On the 18th local time in the United States, the first World Liberty Forum hosted by Trump’s cryptocurrency project World Liberty Finance was held at Mar-a-Lago, bringing together major figures from the U.S. finance and cryptocurrency industries and top regulators: Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, CFTC Chairman Michael Selig, Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman, Franklin Templeton CEO Jenny Johnson, NYSE President Lynn Martin.
Prominent figures from the sports and cultural sectors were also in attendance: including FIFA President Gianni Infantino and famous rapper Nicki Minaj.
As hosts, Trump's two sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. appeared as event moderators.
BlockBeats summarized the main points from the speakers at the event as follows:
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon
He shared that he publicly holds Bitcoin for the first time, albeit in small amounts, and stated that he is still an "observer" of Bitcoin, working to understand its price behavior and volatility. He emphasized that cryptocurrencies are very important to traditional finance and supports the advancement of regulatory frameworks (such as the Senate's proposed cryptocurrency market structure bill). Solomon's appearance marks a shift of Wall Street from skeptics to participants, discussing how the macro environment favors cryptocurrency growth in 2026 and hinting that institutions are accelerating their embrace of digital assets.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong
Armstrong stated that the main reason for the deadlock in negotiations over cryptocurrency market structure legislation lies with the banking associations rather than individual banking institutions. He pointed out at the World Liberty Forum in Florida that some industry associations view the cryptocurrency industry with a "zero-sum thinking," believing that for banks to win, the cryptocurrency industry must lose, thus hindering the bill's advancement.
One of the current focal points of controversy is whether to allow stablecoin rewards. After the Senate Banking Committee's market structure bill faced obstacles, banking representatives insisted on limiting stablecoin reward provisions in multiple meetings organized by the White House. The next round of related meetings is expected to take place this week.
Armstrong anticipates that some sort of compromise may emerge in the future, offering new policy benefits to banks in exchange for support for the bill. He also emphasized that what small and medium-sized banks are truly concerned about is not the flow of funds to stablecoin issuers but rather the deposits flowing to larger banking institutions. At the same time, several major banks have begun to establish their cryptocurrency operations, with Coinbase currently providing cryptocurrency infrastructure support to "five out of the top five global banks."
Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman
As the head of Nasdaq, she focused on the modernization of financial infrastructure and the integration of TradFi with blockchain. She emphasized how exchanges are adapting to the trends of tokenized assets, stablecoins, and DeFi, supporting regulatory clarity to foster innovation. Her speech reinforced Nasdaq's leadership position in the digital asset space, discussing the role of AI in market structure and how to more efficiently integrate cryptocurrency opportunities into traditional markets. The overall tone was one of embracing change and promoting America's leadership in global digital finance.
CFTC Chairman Michael Selig
As a regulator, he primarily discussed the progress of cryptocurrency market structure legislation, regulatory pathways, and the CFTC's role in overseeing derivatives/futures. He emphasized the need to balance innovation and risk control to avoid excessive regulation stifling growth. Selig's speech was viewed as a policy signal, discussing stablecoin regulation, cross-border impacts, and how to make U.S. rules more friendly. CZ was present to hear his speech and stated that he "benefited greatly."
FIFA President Gianni Infantino
He approached the discussion from the perspective of sports/global entertainment, discussing the application of tokenization in the sports industry, such as fan tokens, NFTs, digital collectibles, and how blockchain is reshaping the fan economy and sponsorships. Infantino emphasized FIFA's interest in Web3 (having previously launched NFT projects) and explored how to leverage the global influence of soccer with DeFi/stablecoins to create new revenue streams. His participation highlighted the cultural/entertainment dimension of the forum, symbolizing the infiltration of cryptocurrency into mainstream industries.
Nicki Minaj
In a fireside chat titled "Owning the Culture: The Business of Music in a Creator-Led Economy" (in conversation with Trump advisor Alex Bruesewitz), she focused on how artists are transforming into entrepreneurs. She discussed converting music, IP (intellectual property), royalties, and fan communities into on-chain businesses, utilizing blockchain for direct monetization, independent control, and new models of fan economy. Minaj emphasized the creator-led era where artists no longer rely on traditional record companies but control their value chains through crypto/DeFi tools. She also expressed her support for Trump, bringing a pop culture perspective and attracting significant attention.
Donald Trump Jr.
As co-founder and host of WLFI, Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr. fiercely criticized the traditional banking system as a "Ponzi scheme," claiming it has forced the Trump family into cryptocurrency. He strongly promoted USD1 stablecoin as a "version 2.0 of the dollar," emphasizing that the private sector drives innovation and that the creation of stablecoins generates demand for U.S. Treasuries, thus benefiting taxpayers.
Eric Trump
He is extremely optimistic about Bitcoin, predicting it will reach $1 million (based on an average historical annual increase of 70%). Eric emphasized that the Trump family's cryptocurrency project serves "the most crypto-friendly president," advocating for regulatory looseness and innovation. He discussed WLFI's RWA strategy (such as tokenizing the loan proceeds from Trump Maldives resort) and reiterated the family's vision: to upgrade the dollar, bridge TradFi with blockchain, and make America lead the global financial revolution.
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