Latest news with #ZachWitkoff
Times
24-05-2025
- Business
- Times
How Zach Witkoff built a global crypto empire in months
While Steve Witkoff has been jetting around the world as President Trump's envoy, his son Zach has been on a similar international mission of his own: promote the cryptocurrency venture he shares with the Trump family. Zach Witkoff, 32, and associates from World Liberty Financial (WLF), a company he co-founded last year in which the Trump family hold a 60 per cent stake, have been in talks with officials from the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Malaysia and Kyrgyzstan over deals involving its stablecoin, USD1. In a few months this has become the world's fifth-largest stablecoin — a virtual currency pegged to a stable asset, in this case the US dollar — with a market capitalisation of $2.2 billion, paying commission to Witkoff and the Trumps every time it changes hands.
The Sun
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Trump aide Steve Witkoff accused of ‘blurring' government & business as son Zach strikes crypto deals
PRESIDENT Trump's aide Steve Witkoff has been accused of 'blurring' government negotiations with private business dealings. The Middle East envoy, 68, flew to the United Arab Emirates a month before inauguration day to discuss regional issues with Abu Dhabi royal Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan, known as the 'spy sheikh'. 7 7 7 He also attended a cryptocurrency conference while he was there. Less than five months later, Witkoff's son Zach, 32, co-founder of the crypto venture World Liberty Financial, announced the company had struck a deal for the sheikh's firm to buy $2 billion of their cryptocurrency. The profits - expected to be in the tens of millions - would be split between the Witkoffs and their co-founders, as well as the Trump family, which holds a 60 per cent stake. Earlier this month, the elder Witkoff met with the sheikh again to unveil an agreement giving the oil-rich Gulf monarchy access to millions of advanced US-made computer chips. The Wall Street Journal, which exposed the father and son's parallel dealings, describes them as an 'extraordinary blurring of government negotiations and private business'. The New York newspaper said it is 'rewriting the diplomatic playbook' for countries wanting to impress the White House. World Liberty, which issues cryptocurrency USD1, has reportedly pitched its token to foreign governments eager to improve their relations with the USA. Sources told the WSJ that Zach Witkoff has described his father's long-time friend Trump as like a 'godfather' to him in pitch calls. As well as officials in the UAE, he has met with the top government officials in Pakistan who later negotiated a cease-fire in India with the Trump administration. His advisers and associates have also met with Malaysia's foreign minister and prime minister, Kyrgyzstan's president, and have spoken virtually at a Moscow crypto conference which featured the Russian deputy finance minister. Donald Trump's power can drag US out of 'crypto winter' but he needs to show currency's not just for terrorists & drugs White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly insisted Steve Witkoff is divesting himself from his assets, including World Liberty, and doesn't have an 'operational role' in the company. She said he doesn't discuss company or personal business matters in his government role. The special envoy, who isn't taking a government salary and flies around the world on his personal jet, hasn't released a public financial disclosure but said he would transfer his holdings to his sons. World Liberty spokesman David Wachsman also insisted the company's business deals have nothing to do with the U.S. government. 7 7 He said the firm 'wouldn't even have the ability or insight to discuss official government business' and that 'attempting to frame WLFI and Ambassador Witkoff taking meetings in the same country as some sort of conflict of interest' is incorrect, adding that 'one has nothing to do with the other.' He also denied that Zach Witkoff had referred to Trump as like a godfather. The Trump Organization has pledged not to make new deals with foreign governments while Trump is in office. 7 7
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Weekly Recap: 15 Tech Press Releases You Need to See
