Trump-Linked USD1 Stablecoin Used for UFC Bonus Payouts at White House Event

World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin was used to pay fighter performance bonuses at UFC Freedom 250, a mixed martial arts contest held on the White House south lawn on June 14. The UFC said World Liberty Financial served as presenting partner for a $250,000 bonus pool, with payouts made in USD1 across seven matches.

The development matters because it places a politically connected stablecoin in a high-profile sports and media setting. CoinDesk described the awards as among the most prominent commercial deployments of USD1 so far, giving the token visibility beyond crypto-native markets.

USD1 is issued by World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture linked to President Donald Trump’s family. The event took place on Trump’s 80th birthday, adding further attention to the relationship between the stablecoin, the UFC event and the White House venue.

The rollout follows earlier scrutiny of World Liberty Financial’s borrowing activity in decentralized finance. CoinDesk reported that the company had borrowed more than $75 million in stablecoins from Dolomite, using 3 billion WLFI governance tokens as collateral and depositing USD1 as part of the arrangement. That pushed the USD1 pool to 93% utilization, temporarily preventing retail depositors from withdrawing until loans were repaid.

World Liberty Financial is also in litigation with crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun, an early buyer of WLFI governance tokens, after Sun alleged the company improperly froze his holdings. The company has countersued for defamation.

USD1’s circulating supply has grown to around $4.6 billion, according to CoinDesk, up from $3.3 billion on Jan. 1. The company has also applied for a banking license from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, while the Trump administration has said there is no conflict of interest and that Trump’s assets are managed by a trust run by his children.