In a significant convergence of traditional finance, digital assets, and regulatory power, approximately 500 leaders from Wall Street, the cryptocurrency industry, and government gathered at Mar-a-Lago for the World Liberty Forum. The event, hosted by the Trump family-backed digital asset platform World Liberty Financial, underscores a major shift in sentiment towards cryptocurrency within the highest echelons of finance.
Key attendees included Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, Binance founder Changpeng 'CZ' Zhao, Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman, and NYSE Group President Lynn Martin. The presence of current and former financial regulators highlighted the forum's focus on the intersection of policy and innovation. Notably, Goldman Sachs' David Solomon revealed during the event that he personally owns a small amount of Bitcoin.
The political undercurrent was palpable, with the Trump family's reported crypto ventures having boosted their wealth by over $1 billion. A focal point of discussion was CZ's public praise for the Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) following a speaking engagement. In a social media post, CZ stated he was "listening to the CFTC Chairman talk at WLF Forum in Mar a Lago. Learned a lot," a remark that quickly circulated within crypto circles as a sign of constructive dialogue between a major industry figure and a top U.S. regulator.
The event, which brought together around 300 leaders to discuss crypto, artificial intelligence, and U.S. finance, preceded a notable 23% surge in the price of the World Liberty Financial (WLFI) token.
