Open Interest in Trump-Linked WLFI Token Derivatives Nears $1B Ahead of Unlock

WLFI, the governance token of World Liberty Financial, tied to the Trump family, began trading on September 1 under restrictions that limit early investors to selling just one-fifth of their holdings.

This high-stakes launch is preceded by immense market anticipation. Hours before a partial token unlock scheduled for 8:00 a.m. ET, open interest for WLFI derivatives contracts rising to nearly $1 billion, signaling heavy speculative positioning.

https://twitter.com/martypartymusic/status/1962255746391068783

WLFI Token Derivatives Trading Volume Soars Over 400% in 24 Hours

Trading activity for WLFI derivatives has also exploded, with a 24-hour volume increase exceeding 420% to reach $5.06 billion. This meteoric rise instantly positioned WLFI as the fifth-most traded crypto derivat
ive asset.

Concurrently, open interests are also up . The total value of outstanding WLFI contracts reached nearly $950 million in early Monday trading before easing to $849.94 million, still up 28.45% in just one day.

Trading volume reflects the number of contracts bought and sold, showing how actively a market is moving.

Open interest, on the other hand, measures the total value of open contracts that remain unsettled, revealing how much capital traders are keeping in play.

The combination of high volume and rising open interest signals two things at once: a rush of short-term speculation and deeper conviction from traders willing to hold positions.

For WLFI, this dual surge points to both intense hype and growing confidence around its upcoming 5% token unlock. Unlock events can create price swings, as restricted tokens begin entering circulation, and markets often trade heavily in anticipation.

Meanwhile, Binance has become the centre of this activity. Data shows the exchange handled nearly half of WLFI’s total 24-hour derivatives volume, worth about $2.43 billion. It also captured half of the open interest, equal to $428 million.

The scale of WLFI token’s derivatives activity is unusual for a project at this stage. Most new governance tokens start slowly, building liquidity and user interest over time.

WLFI, however, has launched into the market with extraordinary speculation, boosted by its political ties and public attention.

Trump’s Link and Uptick Trajectory Fuels Projections for the Top 10 Crypto Position

World Liberty Financial, the platform behind the WLFI token, is still less than a year old. Yet its unusual ties to the Trump family have made it one of the most closely watched new entrants in the crypto sector.

Donald Trump promoted the project on social media before taking office as US president. His sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, are among the project’s founders, thus the brewing link.

Price action has been volatile. The WLFI token is trading near 32 cents, down from a peak of 40 cents last week. Analysts note, however, that even at current prices, its trajectory is remarkable.

If the token maintains a level around 34 cents, its fully diluted market value, based on the full 100 billion tokens in circulation, would sit at roughly $34 billion.

This figure would make WLFI the ninth-largest cryptocurrency in the world, ahead of both Tron and Dogecoin, which currently have valuations under $32 billion.

However, this is not the first time a Trump-connected venture has stepped into the crypto spotlight.

Earlier in August, Thumzup Media, a social marketing firm in which Donald Trump Jr. holds a stake, announced it had raised $50 million.

https://twitter.com/thumz_up/status/1955630243017875902

The fresh capital will fund the purchase of advanced Bitcoin mining equipment and support the creation of a broader crypto reserve. At the same time, the company expanded its partnership with Coinbase, signalling a stronger move into the digital asset sector.