Trump-Backed WLFI Proposes Token Staking: All You Need to Know

World Liberty Financial, the DeFi project backed by Donald Trump, is asking its investors to make a serious commitment. Under a new proposal, holding the generic WLFI token might not be enough anymore to have a voice in the project: now it requires staking your WLFI tokens. But not everyone is happy about this.

This shift aims to turn short-term speculators into long-term partners, but it comes with a strict condition: are you willing to freeze your assets for six months? As the crypto market keeps sustaining high volatility and continuous dumping, it is hard to imagine how many are willing to take this commitment.

A new governance proposal is now live on the WLFI forum.

The community is being asked to vote on enabling Staking for $WLFI token holders to incentivize participation in governance— one of the most significant steps forward in the evolution of $WLFI.

Read the proposal. Make…

— WLFI (@worldlibertyfi) February 25, 2026

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What is the New WLFI Staking Proposal?

The proposal asks World Liberty Financial holders to stake their tokens for a minimum of 180 days. In exchange for this commitment, you get two primary things: voting power and potential staking rewards.

To stop “whales” (investors with massive amounts of money) from completely bullying the vote, the system uses a “square-root” calculation for voting power. This limits the influence of the largest holders. If a whale holds 100 times more tokens than you, they do not get 100 times the voting power. This concept of adjusting voting weight is common in modern decentralized governance to protect the little guy.

However, the rewards come with a catch. The proposal targets a ~2% annualized reward, paid from the treasury, but you only get paid if you actively participate. Stakers must vote on at least two governance proposals during their lock-up period to qualify.

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Why Is This Happening Now?

This move is not happening in a vacuum. It appears to be a direct response to recent instability involving the project’s flagship asset, the USD1 stablecoin. Previously, sophisticated traders and market makers were able to capture significant value from the ecosystem through arbitrage, leaving less for the actual community.

By shifting incentives to long-term stakers, WLFI is attempting to redirect value away from these intermediaries and toward loyal holders. It is an attempt to stabilize the system by ensuring that the people making decisions are the ones who are committed to staying for the long haul.

This public confirmation signals that the team sees staking as the primary method to lock in liquidity and reduce the volatility that has plagued the project since launch.

Is the community supportive of this decision?

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Not Everyone Is Happy: WLFI Pre-Sale Buyers Still Waiting For Their Tokens

Many WLFI pre-sale buyers from 2024–2025 remain frustrated, as nearly 80% of their tokens stay locked after almost two years. Holders complain of endless delays, poor communication, and no clear unlock timeline. Major criticisms include: token freezes (even for big investors like Justin Sun), perceived insider favoritism, low yields vs. high risks, whale-only perks, and accusations of centralization or neglect.

Patience is wearing thin as the token price struggles.

And now this staking proposal. A payout of roughly 2% APR is relatively low in the high-risk world of DeFi. For comparison, other staking protocols often offer significantly higher yields for locking up assets.

If you choose to stake, your WLFI tokens are frozen for six months. In crypto, six months is an eternity: prices can crash, markets can turn, and you would be unable to sell your tokens to stop the bleeding. The “opportunity cost” of locking your tokens for a 2% return is a real risk factor you need to weigh carefully.

Additionally, the most lucrative benefits are reserved for the wealthy. The proposal creates a “Node” tier for those staking 10 million WLFI (roughly $1 million) and a “Super Node” tier for 50 million WLFI. These tiers get special access, such as 1:1 trading for the USD1 stablecoin and priority partnership access. If you are a small fish, you are essentially getting a different product than the whales.

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