World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the crypto project backed by the Trump family, is making a spectacular entry into the derivatives markets. The launch of its perpetual contracts propelled the fully diluted valuation (FDV) beyond $40 billion, even before the first official unlocking of the tokens scheduled for September 1.
WLFI explodes right at its launch on Binance, Bybit, and OKX
World Liberty Financial announced on Saturday the launch of the first perpetual futures contracts for its WLFI token, now available on Binance, Bybit, and OKX. These derivative products allow traders to bet on price movements without having to hold the tokens directly.
Since the opening, the price has surprised everyone. Priced between $0.40 and $0.42, the WLFI has shown a remarkable increase compared to the prices paid by early investors.
Indeed, we recall that early contributors acquired their tokens for only $0.015 and $0.05 during the private raises.
With a total supply of 100 billion tokens, this valuation prices the project at over $40 billion in fully diluted value. A staggering number that illustrates the market's appetite for a project closely associated with Donald Trump and his ambitions in decentralized finance.
Investors seem to anticipate that World Liberty will play a key role in the democratization of stablecoins.
Moreover, the considerable difference between the original prices and current levels reflects both the usual speculation in the crypto sector and the media impact related to a prominent political personality. In other words, WLFI is already benefiting from a "Trump" premium that fuels market enthusiasm and amplifies the media leverage effect.
A meticulously orchestrated unlocking schedule
World Liberty Financial presented a detailed roadmap to guide the next steps. Starting from August 25, qualified investors will be able to activate their on-chain "Lockbox," a compliance mechanism prior to access to the tokens.
This first phase relates only to 20% of the tokens acquired by early adopters, while the remaining 80% will remain locked until a future governance vote. This choice reflects a prudent strategy: to limit any massive influx into the spot markets while offering a tangible reward to early investors.
According to the team, "the vast majority" of contributors will be eligible for the immediate activation of their Lockbox. Only a handful of non-compliant investors will be excluded. This selectivity appears as a sign of seriousness and reinforces the project's credibility with American regulators.
The tokens allocated to founders, team members, and advisors remain fully frozen. Donald Trump and his family thus hold their 22.5 billion WLFI tokens in reserve, avoiding any risk of immediate dumping. A method that contrasts with other crypto projects penalized by too rapid unlockings.
With an estimated valuation of $40 billion already thanks to the perpetual contracts, World Liberty is establishing itself as one of the most watched launches of the year. Now it remains to be seen if the current euphoria will withstand the test of the first unlocking scheduled for September 1.