The Dubai Conference to Address Trump’s Controversies

Addressing a bustling auditorium in Dubai, the founder of the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture made an impactful announcement on Thursday. The Abu Dhabi-supported fund disclosed plans to utilize Trump company’s digital coins for $2 billion in business dealings.

This agreement marks a significant investment from foreign governments into President Trump’s private enterprise, aiming to generate substantial income for the Trump family. It also serves as a striking example of the ethical dilemmas surrounding Trump’s crypto business, blurring the lines between governmental and business interests.

Zach Witkoff, founder of World Liberty Financial, the Trump’s crypto firm, announced that the innovative Stablecoin created by the company will facilitate a transaction involving the globe’s largest crypto exchange, the state-backed Emirati investment firm MGX, and Binance.

Almost every aspect of Witkoff’s announcement, presented during a conference committee alongside Trump’s second son, Erdest, highlighted an inherent conflict of interest.

As MGX engages with World Freedom’s USD1 Stablecoin, Trump’s family business leads the way in collaboration with foreign government-backed ventures. This agreement establishes a formal connection between World Freedom and Binance, a platform under US scrutiny since 2023 due to previous money laundering violations.

The glamorous announcement served as a beacon for crypto investors worldwide, showcasing the potential for partnership with a firm associated with President Trump, who is recognized as a leading advocate for global Liberty.

“We appreciate MGX and Binance for their confidence in us,” stated Witkoff, whose family has ties to a Middle Eastern White House envoy. “This is just the beginning.”

Witkoff and Eric Trump participated in a panel at Token2049, a prominent crypto conference occurring in the UAE. This event is part of Witkoff’s ongoing international tour, having visited Pakistan the previous month to engage with the Prime Minister and other officials. Eric Trump has been in Dubai for a week, revealing plans to promote Trump-branded hotels and towers.

In two weeks, the president will embark on a state visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.

The panel featuring Witkoff and Eric Trump was the highlight of the Dubai conference. The venue, a luxurious resort along the Persian Gulf, was packed with crypto investors from around the globe.

“This country is incredible,” Witkoff remarked from the stage. “Today, it stands as one of the most, if not the most, innovative nations on the planet.”

Representatives from Binance, MGX, and World Liberty did not respond to requests for comments.

President Trump, who previously expressed skepticism towards cryptocurrencies, embraced digital currencies during his campaign as the industry invested tens of millions into the 2024 election. Last September, he and his sons introduced the concept of World Freedom as a new internet banking platform facilitating borrowing and lending using cryptocurrencies.

Since then, World Liberty has sold $550 million worth of the new cryptocurrency, known as $WLFI, allocating significant revenue to business entities linked to the Trump family. Moreover, the company launched Stablecoin in March, designed to maintain a consistent dollar value, making it favorable for large transactions.

The transactions conducted by the company have created an unprecedented conflict of interest in modern American history. Some investors purchasing $WLFI coins are foreigners prohibited from supporting the president through campaign contributions or donations. Furthermore, many corporate partners have strong incentives to seek favors from the federal government as they plan to expand within the US market.

The panelist lineup at the Dubai event underscores the ambiguity surrounding the Trump family’s business interests relative to US policy and regulations.

Joining Witkoff and Eric Trump on stage was Justin Sun, one of the leading Liberty investors and a Chinese-born billionaire behind the crypto platform Tron. Sun acquired $75 million in $WLFI coins following the election.

Approximately a year ago, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against Sun, alleging he manipulated Tron cryptocurrency prices. When Trump assumed office, the SEC requested federal judges to pause the lawsuit while negotiating a settlement.

“I’ve come to value your support,” Justin remarked. “Tron is remarkable technology, and we are fortunate to partner with you.”

Witkoff soon made a significant announcement during the panel.

In March, Binance revealed that MGX, an investment fund backed by the Abu Dhabi government, would utilize Stablecoins for a $2 billion investment in exchange, although the specific Stablecoin to be employed was not disclosed.

Witkoff confirmed that the chosen coin for the transaction is World Liberty USD1.

“Wow,” Sun responded.

The leaders of MGX and Binance maintain significant stakes with US officials.

MGX is headed by Sheikh Tanoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the Emirati Royal Family, who also serves as the national security adviser. In March, Sheikh Tanoon visited the United States for discussions with President Trump and various Cabinet members and advisors.

In 2023, Binance acknowledged guilt regarding violations of US money laundering laws, enabling criminals to conduct trades on its platform. As part of a settlement with the Department of Justice and other federal agencies, the company fell under the supervision of the Department of Treasury to ensure legal compliance.

In recent months, Binance’s founder, Changpeng Zhao, has pleaded guilty to money laundering offenses and sought clemency from the Trump administration after spending four months incarcerated.

The role of USD1 in the Binance-MGX deal significantly underpins the World’s Freedom.

Stablecoin issuers like World Liberty generate income by accepting deposits from investors, issuing Stablecoins in return, and investing those deposits to produce yields.