A roundup of the most newsworthy tech announcements from PR Newswire this week, including a new XR device for Android, Acer's new Copilot+ PCs and a tech tradeshow recap. NEW YORK, May 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help tech journalists and consumers stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn't be missed. The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download. Embracing AI Unveils Purpose-Built AI Alliance to Deliver Operational Impact for SMBs and EnterprisesEmbracing AI, a newly formed alliance of technology leaders, officially launched with a clear mission: to simplify and accelerate operational AI adoption for organizations of all sizes. Embracing AI is purpose-built to help companies turn their data into decision-ready insights while maintaining enterprise-grade security, reliability, and speed. ViewLift Unveils Cutting-Edge AI Products to Transform Streaming Intelligence and OperationsViewLift announced the launch of two groundbreaking AI-powered solutions designed to revolutionize business intelligence and customer support operations for media companies, sports organizations, and content owners distributing their content worldwide. XREAL Unveils 'Project Aura' at Google I/O -- An Optical See-Through XR Device for Android XRA lightweight and tethered, cinematic, and Gemini AI-powered device, Project Aura brings a large field-of-view experience to the Android XR family — setting a new standard for immersive, wearable computing. Record-Breaking World Liberty Financial USD1 Stablecoin Unlocks Cross-Chain Capabilities With Chainlink "Chainlink's battle-tested infrastructure delivers the institutional-grade security and extensive reach needed to deliver USD1 into the hands of millions across a growing number of active, onchain ecosystems. WLFI's partnership with Chainlink will accelerate and improve USD1's utility for cross-border payments and will result in truly useful applications across DeFi and traditional finance," said Zach Witkoff, co-founder of World Liberty Financial. Palantir and Divergent Form Partnership to Revolutionize On-Demand Advanced Manufacturing With access to the Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS™) within Palantir's software, customers will be able to rapidly identify emerging supply chain vulnerabilities and then directly address them through on-demand manufacturing of critical parts by Divergent. Superna Launches Data Security Essentials for Dell PowerStore, Delivering Unified Protection for All File Data -- Including Windows Server Workloads As ransomware attacks become more sophisticated and relentless, organizations need proactive defense that starts where attackers do — at the data layer. Superna's latest innovation for PowerStore delivers real-time visibility and control to reduce risk before an attack begins and stop threats the moment they strike. Persist AI Launches Cloud Lab to Accelerate Pharmaceutical Formulation Development, Raises $12M Series A Funding The new platform allows pharmaceutical companies to develop formulations using Persist AI's state-of-the-art robotic laboratory facilities through a website, dramatically accelerating drug development timelines while using a fraction of the materials required by traditional methods. From Web3 to Wall Street: Bybit Becomes the First Crypto Exchange to Offer Direct Global Stock Trading with USDT Whether you're hedging crypto volatility with gold, speculating on oil or forex, or investing in tech stocks, Bybit's enhanced Gold & FX offering opens the door to a truly unified financial experience. Ursa Space Systems and Aireon Team Up to Enhance Aircraft Monitoring with Space-Based ADS-B Data With the addition of Aireon's ADS-B data, Ursa Space customers will gain near real-time visibility into aircraft movements over areas of interest, flight patterns, airfield activity, and aerial logistics. These insights will power Ursa Space's custom monitoring services and subscription analytics, furthering the company's mission to deliver insights at speed and scale. LexisNexis Risk Solutions Launches New ADAM Program Interactive Dashboard to Help Recover Missing ChildrenThis innovative, AI-driven tool allows the public to easily search geo-targeted alerts sent through the ADAM Program (Automated Delivery of Alerts on Missing Children) and view missing child posters by location, and other filters. Frisco Unveils New Innovation Hub to Support Growing Innovation and Venture Capital Sectors The facility is designed to bring industry specific accelerator programming, sports-tech innovation in human potential and international startup support to the region. " I'm excited to see the groundbreaking innovation that will take shape here," said Jeff Cheney, Mayor of Frisco, Texas. JetCool, a Flex Company, Launches New Liquid Cooling Systems Delivering 15% IT Power Savings Without Facility Upgrades "With the new SmartPlate System, we're helping customers deploy more compute per rack in colocations and facilities that don't have water hookups, all while cutting power consumption and improving thermal performance," said Dr. Bernie Malouin, JetCool Founder and Flex Vice President. Muon Space Awarded Additional NRO Contract for Next Phase