal purchaser of WLFI governance tokens, who sued the company, alleging it improperly froze his holdings. WLFI countersued for defamation.
Some observers said the commercialized interaction of Sunday's lawsuit is straightforward.
"Paying the fighters successful the USD1 stablecoin would person the aforesaid economical relation arsenic penning them a check," Todd Phillips, a crypto adept astatine the Klaros Group, told The Guardian. "Announcing to the satellite they are doing it successful USD1 sounds similar they are advertizing to the satellite that USD1 is retired determination and that it is connected to the UFC and the White House."
USD1's circulating proviso has grown to astir $4.6 cardinal from $3.3 cardinal connected Jan. 1.
The institution has besides applied for a banking licence from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
Trump's fiscal disclosure lists his involvement successful World Liberty Financial astatine implicit $50 million. The medication maintains that determination is nary struggle of involvement and that Trump's assets are managed by a spot tally by his children.
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Binance's US-equities motorboat already outpaces the tokenized marketplace - and with bStocks live, it present competes connected composability too. Real shares and tokens, 1 platform.
Why it matters:
Binance's US-equities motorboat already outpaces the tokenized marketplace - and with bStocks live, it present competes connected composability too. Real shares and tokens, 1 platform.
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