Donald Trump has officially revealed the date of launch for his World Liberty Financial cryptocurrency project—September 16, 2024.
Made via a video on his X account, he asked fans to accompany him for a live event on Twitter Spaces that evening. Emphasizing a change away from conventional banking, Trump said in his address:
“We’re embracing the future with crypto and leaving the slow and outmoded large banks behind.”
Trump And The New Age For DeFi
World Liberty Financial is being positioned as a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform that aims to disrupt conventional financial systems. The project has been in development for several months, led by Trump’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump.
According to reports, the platform would run on the Aave protocol inside the Ethereum blockchain and have a credit account structure so users may more effectively borrow and lend money.
.@WorldLibertyFi pic.twitter.com/rHEGQXl4jL
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 12, 2024
The project is also expected to promote the use of US dollar-pegged stablecoins, reinforcing America’s financial influence globally.
For some time now, the Trump family has been hinting about their engagement in the crypto scene. Donald Jr. and Eric hinted forthcoming projects involving digital currencies earlier in this summer.
In political as well as bitcoin spheres, this has spurred interest and conjecture. With an eye towards giving consumers alternatives to conventional banking services, the whitepaper of the project describes its purpose to push mainstream adoption of DeFi.
As of today, the market cap of cryptocurrencies stood at $1.9 trillion. Chart: TradingView.com
Security Concerns And Criticisms
Concerns regarding the security and openness of the project have emerged as the launch date gets near. Critics, including Rep. Maxine Waters, have called attention to the hazards connected to DeFi including vulnerabilities to hacking and scams.
Waters especially cited World Liberty Financial, stressing consumer and investor caution. Furthermore casting doubt on the project’s legitimacy is its website’s use of privacy services connected to past cybercrime activity.
Despite the criticism, other parts of the crypto community have embraced the initiative. Some view it as a bold action that will help the US to match the direction of finance. Others, notably Trump supporter and Castle Island Ventures partner Nic Carter, have voiced worries that this endeavor could be a naive cash grab, therefore compromising the goodwill the crypto sector has garnered over years.
The Political Landscape
Given that the debut falls just a few weeks before the US presidential election, timing of it is very fascinating. Trump has changed his position on cryptocurrencies; he had previously called Bitcoin a “scam.”
His sudden acceptance of digital assets seems to be a calculated action meant to win over the rising crypto community. During his campaign, he has promised to remove Gary Gensler, the current SEC Chair, if reelected, signaling a desire for a more favorable regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies.
Featured image from www.history.com, chart from TradingView
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