At 8:00 PM on September 1st, the cryptocurrency market witnessed another historic moment. The WLFI token officially launched trading on major exchanges like BitMart, instantly igniting the market. It was as if both on-chain and on exchanges were on accelerators: gas prices skyrocketed, retail investors frantically placed orders, whales rushed to sell, and social media platforms were flooded with red envelopes and margin calls.

WLFI, short for World Liberty Financial, has generated significant traffic due to its deep ties to the Trump family. Previously, WLFI has been described as a hybrid of "politics, finance, and meme," both an attempt to enhance liquidity in the crypto world and an extension of political influence in the market.

Before its launch, WLFI experienced a minor setback: the market had originally expected an initial circulation of around 5 billion, but the final confirmed figure was 24.669 billion, nearly five times higher than expected. This "extra 19 billion" directly broke through investors' psychological defenses, causing the pre-market price to plummet.

However, crypto market sentiment is rarely rational. Following its official launch, WLFI's price rebounded rapidly, reaching $0.458 on-chain. BitMart even briefly soared to $1.06. For early public offering participants, this represented a multiplier in paper profits, naturally fueling market enthusiasm.

In this context, the question that everyone is most concerned about is actually very simple: To whom does the wealth effect of WLFI flow?

The Trump Family: $5 Billion in Paper Wealth and How to Cash It Out

The Trump family is undoubtedly the biggest winner from WLFI's listing. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Trump family has gained approximately $5 billion in paper wealth through their holdings in WLFI, which is likely the family's greatest financial success since Trump took office.

The White House disclosed in its 2025 financial filing that Trump holds 15.75 billion WLFI tokens in his personal crypto wallet, representing 15.75% of the total supply. Based on WLFI's current market price, these tokens are worth over $3.62 billion.

Of course, it's worth noting that the project claims a lock-up mechanism for the founding team's tokens. However, the general market perception is that political families don't simply rely on "holding on to their tokens and waiting"; they may also achieve some liquidity through partner institutions or indirect channels. Therefore, the Trump family's profits are not just paper figures; they also represent potentially more complex capital operations behind them.

This phenomenon has sparked mixed reactions in the market. On the one hand, some supporters believe that the Trump family's involvement has enhanced WLFI's credibility and political influence; on the other hand, others worry that this concentrated wealth effect may increase the project's speculative nature.

On-chain whales: precise layout and the art of cashing out at high prices

If the Trump family is the political symbol of the WLFI story, then the on-chain whales are another type of "actual operators." With their strong financial resources and keen grasp of early subscription, they have become one of the biggest beneficiaries of this event.

On-chain data reveals astonishing returns on WLFI investments by whales. Smart money addresses that participated early in the private sale began to profit after the tokens began circulating. Lookonchain monitoring shows that immediately after WLFI deposits were opened, three WLFI pre-sale participants transferred a total of 160 million tokens to exchanges, apparently preparing to cash out. These addresses purchased tokens at $0.015 during the private sale, resulting in a 20x return based on an average price of $0.30.

The actions of the whale moonmanifest are even more representative. He subscribed to 1 billion WLFI (priced at $0.015) in the first round of public offering with 15 million USDC. This time, he received 200 million unlocked tokens and subsequently sold 10 million WLFI, recovering $2.1 million in capital, gradually implementing the classic strategy of "withdrawing principal first, then running for profits."

On-chain analyst Ai Yi found that four of the top 10 WLFI holders sold some or all of their holdings, while 80% of holders took some or all of their profits. The giant whale convexcuck.eth even sold $3.8 million worth of WLFI to 36 buyers through the over-the-counter (OTC) platform Whales Market.

Ordinary users: airdrops, trading, and arbitrage opportunities

For ordinary users, there are three main ways to participate in WLFI wealth distribution, with different risks and returns.

The safest way to participate is to claim an exchange airdrop. Exchanges like BitMart have launched Powerdrop events, where users can receive free WLFI tokens by completing tasks like check-ins and trades. This is a zero-cost, risk-free way to participate, and users actually earn marketing fees from the platform.

Secondary market trading is the most popular method for retail investors. In the early days of WLFI's launch, significant price differentials existed across exchanges, creating arbitrage opportunities for astute traders. Some experienced traders profited through "inter-exchange arbitrage": buying on a lower-priced exchange and simultaneously selling on a higher-priced exchange to profit from the price difference. However, this strategy requires fast execution and a low-fee account, making it difficult for average users to enter the market.

The riskiest strategy is to "rush the opening"—buy a token quickly when it first lists on a major exchange, hoping to profit from the price after a rapid rise. For example, BitMart, which first listed WLFI, opened at $0.17 and peaked at $1.06, leaving a significant profit margin.

Generally speaking, ordinary users have relatively limited ways to profit, with most people primarily reaping marginal gains through activity and early participation. This also reveals a reality: in the distribution of wealth in the crypto market, capital and information often determine the ceiling for profit.

Summary and Thoughts

WLFI’s wealth story is a microcosm of the cryptocurrency market—information, capital, and influence determine the distribution of profits.

The Trump family gained the largest share by virtue of its influence; the whales obtained excess returns through early layout and precise operations; ordinary users could only find profit margins in limited opportunities.

With the launch of WLFI's new governance proposal (which plans to use fees earned from protocol liquidity to repurchase and destroy WLFI), the token's value may be further supported. However, market participants need to be aware that high returns inevitably come with high risks.

In the cryptocurrency market, earning profits within your cognitive scope is the most important rule of survival.