Strategic collaboration aims to bridge traditional finance with DeFi through institutional-grade tokenized assets.
World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the decentralized finance (DeFi) initiative backed by former President Donald Trump and his family, has partnered with tokenized real-world asset (RWA) leader Ondo Finance to accelerate the adoption of blockchain-based traditional financial instruments. The collaboration, announced on February 11, follows WLFI’s $470,000 investment in Ondo’s governance token, ONDO, and aligns with Ondo’s recent launch of a compliance-focused layer-1 blockchain, Ondo Chain.
Strategic Collaboration Details
The partnership centers on integrating Ondo’s tokenized RWAs — including its U.S. Dollar Yield (USDY) and Short-Term U.S. Government Treasuries (OUSG) — into WLFI’s ecosystem. Key initiatives include:
- Reserve Assets: WLFI may add USDY and OUSG to its treasury reserves, enhancing platform stability.
- Lending and Margin Trading: Users will gain access to tokenized securities, such as stocks and bonds, via Ondo’s Global Markets platform.
- Institutional Compliance: Ondo Chain’s permissioned design ensures regulatory adherence while enabling interoperability with public blockchains like Ethereum.
Donald Trump Jr., WLFI’s Web3 Ambassador, emphasized the partnership’s significance:
“By integrating Ondo’s tokenized assets, we’re providing secure yield and unparalleled access to traditional financial assets. This bridges the best of both worlds — traditional finance’s liquidity and DeFi’s innovation”.
Ondo Chain’s Institutional Ambitions
Ondo’s new layer-1 blockchain, unveiled on February 6, targets institutional investors with:
- Permissioned Validators: Ensuring accurate financial data and compliance.
- Native Asset Bridging: Seamless cross-chain interoperability for tokenized RWAs.
- Institutional Backing: Design input from Franklin Templeton, Wellington Management, and Google Cloud.
Nathan Allman, CEO of Ondo Finance, stated:
“Financial markets are overdue for an upgrade. Ondo Chain merges TradFi’s investor protections with DeFi’s open access”.
Market Reactions and Strategic Moves
WLFI’s $470,000 ONDO purchase via CoW Protocol — part of a broader $4.7 million crypto portfolio expansion — coincided with Ondo Chain’s launch, briefly buoying ONDO’s price before a market-wide downturn. As of February 6, ONDO traded at $1.298, down 3.7% over 24 hours.
WLFI’s strategic shift toward RWAs follows earlier investments in Ethereum, TRON (TRX), and Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC), signaling a focus on diversified, institutional-grade assets.
Broader Implications for DeFi and TradFi
The collaboration underscores a growing trend: $7.68 billion is now locked in top RWA protocols, per The Block Research, with giants like BlackRock CEO Larry Fink advocating for blockchain-based securities trading. Ondo’s $650 million total value locked (TVL) — up from $192 million in 2024 — highlights accelerating institutional interest.
Looking Ahead
The WLFI-Ondo partnership reflects a pivotal step in merging TradFi’s infrastructure with DeFi’s efficiency. As regulatory frameworks evolve, such initiatives could unlock trillions in tokenized assets, reshaping global finance.
