# World Liberty Financial's Mar-a-Lago Forum: Power Meets Protocol

> The Trump-backed DeFi project hosted its first major forum at Mar-a-Lago, bringing together crypto heavyweights and political insiders.

By Blockster Newsdesk · February 19, 2026

Canonical: https://blockster.com/world-liberty-financials-mar-a-lago-forum-power-meets-protocol

_If you wanted a snapshot of where crypto meets political power in 2026, the_ _[World Liberty Financial (WLF)](https://worldlibertyfinancial.com/)_ _forum at Mar-a-Lago was it._

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The Trump-family-backed DeFi initiative brought together project leadership, crypto executives, and political insiders to outline how WLF intends to position itself within the U.S. regulatory and financial landscape.

The event mattered less for spectacle than for access: many of the people in the room either influence policy directly or advise those who do.

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## The Players at the Table

[Eric Trump](https://x.com/EricTrump) and [Donald Trump Jr.](https://x.com/DonaldJTrumpJr) brand-licensing effort but a project the family is actively backing. Their messaging framed WLF as a long-term attempt to expand access to financial infrastructure in the U.S., rather than a short-term token play.

[Zach Witkoff,](https://x.com/ZachWitkoff) a WLF co-founder, focused on roadmap and product direction, outlining plans for onchain lending and borrowing infrastructure aimed at users unfamiliar with DeFi. The emphasis was on accessibility and onboarding, not experimental mechanics.

[Chase Herro,](https://x.com/WatcherChase) also a co-founder, addressed technical strategy, positioning WLF as a composable layer designed to integrate with existing DeFi protocols rather than replace them.

From the broader industry, [Brian Armstrong](https://x.com/brian_armstrong) was among the notable attendees, underscoring how established U.S. crypto firms are increasingly engaging directly with political forums as regulatory clarity becomes a gating factor for growth.

His presence — alongside other industry leaders like CZ, Kevin O'Leary, and Goldman Sachs' David Solomon — underscored that this wasn't just a Trump family vanity project but a genuine gathering of people shaping crypto's future.

[Post from @richardseiler on X](https://twitter.com/richardseiler/status/2024437671829934107?s=20)

## What Was Actually Communicated

Despite the political backdrop, the forum produced several concrete takeaways:

- **Governance**  
  WLF reiterated that its governance token, $WLFI, is intended to play an active role in treasury and protocol decisions.
  **Stablecoin Strategy**  
  Leadership confirmed plans to launch or integrate a USD-pegged stablecoin, signaling intent to operate as functional DeFi infrastructure rather than a governance-only layer.
  **Protocol Integrations**  
  WLF discussed ongoing capital deployment into established DeFi markets, including lending protocols such as Aave, emphasizing participation in existing liquidity and risk frameworks.
  **Regulatory Framing**  
  The project was consistently positioned as pro-U.S. and pro-innovation, aligned with the administration’s broader push toward domestic crypto infrastructure.
  [Post from @worldlibertyfi on X](https://twitter.com/worldlibertyfi/status/2024217737158091028?s=20)

## The RWA Deal Behind the Headlines

Beyond the forum, World Liberty Financial has already taken steps to anchor its strategy in regulated real-world asset tokenization.

[WLFI announced plans](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260218211545/en/World-Liberty-Financial-to-Tokenize-Trump-International-Hotel-Resort-Maldives-in-Partnership-with-DarGlobal-and-Securitize) to tokenize loan revenue interests tied to Trump International Hotel & Resort, Maldives, a luxury hospitality development by DarGlobal PLC scheduled for completion in 2030. The structure is being built in partnership with [Securitize](https://securitize.io/), which is providing issuance and compliance infrastructure.

Rather than tokenizing equity, the offering is designed to give eligible investors exposure to loan interest payments and associated revenue streams from the underlying asset. The tokens will be issued via private placement under Rule 506(c) of Regulation D for U.S. accredited investors and Regulation S for non-U.S. participants, with transfer and resale restrictions consistent with securities law.

WLFI has indicated that the tokens may be issued on supported public blockchains and, where permitted, could be used within WLFI Markets as collateral. The Maldives project is positioned as the first in a broader pipeline of WLFI-branded, compliant onchain real-world asset offerings.