Koreas's No. 2 crypto exchange signs memorandum with World Liberty, boosting global reach
| Bithumb CEO Lee Jae-won (right) poses for a picture with World Liberty Financial co-founder Eric Trump during the Bitcoin Asia 2025 in Hong Kong in August. (Bithumb) |
Bithumb, one of South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, has formed a general partnership with World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture founded by family members of US President Donald Trump, as it looks to expand its international network.
The company said Tuesday it signed a memorandum of understanding with World Liberty a day earlier and hosted a ceremony at the Bithumb Financial Center in Seoul’s Gangnam district. Bithumb CEO Lee Jae-won, World Liberty co-founder Zak Folkman and executives from both sides attended.
World Liberty Financial is a decentralized finance protocol and blockchain firm tied to the Trump family. It was launched in September 2024 when Trump announced his sons’ entry into the crypto market with the new venture. World Liberty issued its first token, WLFI, in October 2024, which is now listed on major global exchanges, including Bithumb.
While the partners did not specify concrete projects, they said they plan to “collaborate on discovering new business opportunities and reinforcing global investor trust.”
The partnership follows a meeting between Bithumb CEO Lee and Eric Trump, World Liberty co-founder and Trump’s second son, at the Bitcoin Asia 2025 in Hong Kong in August.
“This collaboration with World Liberty Financial will mark an important milestone in enhancing Bithumb’s global competitiveness,” Lee said, pledging to continue strengthening the company’s strategic partnerships.
Korea remains one of the world’s top five cryptocurrency markets, with total market capitalization surpassing 100 trillion won ($72 billion) this year. Bithumb is the country’s second-largest crypto exchange and ranks No. 19 globally by trading volume, according to CoinMarketCap.
Bithumb added that it is stepping up its overseas push, also holding follow-up talks in Seoul with Circle on Monday, the US-based stablecoin issuer, after their August meeting.
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