While the precise nature of the arrangement between MGX and Binance remains unclear, it appears World Liberty currently holds $2 billion in deposits. This alone could yield tens of millions in annual income for the Trump family and their World Liberty associates.

Ultimately, Witkoff expressed optimism from the Dubai stage, anticipating that the World’s Liberty Stablecoin would escalate further, reaching “billions in market capitalization.”

One day, he envisioned that visitors to the UAE might utilize USD1 coins for payments at Abu Dhabi’s Four Seasons.

At that moment, Eric Trump interjected.

“I’m not stepping into the Four Seasons with USD1,” he remarked. “You’ll find me at the Trump International Hotel and Tower.”

Source: www.nytimes.com

Sui Ecosystem’s 1st Global Conference, Sui Basecamp, Showcases Games, Stablecoins, and Product Innovation

Paris, France, April 10, 2024, Chainwire

Sui Basecamp, the first global conference of the Sui ecosystem, opened today in Paris, welcoming developers and entrepreneurs from around the world to celebrate Paris Blockchain Week. Sui Basecamp, his two-day event held at two venues, will feature his Web2 and Web3 speakers spanning industry verticals from payments to gaming to e-commerce to Major League Sports. Celebrating and exploring the latest developments in Web3, this event takes attendees to presentations on cryptography from the world's leading technologists, fireside chats on improving market liquidity, and panel discussions on real-world technology use cases. You will be invited.

Key announcements from the conference include:

  • Introducing SuiPlay0x1 – A lightweight handheld gaming device designed in collaboration with Playtron. SuiPlay0x1 runs Playtron's device-independent gaming operating system, building compatibility with a variety of hardware configurations, gaming storefronts, and direct download gaming partners. SuiPlay is the first handheld gaming device with native Web3 functionality and is expected to be available in stores worldwide in 2025.
  • first digital lab launches FDUSD, the fastest growing stablecoin in cryptocurrencies, on Sui, becoming the ecosystem's first native stablecoin. Initially deployed on Ethereum and BNB, there are plans to expand to other blockchains, and Sui will be the first blockchain that FDUSD has expanded to since its creation. FDUSD was established in August 2023 and already has a market capitalization of over $3.5 billion. Last week, FDUSD's trading volume was his fifth highest in the entire industry, with daily trading volume exceeding his $8 billion.
  • Enoki – Mysten Labs, an original Sui contributor, announced the launch of the Enoki platform, the gateway to next-generation customer experiences. Within the Enoki portal, businesses can access, leverage, and embed public ledger solutions within their applications, products, and services thanks to his SDK that leverages Sui's native functionality, zkLogin. The following partners will be integrating Enoki at launch:
  • blue fina perpetual DEX with super-fast payments and a seamless trading experience.
  • dry lifeis a blockchain-powered decentralized ride-hailing platform that aims to empower both drivers and commuters.
  • quantum templea digital platform for immersive cultural travel.

This is a two-day event starting on Wednesday, April 10th at 9:30am local time and ending on Thursday, April 11th at 4:15pm Central European Time. On Wednesday nights, registered guests are invited to a Sui Soiree. Enjoy a night of cocktails, snacks and dancing, along with performances by Boyz, a German electronic music record producer, songwriter and DJ, His Noise. Learn more about. sui.io/Basecamp.

About Sui—Sui is a first-of-its-kind Layer 1 blockchain and smart contract platform designed from the bottom up to make digital asset ownership fast, private, secure, and accessible to everyone. An object-centric model based on the Move programming language enables parallel execution, sub-second finality, and rich on-chain assets. With horizontally scalable processing and storage, Sui supports a wide range of applications at low cost and unmatched speed. Sui is a step-function advancement in blockchain and a platform that allows creators and developers to build amazing user-friendly experiences. learn more: https://sui.io

About Mysten Labs—Mysten Labs is a team of leading experts in distributed systems, programming languages, and cryptography, and its founders were senior executives and lead architects of pioneering blockchain projects. Mysten Labs' mission is to create the foundational infrastructure for Web3. learn more: https://mystenlabs.com

About First Digital Labs—First Digital Labs is a brand name of FD121 Limited, a Hong Kong registered subsidiary of First Digital Group. First Digital Labs focuses on cutting-edge research and development dedicated to the innovation and advancement of digital assets. First Digital Labs is the issuer of his FDUSD stablecoin. For more information about First Digital Lab, please visit: https://firstdigitallabs.com/.

About Playtron—Playtron builds a lightweight gaming OS optimized for a new generation of powerful handheld gaming PCs and beyond. Play all your games from any store, including Steam, Epic, and GOG. Playtron's founders oversaw an operational systems team of several hundred people to break the existing mobile monopoly while developing Android for a billion users. Playtron is backed by Samsung Next, Polychain, Circle, Mysten Labs, Alumni Ventures, and others. Playtron-powered devices will ship worldwide later this year, ready to join his next 100 million core and casual gamers.

contact

Sui Foundation
media@sui.io

Source: www.the-blockchain.com