Warren and Kim Demand CFIUS Review of Reported $500M UAE Stake in World Liberty Financial

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim have formally asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to determine whether a reported January 2025 acquisition—an Abu Dhabi‑linked vehicle’s roughly 49% purchase of World Liberty Financial for about $500 million—should be reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The senators set a firm response date of March 5 and flagged potential national‑security and data‑access implications that could justify an interagency probe.

Public reporting and filings indicate the purchaser, identified in some accounts as Aryam Investment 1 or an Abu Dhabi‑linked vehicle with ties to senior Emirati tech executives, paid an initial $250 million up front. Roughly $187 million of the proceeds were reportedly routed to entities tied to the former President’s family, while about $31 million flowed to parties connected with developer Steve Witkoff and other founders or affiliates.

Warren and Kim’s letter underlines risks that foreign investors could obtain access—directly or indirectly—to personally identifiable information World Liberty collects through its payments, custody, and remittance products. The senators also cited intelligence concerns tying elements of the buyer’s management to technology transfers involving Chinese firms, a point they argue amplifies strategic‑technology risk.

Separately, the House Select Committee has opened a targeted records request seeking capitalization tables, board appointment documents, purchase agreements, diligence materials and payment‑trace evidence tied to the transaction, with a separate production deadline set in early March. Committee investigators are probing whether any governance changes followed the sale, including new board seats taken by executives aligned with Emirati interests, and whether token flows or other transfers reveal sanction or export‑control exposure.

Lawmakers have pointed to notable token movements after the sale: reporting associates buyer affiliates with the use of World Liberty’s USD1 stablecoin to move roughly $2 billion into a major crypto exchange. That activity has intensified questions about the firm’s token custody and settlement practices and whether blockchain flows intersect with compliance gaps or sanctioned addresses previously flagged by regulators.

World Liberty operates the USD1 stablecoin, which now reportedly has more than $5 billion in circulation, and is developing cross‑border remittance services. The timing of the transaction—completed shortly before a presidential transition and proximate to U.S. approvals that expanded Emirati access to advanced AI chips—has heightened scrutiny over whether commercial arrangements coincided with or influenced sensitive policy decisions.

Regulatory actors have faced direct requests to pause or scrutinize related charter and permitting processes; the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency declined to delay its charter review despite senators’ entreaties. If Treasury determines CFIUS jurisdiction is warranted, a review could compel disclosure of transaction terms, governance arrangements, data‑access policies and any technology‑sharing agreements, and could lead to mitigation steps or divestment conditions.

The unfolding inquiries—CFIUS requests from senators, House committee document demands, and prior regulatory attention to the firm’s token distributions—illustrate a broader policy dynamic: cross‑border crypto investments that combine large token volumes, politically connected beneficiaries and ties to sensitive technology raise both compliance and national‑security questions. Depending on what records and testimony disclose, the episode could prompt further congressional oversight, regulatory enforcement actions, or tighter rules around foreign investment and digital‑asset transparency.

• Reported Stake Size: $500 million
• Acquired Share: 49%
• Initial Upfront Payment: $250 million
• Directed to Trump‑related entities: $187 million
• Directed to Witkoff‑affiliated entities: $31 million
• Noted token movement to exchange: ~$2 billion
• USD1 Stablecoin Circulating Supply: $5 billion