UAE 'Spy Sheikh' Bought Secret 49% Stake in Trump Crypto Company

Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan's $500 million investment came before US approved AI chip sales to UAE

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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A top UAE government official and royal, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, secretly purchased a 49% stake in the Trump family's cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, just months before the Trump administration approved the sale of advanced AI chips to the UAE. The deal saw around $187 million flow to Trump family entities and $31 million to the Witkoff family, who are co-founders of World Liberty.

Why it matters

This revelation raises concerns about potential conflicts of interest and corruption, with some in Congress calling for investigations into whether the Trump administration prioritized the interests of the President's crypto company over national security concerns in approving the AI chip sales to the UAE.

The details

According to The Wall Street Journal report, the stake purchase by Tahnoon's Aryam Investment company made it the largest shareholder in World Liberty Financial, which is behind the stablecoin USD1. World Liberty is co-founded by former President Donald Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff. The deal was signed by Eric Trump just before his father's second inauguration as president.

  • The stake purchase by Aryam Investment was signed in the days before Donald Trump's second inauguration as president.
  • In May, months after the deal between Tahnoon and World Liberty, the US agreed to allow the UAE to purchase hundreds of thousands of advanced artificial intelligence chips from American chipmaker Nvidia.

The players

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan

The UAE's national security adviser and manager of its largest wealth fund, also known as the 'spy sheikh'.

World Liberty Financial

The Trump family's cryptocurrency venture, which is behind the stablecoin USD1.

Donald Trump

Co-founder emeritus of World Liberty Financial and former US President.

Steve Witkoff

Co-founder emeritus of World Liberty Financial and Trump's special envoy.

Eric Trump

Signed the deal between Aryam Investment and World Liberty Financial just before his father's second inauguration as president.

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What they’re saying

“This is corruption, plain and simple. The Trump Administration must reverse its decision to sell sensitive AI chips to the United Arab Emirates.”

— Elizabeth Warren, Senator, D-Mass., top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee (The Wall Street Journal)

“I love it when these papers talk about something being unprecedented or never happening before as if the Biden family and the Biden administration didn't do exactly the same thing, and they were just in office.”

— Todd Blanche, Deputy Attorney General (ABC's 'This Week')

What’s next

The Senate Banking Committee is expected to call Witkoff, White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify on the mounting evidence of potential conflicts of interest and corruption related to the Trump administration's dealings with the UAE and the sale of AI chips.

The takeaway

This case highlights the need for greater transparency and oversight of high-level government officials' business dealings, especially when they involve sensitive national security matters and the President's own financial interests.