$100M WLFI Token Purchase Tied to UK Money Laundering Suspect

The largest known individual purchase of governance tokens from World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance platform co-founded by the Trump family, traces back to a Chinese businessman under active investigation in the United Kingdom for money laundering, according to a report. The transaction, worth $100 million, was executed on June 26, 2025, through the Aqua1 Foundation, a United Arab Emirates-based entity. Up to $75 million of that capital was directed to entities controlled by the Trump family and affiliates of project co-founder Zach Witkoff.

The buyer has been identified as Guren "Bobby" Zhou. British authorities arrested Zhou in March 2021 on suspicion of money laundering. A British court record filed in November 2025 identified him as a participant, along with five other individuals, in a laundering operation dating back to 2019. Two of Zhou's longtime employees were indicted in September 2025, and one has already pleaded guilty. The trial for the defendants is scheduled for 2028. British officials confirmed the investigation into Zhou remains active as of late July 2026. Zhou has not been formally charged with any crime.

The report details that Zhou met with Eric...