Trump-linked stablecoin used for bonus payouts at White House UFC contest

MarketsTrump-linked stablecoin used for bonus payouts at White House UFC contestUFC Freedom 250 paid fighter bonuses in USD1, the stablecoin issued by the Trump-linked crypto venture World Liberty Financial, at a contest held at the White House. By Shaurya Malwa|Edited by Sheldon RebackUpdated Jun 15, 2026, 9:08 a.m. Published Jun 15, 2026, 8:09 a.m. 2 min readMake preferred on ShareShare this articleCopy linkX iconX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmailMake preferred on SummaryShowWorld Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin, backed by the family of President Donald Trump, was used to pay $250,000 in fighter performance bonuses at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn.The promotion comes months after World Liberty Financial borrowed $75 million from a DeFi protocol, which temporarily locked out retail USD1 depositors, and amid litigation with crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun.USD1’s circulating supply has grown to about $4.6 billion as World Liberty Financial seeks a federal banking license.USD1, the stablecoin issued by the Trump family's crypto venture World Liberty Financial, has gone from locking retail depositors out of a DeFi lending pool to being used to pay fighters on the White House lawn.The UFC said Friday that World Liberty Financial would serve as the presenting partner of a $250,000 performance bonus pool at UFC Freedom 250, a mixed martial arts contest held on the south lawn of the presidential residence on Sunday, June 14, President Donald Trump's 80th birthday. The bonuses were paid out in USD1 to fighters across seven matches.The awards are among the most prominent commercial deployments of USD1 to date.The visibility push comes months after CoinDesk reported on a borrowing controversy that briefly hit prices of WLFI, World Liberty Financial's token, and rattled the project's sentiment in social circles.The company had borrowed more than $75 million in stablecoins from Dolomite, a DeFi lending protocol whose co-founder Corey Caplan advises WLFI, using 3 b…

Trump-linked stablecoin used for bonus payouts at White House UFC contest

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