World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance project with ties to the family of former U.S. President Donald Trump, has launched a new cryptocurrency lending and borrowing platform called World Liberty Markets. The platform, which went live on Monday, is built around the company's own USD1 stablecoin, which has rapidly grown to a market capitalization of approximately $3.4 billion since its debut last year.
The strategic move aims to push USD1 beyond simple trading and payments into active financial use within DeFi-style markets. The platform supports USD1 alongside its governance token WLFI, Ether (ETH), tokenized Bitcoin (BTC), and the dominant stablecoins USDT and USDC. Users can post these assets as collateral to borrow or lend, unlocking liquidity without selling their holdings.
Company executives view lending and borrowing as the critical next step to give USD1 a reason to stay in wallets rather than just move through exchanges. CEO Zach Witkoff stated the platform is designed to make USD1 "more than a static dollar proxy," providing holders with ways to earn yield or access leverage without exiting the ecosystem.
The platform's infrastructure is powered by the established DeFi protocol Dolomite, allowing World Liberty to focus on expanding use cases. Co-founder Zak Folkman indicated that the roadmap includes adding more collateral types over time, potentially including tokenized real-world assets (RWAs). The company has previously floated the idea of bringing real estate linked to the Trump family business onto the blockchain.
USD1's rise has been closely tied to its relationship with major exchange Binance, which played a role in developing the token and recently expanded its trading pairs. This connection has already facilitated large-scale institutional transactions, such as a $2 billion deal completed by Abu Dhabi-based investor MGX using the stablecoin.
Looking ahead, World Liberty is preparing tools for a broader audience, including a planned mobile app integrating the lending features and a debit card concept that would allow users to spend USD1 directly while earning rewards. In parallel, the company is pursuing a US national trust bank charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which could significantly expand USD1's reach among institutional players seeking regulated access.
