UAE Cash Shadows Trump Crypto!

UAE-linked private investments in a Trump crypto venture are drawing scrutiny from US lawmakers.

Daniel Bihun
February 02, 2026

Here's what we've got for you today:

Abu Dhabi Money Linked to Trump Crypto Project Raises Foreign Influence Questions
BitRiver Founder Detained in Russia on Tax Evasion Charges
Bankman-Fried Backs Trump After Ellison’s Prison Release
Shiba Inu Developer Speaks Out as SHIB Price Criticism Mounts

Reports of UAE-linked private investments in a Trump-associated crypto venture are drawing scrutiny from US lawmakers.

US lawmakers and regulators are scrutinizing reports that money linked to Abu Dhabi’s ruling circle flowed into World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture associated with Donald Trump and his family.
Reporting indicates the funding did not come from the UAE government directly, but from private vehicles and networks tied to influential figures in Abu Dhabi’s ruling elite.
The Wall Street Journal said a vehicle connected to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan acquired nearly half of World Liberty Financial for about $500 million, while Reuters reported that the UAE-based Aqua 1 Foundation bought $100 million worth of the project’s non-tradable WLFI governance tokens.

Russian authorities have detained BitRiver CEO Igor Runets on tax evasion charges.

Igor Runets, founder and CEO of BitRiver, has reportedly been detained by Russian authorities and charged with three counts of tax evasion related to the alleged concealment of assets.
Russian outlets said the case is being handled by the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow, which formally charged Runets on Saturday and ordered him placed under house arrest.
BitRiver grew into one of Russia’s largest Bitcoin mining operators by running large-scale data centers in Siberia, taking advantage of cold weather and low electricity costs to serve both in-house and third-party mining operations.

Sam Bankman-Fried recently praised Donald Trump and criticized Joe Biden in a series of posts.

Sam Bankman-Fried publicly praised Donald Trump while criticizing Joe Biden as he serves his 25-year sentence for fraud tied to the collapse of FTX.
SBF said Trump is “right on crypto,” which caused speculation that he may still be trying to secure a presidential pardon.
His latest comments were made shortly after the release of Caroline Ellison, who served 440 days in prison for her role at Alameda Research.

Shiba Inu developer Kaal Dhairya defended project leadership amid growing criticism.

Kaal Dhairya responded to rising criticism of Shiba Inu’s leadership with a post on X, arguing that innovators are often misunderstood and mocked before their ideas get recognized.
In a post titled “Misunderstood visionary,” Dhairya compared people like Vincent van Gogh, Shytoshi Kusama, and Elon Musk, and suggested that backlash against Kusama proves a historical pattern faced by those challenging conventional thinking.
Dhairya said leadership perception shifts with market cycles, as Kusama was praised during SHIB’s October 2021 all-time high after massive gains, but now faces criticism due to declining prices.

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