of Commercial Electro-Optical Capabilities Muon Space's vertically integrated technology platform, Muon Halo™, provides end-to-end solutions from space-based sensing to advanced onboard processing. Designed to support a range of government and commercial applications, it facilitates missions that shape the future of national security and Earth observation. YUAN Unveils Next-Gen AI Robotics Powered by NVIDIA for Land, Sea & Air With its Pandora NX Super and AIR NX Super platforms, YUAN, a pioneer in industrial video PCs, is revolutionizing autonomous decision-making and real-time video analytics. These advanced solutions bring groundbreaking innovations to maritime safety, agricultural optimization, and aerial inspections. Acer Debuts New Copilot+ PCs: Ultra-light Swift Edge AI and Everyday-Performer Swift Go AI The new Swift Copilot+ PCs boast NPUs that perform over 40 TOPS and are equipped to run the most demanding AI workloads and offer exclusive AI experiences such as Recall (preview), Click to Do (preview), and improved Windows search, Cocreator, Live Captions, and Windows Studio Effects. For more news like this, check out all of the latest technology-related releases from PR Newswire. Do you have a technology press release to distribute? Sign up with PR Newswire to share your story with the audiences who matter most. Tech Tradeshows This week, our team also spotted several press releases coming out of big tech tradeshows, including COMPUTEX in Taipei, GITEX Europe in Berlin and Autodesk DevCon in Amsterdam. With topics ranging from software development to the future of tech, AIoT and startups, there was a lot to keep up with. Here are just a few of the headlines you might have missed: MiTAC Computing Showcases Strategic AI and Cloud Infrastructure Partnership with AMD at COMPUTEX 2025 HKC to Debut Cutting-Edge Display Technologies at Computex 2025, Setting a New Standard for Visual Excellence VIDIZMO Set to Drive Europe's AI Adoption at GITEX EUROPE 2025 with Responsible AI-powered Solutions Industry First: XGRIDS Debuts AI-Powered 3DGS Scan-to-BIM Plugin for Revit at Autodesk DevCon Europe 2025 Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists. Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers, and freelancers have access to the following free features: Customization: Users can create customized newsfeeds that will deliver relevant news right to their inbox. Newsfeed results can be targeted by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include in a journalist or blogger's next story. Subject Matter Experts: Journalists will have access to ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in their articles. Related Resources: Our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, features regular media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more. About PR Newswire PR Newswire is the industry's leading press release distribution partner with an unparalleled global reach of more than 440,000 newsrooms, websites, direct feeds, journalists and influencers and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages. From our award-winning Content Services offerings, integrated media newsroom and microsite products, Investor Relations suite of services, paid placement and social sharing tools, PR Newswire has a comprehensive catalog of solutions to solve the modern-day challenges PR and communications teams face. For 70 years, PR Newswire has been the preferred destination for brands to share their most important news stories across the world. For questions, contact the team at View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE PR Newswire
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Record-Breaking World Liberty Financial USD1 Stablecoin Unlocks Cross-Chain Capabilities With Chainlink
The fastest-growing digital dollar-backed stablecoin to be supercharged with seamless, cross-chain mobility between Ethereum, BNB Chain, and other blockchain networks via Chainlink CCIP TORONTO, May 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- World Liberty Financial, the DeFi protocol and governance platform inspired by President Donald J. Trump, and Chainlink, the standard for onchain finance, announced a landmark collaboration to accelerate the adoption of the world's fastest-growing stablecoin, USD1. As part of this collaboration, World Liberty Financial plans to integrate Chainlink Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) to expand access to the institutional-grade stablecoin by enabling secure transfers of USD1 across leading blockchain networks that would otherwise act as silos of value. Backed by short-term U.S. government treasuries, U.S. dollar deposits, and other cash equivalents, the USD1 stablecoin has skyrocketed in record time to eclipse $2 billion in