Financial giant with $3.5 trillion asset to pilot Trump-affiliated WLFI stablecoin for tokenized funds

• Apex Group is partnering with World Liberty Financial, a crypto firm affiliated with President Donald Trump, to pilot WLFI’s USD1 stablecoin as a payment rail in traditional fund operations.
• The pilot will test using the USD1 stablecoin for subscriptions, redemptions and distributions across Apex’s tokenized fund ecosystem.
• As part of the collaboration, Apex will explore listing WLFI tokenized assets on the London Stock Exchange Group’s Digital Market Infrastructure platform, while WLFI plans a mobile app linking bank accounts to digital asset wallets.

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Apex Group, a global financial services provider overseeing more than $3.5 trillion in assets, has partnered with WLFI$0.1164, the crypto company affiliated with U.S. President Donald Trump, to pilot the use of a stablecoin in traditional fund operations, the companies announced at the World Liberty Forum at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday.

The collaboration centers on WLFI’s USD1 stablecoin, which Apex will test as a payment rail for subscriptions, redemptions and distributions across its tokenized fund ecosystem, it said in a press release. Apex, which provides administrative and operational services to a broad client base that includes hedge funds, pension funds, banks and family offices, said the goal is to improve settlement speed and reduce operational overhead for institutional clients.

Zach Witkoff, the co-founder and CEO of World Liberty, called USD1 infrastructure for a future financial services ecosystem during opening remarks at the forum. 

The firm has been increasingly active in the digital asset space, using blockchain to tokenize portions of the funds it services. Tokenizing funds, or issuing shares on blockchain rails, can help firms streamline reporting, lower fees and reach a wider investor base.

In May, Apex deepened its blockchain focus by acquiring Tokeny, a Luxembourg-based firm known for building infrastructure to issue and manage real-world assets (RWAs) on-chain. It also acquired London-based Globacap, an investing platform with a U.S.-registered broker-dealer, expanding Apex’s ability to tokenize regulated securities in the U.S., where interest in blockchain-based RWAs is growing among asset managers.

Apex CEO Peter Hughes said in a statement that clients “increasingly want blockchain-based solutions that deliver tangible benefits and cost savings,” in a statement.

As part of the WLFI collaboration, Apex will also explore making WLFI tokenized assets — such as real estate and infrastructure — available on the London Stock Exchange Group’s (LSEG) Digital Market Infrastructure platform, subject to regulatory approval. WLFI said it plans to launch a mobile app that connects traditional bank accounts with digital asset wallets and enables users to access these tokenized holdings.

• Some 77% of the survey's 4,658 respondents said they would open a cryptocurrency or stablecoin wallet within their banking or fintech app if one were available.
• A survey commissioned by crypto exchange Coinbase and stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK also found that 71% of users would use a stablecoin-linked debit card to spend the fiat-linked tokens.
• Stablecoin users on average hold 35% of their annual earnings in such tokens, and 73% of freelancers and contractors reported an improvement in their ability to work with international clients thanks to stablecoins.

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