Trump-affiliated World Liberty Financial plans loyalty points program for USD1 stablecoin users

Trump family-backed DeFi project World Liberty Financial unveiled plans on Thursday for a USD1 points program to reward its stablecoin users, starting with a select group of crypto exchange launch partners.

"Loyalty programs fuel many iconic American brands — from airline miles to hotel points," the project posted on X. "We're bringing a similar model to crypto to reward our esteemed users."

While stablecoins are the driving force behind crypto adoption, powering trading, payments, and DeFi, users rarely see direct rewards for the activity, World Liberty Financial said, something the USD1 points program seeks to address.

Users can earn points by trading USD1 pairs on partner exchanges, holding USD1 balances, staking USD1 for yield, using it in approved DeFi protocols, and interacting with the WLFI mobile app, the project explained. Specific partner rules for trading and holding will be provided, point calculations may differ based on platform integrations, and the criteria may also evolve as the network expands, it said.

World Liberty Financial has yet to confirm a launch date for the program, though crypto exchange Gate was the first to announce it is collaborating on the initiative, offering additional points on limit orders. Gate Labs said it has not participated in any investment in World Liberty Financial or its USD1 token.

Launched in April, World Liberty Financial claims its USD1 stablecoin is backed entirely by short-term U.S. government treasury, U.S. dollar deposits, and other cash equivalents, issued by BitGo Trust Company.

Trump's crypto support

Under President Trump's open support, dollar-backed stablecoins have been booming with institutional and retail interest, recently crossing $250 billion in total market capitalization. 

However, the Trump family's involvement in World Liberty Financial has also raised concerns of possible conflicts of interest, with Trump and his three sons each holding ambassadorial or advocate roles for the project.

In June, World Liberty Financial began airdropping USD1 to around 85,000 WLFI governance token holders to promote the recently launched stablecoin, while expressing gratitude to supporters of the project. Last month, WLFI holders voted to unlock the tokens to make the asset tradable for the first time.