# UAE Intelligence Chief Purchased 49% Stake in Trump Family Crypto Venture: Wall Street Journal

*Author: Jack Inabinet*
*Published: Feb 2, 2026*
*Source: https://www.bankless.com/read/news/uae-intelligence-chief-purchased-49-stake-in-trump-family-crypto-venture-wall-street-journal*

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According to *The Wall Street Journal,* the Trump family [secretly inked](https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/spy-sheikh-secret-stake-trump-crypto-tahnoon-ea4d97e8?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqeJ9Ufdi8Vtop0wf_RHjiDD1AvneKkvsSEGCBxikMvdh7Fu8-4i8lJ9Tz62Y1U%3D&gaa_ts=69811084&gaa_sig=qJD40WZYHB1Zpi-QdWVglzhP6cEE2ySfupXytbCntYUFMfIVAb-ES9rJJDNUOLvypHRCIsQ3oty0hfHfdW65VQ%3D%3D) a deal with with the Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Security Advisor of UAE, offloading a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial (WLFI) to "spy sheikh" Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan in exchange for half a billion dollars just four days prior to Donald Trump’s inauguration.

### **What's the Scoop?**
- **Personal Enrichment:** Four days before the inauguration of President Donald Trump, *The Wall Street Journal* alleges that World Liberty Financial sold a 49% stake to an investment vehicle associated with Emirati Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan for $500M. The buyer paid Trump family entities $187M upfront, and $31M flowed to entities associated with Steve Witkoff (U.S. special envoy to the Middle East).
- **Conflict of Interest: **Tahnoon's government sought access to American-manufactured AI chips, and the Trump administration obliged. Eleven months after the WLFI investment, Trump's Commerce Department [approved](https://www.reuters.com/business/us-authorizes-export-advanced-american-semiconductors-companies-saudi-uae-2025-11-19/) the sale of advanced GPUs to the UAE (directly benefiting Tahnoon’s own artificial intelligence company). The White House has denied any claims of impropriety.

> 1/ Emirates have acquired 49% stake in World Liberty Finance for $500M, as reported by WSJ[https://t.co/GhWgA1VWIF](https://t.co/GhWgA1VWIF) [pic.twitter.com/m4maGOYDFB](https://t.co/m4maGOYDFB)— Mikko Ohtamaa (@moo9000) [February 1, 2026](https://twitter.com/moo9000/status/2017792762045993123?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
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