World Liberty Financial launches WLFI buyback after token falls over 60%

What happened

World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture backed by the Trump family, announced a buyback program for its WLFI governance token on November 6, according to CoinGape and CryptoPotato. The decision follows a steep decline in the token's value, which has fallen by more than 60% over the past year.

The company said the program would open with an initial allocation that could be funded by revenue generated from reserves backing its USD1 stablecoin, along with other sources. In a post on X, World Liberty said it would review how the first phase performs before deciding the future size of the effort.

According to CryptoPotato, the team described the goal as encouraging active participation in WLFI governance and consolidating voting power among its most committed long-term holders. The project also said buybacks would become an "ongoing part" of its long-term strategy, with the pace and scale depending on ecosystem growth and the effect on governance participation.

Zack Witkoff, who co-founded World Liberty with the Trumps, responded to the announcement with a short post reading "Burn baby burn" and told followers to "stay tuned" for further announcements, CryptoPotato reported.

Why it matters

The buyback lands as WLFI and other Trump-linked digital assets face sustained selling pressure. CoinGape reported that the token fell about 10% after this week's US midterm elections, in which Republicans performed worse than expected, and is now down more than 60% this year. CryptoPotato put WLFI at around $0.047 at the time of writing, little changed over 24 hours despite the buyback news, and roughly 85% below its September 2025 all-time high.

The decline also keeps the Trump family's financial exposure in view. CoinGape reported that Trump still holds billions of WLFI tokens, meaning the value of those holdings remains tied to the token's price performance. For holders, the buyback is the project's most direct response yet to that slide, though the company has not disclosed the size of the initial allocation.

What the data shows

CryptoPotato reported that WLFI's trading volume rose to about $115.3 million on the day before publication, a 96% jump from the prior day, even as the price stayed near $0.047. The token was down nearly 8% over seven days, 12% over two weeks and more than 14% over 30 days at that point.

Separately, CoinGape reported that wallets linked to Trump Media moved approximately 4,259 BTC, worth about $343.67 million, to Crypto.com. Onchain firm Lookonchain first reported the transfer, while Arkham Intelligence linked the sending wallets to Bitcoin pledged as collateral for Trump Media's convertible notes. The amount is almost identical to the 4,260.73 BTC the company disclosed as collateral for its $1 billion debt financing in a June 30 filing. The transfer does not confirm that Trump Media sold any holdings.

Background

The announcement follows Democratic victories in the November 3 midterms, which gave the party majorities in both the House and Senate, according to CoinGape. That shift is expected to strengthen congressional oversight of the Trump family's business interests, and World Liberty could be among the first targets. Representative Robert Garcia, expected to lead the House Oversight Committee, has indicated the panel plans to examine the family's crypto dealings, while Senator Elizabeth Warren and four other Democrats called in June for hearings into a reported $500 million investment in World Liberty by an Emirati royal.

Other Trump-associated assets also hit records. CoinGape reported that Official Trump (TRUMP) fell 22% this week to $1.2 after touching a record low of $1.12 on November 5, about 98.3% below its January 2025 peak of $73.43. Melania Meme (MELANIA) dropped 18.37% to $0.06176, and Trump Media & Technology Group shares closed at $4.49, down 28.91% for the week.

What to watch

CoinGape noted that holders of Trump Media's convertible notes can demand cash repayment on November 30, 2026, which could create an obligation of about $1 billion; the company has warned it may need to sell Bitcoin or other digital assets if it cannot secure refinancing. World Liberty holders are also watching a November 22 gala dinner scheduled to bring together Trump and the token's top 185 holders. CryptoPotato reported that analyst Michaël van de Poppe offered a bullish read on the buyback, citing gains in other tokens with similar programs, though he acknowledged the token's weak price picture.

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