UAE royal invested $500M in Trump-family crypto firm, says report

Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a United Arab Emirates royal and national security adviser, made a large, undisclosed investment in a cryptocurrency business linked to the Trump family, CNBC reported, citing The Wall Street Journal. Aryam Investment, a firm backed by Sheikh Tahnoon, purchased a 49% stake in the DeFi project World Liberty Financial (WLFI) for approximately $500 million last year. The transaction was reportedly finalized months before the Trump administration approved the export of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors to the UAE. The U.S. subsequently permitted the sale of hundreds of thousands of advanced AI chips from Nvidia to the UAE, with some reportedly allocated to G42, an AI company run by Sheikh Tahnoon. The deal has drawn criticism from members of the U.S. Congress, who have pointed to potential conflicts of interest and corruption. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a noted crypto opponent, called it a clear case of corruption and demanded an immediate reversal of the AI chip sale approval. The White House has denied the allegations, stating there is no conflict of interest.