Trump-Backed AI Financial in Talks to Divest Core Business

AI Financial, a cryptocurrency company linked to the Trump family, is reportedly in discussions to sell its core payments business to blockchain technology firm Perpetuals.com for up to $15 million. This potential sale represents a significant strategic shift for AI Financial, which had acquired a payments company for $750 million approximately a year ago. The development, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, underscores a major change in the company's financial strategy.

Formerly known as Alt5 Sigma (AIFC), AI Financial was brought under the control of the Trump family's crypto venture, World Liberty Financial, through a majority stake acquisition in August of last year. This transaction was facilitated using World Liberty Financial's own WLFI cryptocurrency. Subsequently, AI Financial raised an additional $750 million from external investors, utilizing these funds to purchase more WLFI tokens, thus gaining substantial exposure to the Trump-backed digital asset. However, during this period, the value of WLFI tokens plummeted by approximately 70%, while the Trump family reportedly received around $540 million in cash from World Liberty Financial's token sales, benefiting from a 75% cut of the proceeds.

This situation led to hundreds of millions of dollars in paper losses on AI Financial's balance sheet and raised significant doubts about the company's ability to continue as a going concern. The company reported a quarterly loss of $271 million, largely attributed to the decline in its WLFI holdings. Furthermore, AI Financial's Nasdaq-listed stock has fallen by over 90% since the World Liberty transaction, reducing its market capitalization to roughly $80 million. The payments business currently being discussed for sale generated $25 million in revenue last year and constitutes AI Financial's sole revenue-generating unit.

This development is part of a broader scrutiny surrounding the Trump family's extensive cryptocurrency activities. A report released by Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee in November 2025 revealed that Donald Trump and his family had earned billions of dollars through a network of cryptocurrency ventures launched during and after the 2024 presidential campaign. These reports emphasize that profits from the sale of tokens like WLFI have substantially enriched the Trump family, often at the expense of ordinary investors who faced considerable losses.

Analysts and market observers suggest that AI Financial's attempt to sell its core business clearly indicates the company's challenging financial position and its struggle for survival. Negotiations with Perpetuals.com are still ongoing, and the terms have not been finalized, with the possibility that talks could change or collapse. Should the sale proceed, the future operations of AI Financial and the potential for investor recovery remain uncertain. The evolving landscape of payment solutions and the role of stablecoins in the cryptocurrency markets are also significant factors influencing the strategies of such companies.