Apex Group to pilot Trump‑affiliated WLFI stablecoin as payment rail for tokenized funds Apex Group, the global financial services provider that administers more than $3.5 trillion in assets, will pilot a stablecoin issued by WLFI, the crypto company affiliated with U.S. President Donald Trump, to settle transactions in its tokenized fund ecosystem, the firms announced Wednesday at the World Liberty Forum at Mar‑a‑Lago. The partnership will test WLFI’s USD1 stablecoin as a payment rail for subscriptions, redemptions and distributions across Apex’s growing suite of tokenized funds. Apex said the pilot aims to speed up settlement and cut operational overhead for institutional clients — including hedge funds, pension funds, banks and family offices — by leveraging blockchain rails instead of traditional payment systems. “Clients increasingly want blockchain‑based solutions that deliver tangible benefits and cost savings,” Apex CEO Peter Hughes said in the companies’ announcement. Why it matters Tokenizing funds—issuing fund shares or other securities on blockchain rails—can streamline reporting, reduce intermediaries and widen access to investors. Apex has been expanding its on‑chain capabilities: in May it acquired Tokeny, a Luxembourg firm that builds infrastructure for issuing and managing real‑world assets (RWAs) on‑chain, and bought London’s Globacap, an investing platform with a U.S. broker‑dealer registration. Those moves strengthen Apex’s ability to tokenize regulated securities, especially as interest in blockchain‑based RWAs grows among asset managers. At the forum, World Liberty co‑founder and CEO Zach Witkoff framed USD1 as “infrastructure for a future financial services ecosystem,” underscoring WLFI’s role in the pitch. Next steps and distribution plans Beyond the pilot, Apex said it will explore listing WLFI tokenized assets — such as real estate and infrastructure offerings — on the London Stock Exchange Group’s Digital Market Infrastructure platform, subject to regulatory approval. WLFI also plans to launch a mobile app that links traditional bank accounts with digital asset wallets to give users access to tokenized holdings. The announcement positions a legacy fund administrator at the center of a high‑profile effort to bridge traditional fund operations and crypto rails. Regulatory reviews and operational testing will determine whether stablecoin payment rails can deliver the faster, lower‑cost settlement Apex and WLFI promise. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news