market capitalization. Chainlink supercharges USD1 with the ability to move seamlessly between Ethereum and BNB Chain networks, with an ambitious roadmap for additional blockchain integrations down the road. "From the largest enterprises to consumer applications, we have seen extraordinary, worldwide demand for a trustworthy and purely digital US dollar stablecoin. USD1 is setting records because it was designed expressly for this purpose," said Zach Witkoff, co-founder of World Liberty Financial. "Chainlink's battle-tested infrastructure delivers the institutional-grade security and extensive reach needed to deliver USD1 into the hands of millions across a growing number of active, onchain ecosystems. WLFI's partnership with Chainlink will accelerate and improve USD1's utility for cross-border payments and will result in truly useful applications across DeFi and traditional finance. We're creating a comprehensive platform for a dramatically improved financial future by building atop a rock-solid foundation." The WLFI/Chainlink integration for USD1 tackles critical security challenges that have plagued cross-chain solutions in years past, with approximately $2.8 billion lost in previous exploits at the intersections between blockchains. Having successfully safeguarded $75 billion in DeFi total value locked at its peak and having powered $20 trillion in transaction value, Chainlink's solution meets the rigorous security requirements for an institutional-grade stablecoin like USD1. "I'm very excited about the great work that WLFI has done on USD1, and we are thrilled about them selecting Chainlink CCIP as their chosen cross-chain solution for USD1," said Sergey Nazarov, Co-Founder of Chainlink. "World Liberty Financial is doing important work to bring DeFi to both everyday users and major institutions. We've worked with WLFI from the very beginning, and it's exciting to see that collaboration now live, bringing real utility to users around the world. The Chainlink standard — trusted by leading banks, governments, and financial market infrastructures — is a foundational part of this shift towards Web3, powering a more open, secure, and interconnected global economy." The integration of Chainlink CCIP to enable cross-chain transfers of USD1 builds upon a previous collaboration, where Chainlink's Data Feeds were utilized in World Liberty Financial's Aave v3 instance. Starting today, DeFi users can begin transferring USD1 cross-chain through simple web interfaces such as and with any bridge integrated with Chainlink CCIP. About ChainlinkChainlink is the standard for onchain finance, verifiable data, and cross-chain interoperability. Chainlink is unifying liquidity across global markets and has enabled over $20 trillion in transaction value across the blockchain economy. Major financial market infrastructures and institutions, such as Swift, Fidelity International, and ANZ Bank, as well as top DeFi protocols including Aave, GMX, and Lido, use Chainlink to power next-generation applications for banking, asset management, and other major sectors. Learn more by visiting About World Liberty FinancialWorld Liberty Financial (WLFI) is a pioneering decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol and governance platform inspired by the vision of President Donald J. Trump. WLFI develops transparent, secure, and accessible financial tools, including institutional-grade products designed to broaden participation in decentralized finance. USD1 is a stablecoin redeemable on a 1:1 basis for the U.S. Dollar (USD). USD1 is 100% backed by a reserve containing short‑term U.S. government treasuries, U.S. dollar deposits, and other cash equivalents, and all such reserve assets are held or maintained by BitGo Trust Company, Inc., a South Dakota-chartered trust company ("BitGo Trust", and together with its affiliates "BitGo"). BitGo issues USD1, and World Liberty Financial, Inc. and affiliated entities own the World Liberty Financial USD1 brand and provides certain services. BitGo processes all initial purchases and redemptions of USD1 and provides related technical infrastructure and services. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Chainlink; World Liberty Financial Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Record-Breaking World Liberty Financial USD1 Stablecoin Unlocks Cross-Chain Capabilities With Chainlink
