World Liberty Financial’s WLFI token shot to the top of the daily leaderboard among the top 100 crypto projects, rising more than 10% in the past 24 hours, according to CoinGecko. The pop is notable—but also misleading at a glance: WLFI is deeply negative over longer windows, down 11.6% over seven days, 33.6% across 14 days and nearly 34% on the month. What’s driving the short-term spike? A New York Times report points to a close tie-up with Binance as a major factor behind WLFI’s recent traction. The outlet says Binance “has become a vital engine” for the Trump family-backed firm, including promotional content tied to WLFI’s USD1 dollar-pegged stablecoin. Such exchange-level visibility can produce rapid inflows and price pops—even if they don’t hold. Political and regulatory backdrop The NYT piece also highlights a controversial twist: it reports that President Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) in October last year. CZ had faced U.S. enforcement action and a headline-grabbing $4.3 billion settlement related to alleged anti-money-laundering violations—one of the largest corporate crypto-related penalties to date. Those developments, plus Binance’s promotional push, appear to have given WLFI short-term momentum. Other volatility drivers and risks WLFI has also been in the headlines after reports that a Saudi-backed firm bought a 49% stake in the company—another source of scrutiny and speculation. Still, the broader market environment is fragile. Bitcoin reclaimed the $71,000 area after a dip below $62,000, but sentiment remains weak and volatility high. That leaves room for a rapid unwind: traders could lock in WLFI gains if risk appetite cools, and BTC itself could trigger further downside that drags altcoins lower. Bottom line The WLFI rally looks exchange-driven and short-lived against a backdrop of recent heavy losses and market fragility. Investors should weigh the promotional lift and headline risk—Binance ties, a reported major equity sale, and lingering regulatory noise—against the possibility of a near-term correction. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news
