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World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol endorsed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, transferred the majority of its Ethereum (ETH) and wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) holdings out of its treasury.
The protocol initiated the process with three $12 test transactions approximately seven hours prior, and then moved a significant amount of ETH to a Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) Prime deposit address.
The protocol’s WBTC transactions underwent multiple transfers, utilizing decentralized exchange CoW Swap or intermediary addresses before arriving at a Coinbase hot wallet, as per Arkham Intelligence data. Additionally, World Liberty Financial shifted tens of millions of dollars in staked ETH, which was its third-largest asset just hours before.
The reasons behind the movement of ETH, previously the largest asset in the protocol’s treasury, remain uncertain. Protocols often transfer ETH to an exchange when preparing to sell. Meanwhile, the protocol has been receiving small amounts of ETH in numerous low-value transactions from addresses with histories of activity on exchanges such as Binance, KuCoin, and Upbit.
ETH has experienced a significant rebound, surging 50% this afternoon and trading above $2,800, despite the recent market volatility triggered by President Trump’s imposition of tariffs on key trading partners.
Eric Trump, the former President’s second son, posted on social media at around 5:00 p.m. ET, amid the asset transfers, suggesting that it was a favorable time to invest in ETH.
World Liberty Financial executed 13 transactions to offload its ETH, ranging from $95 million to $4 million in value, leaving only $82,000 worth of ETH in its holdings. The protocol’s total cryptocurrency assets have plummeted over 90% from $363 million to just above $33 million.
Previously, the project’s ETH holdings alone were over $175 million, making it the dominant asset in its treasury. The protocol also moved its AAVE, ENA, and LINK holdings, approximately $30 million in value, to Coinbase using a similar transfer strategy involving numerous anonymous intermediary addresses.
However, World Liberty Financial has not transferred its TRX holdings, which it acquired after a significant investment from Justin Sun, who also became an advisor to the project.
The protocol made a substantial purchase of various cryptocurrencies worth $112.8 million on Inauguration Day to commemorate Trump being named the 47th president. World Liberty Financial had completed a token fundraise of $254 million just before Trump took office, and later increased its investment target.
A recent report by Blockworks alleged that World Liberty Financial has proposed token swaps with other blockchain projects for a fee, a claim the team has refuted.
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