The fastest-growing digital dollar-backed stablecoin to be supercharged with seamless, cross-chain mobility between Ethereum, BNB Chain, and other blockchain networks via Chainlink CCIP TORONTO, May 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- World Liberty Financial, the DeFi protocol and governance platform inspired by President Donald J. Trump, and Chainlink, the standard for onchain finance, announced a landmark collaboration to accelerate the adoption of the world's fastest-growing stablecoin, USD1. As part of this collaboration, World Liberty Financial plans to integrate Chainlink Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) to expand access to the institutional-grade stablecoin by enabling secure transfers of USD1 across leading blockchain networks that would otherwise act as silos of value. Backed by short-term U.S. government treasuries, U.S. dollar deposits, and other cash equivalents, the USD1 stablecoin has skyrocketed in record time to eclipse $2 billion in market capitalization. Chainlink supercharges USD1 with the ability to move seamlessly between Ethereum and BNB Chain networks, with an ambitious roadmap for additional blockchain integrations down the road. "From the largest enterprises to consumer applications, we have seen extraordinary, worldwide demand for a trustworthy and purely digital US dollar stablecoin. USD1 is setting records because it was designed expressly for this purpose," said Zach Witkoff, co-founder of World Liberty Financial. "Chainlink's battle-tested infrastructure delivers the institutional-grade security and extensive reach needed to deliver USD1 into the hands of millions across a growing number of active, onchain ecosystems. WLFI's partnership with Chainlink will accelerate and improve USD1's utility for cross-border payments and will result in truly useful applications across DeFi and traditional finance. We're creating a comprehensive platform for a dramatically improved financial future by building atop a rock-solid foundation." The WLFI/Chainlink integration for USD1 tackles critical security challenges that have plagued cross-chain solutions in years past, with approximately $2.8 billion lost in previous exploits at the intersections between blockchains. Having successfully safeguarded $75 billion in DeFi total value locked at its peak and having powered $20 trillion in transaction value, Chainlink's solution meets the rigorous security requirements for an institutional-grade stablecoin like USD1. "I'm very excited about the great work that WLFI has done on USD1, and we are thrilled about them selecting Chainlink CCIP as their chosen cross-chain solution for USD1," said Sergey Nazarov, Co-Founder of Chainlink. "World Liberty Financial is doing important work to bring DeFi to both everyday users and major institutions. We've worked with WLFI from the very beginning, and it's exciting to see that collaboration now live, bringing real utility to users around the world. The Chainlink standard — trusted by leading banks, governments, and financial market infrastructures — is a foundational part of this shift towards Web3, powering a more open, secure, and interconnected global economy." The integration of Chainlink CCIP to enable cross-chain transfers of USD1 builds upon a previous collaboration, where Chainlink's Data Feeds were utilized in World Liberty Financial's Aave v3 instance. Starting today, DeFi users can begin transferring USD1 cross-chain through simple web interfaces such as and with any bridge integrated with Chainlink CCIP. About ChainlinkChainlink is the standard for onchain finance, verifiable data, and cross-chain interoperability. Chainlink is unifying liquidity across global markets and has enabled over $20 trillion in transaction value across the blockchain economy. Major financial market infrastructures and institutions, such as Swift, Fidelity International, and ANZ Bank, as well as top DeFi protocols including Aave, GMX, and Lido, use Chainlink to power next-generation applications for banking, asset management, and other major sectors. Learn more by visiting About World Liberty FinancialWorld Liberty Financial (WLFI) is a pioneering decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol and governance platform inspired by the vision of President Donald J. Trump. WLFI develops transparent, secure, and accessible financial tools, including institutional-grade products designed to broaden participation in decentralized finance. USD1 is a stablecoin redeemable on a 1:1 basis for the U.S. Dollar (USD). USD1 is 100% backed by a reserve containing short‑term U.S. government treasuries, U.S. dollar deposits, and other cash equivalents, and all such reserve assets are held or maintained by BitGo Trust Company, Inc., a South Dakota-chartered trust company ("BitGo Trust", and together with its affiliates "BitGo"). BitGo issues USD1, and World Liberty Financial, Inc. and affiliated entities own the World Liberty Financial USD1 brand and provides certain services. BitGo processes all initial purchases and redemptions of USD1 and provides related technical infrastructure and services. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Chainlink; World Liberty Financial
