On this episode of Talking Tokens, we’re sharing Jacquelyn Melinek's fireside chat from Korea Blockchain Week with Zak Folkman, co-founder of World Liberty Financial, a crypto project backed by members of the Trump family. Zak shares his journey from early Ethereum adoption to co-founding World Liberty Financial and launching the USD1 stablecoin and WLFI token. They discuss how USD1 wants to integrate transparency by adopting Chainlink’s real-time proof of reserves, set new compliance standards with KYC and AML, and build community governance unlike other stablecoins. Zak explains the company’s chain-agnostic approach and global expansion efforts, including partnerships in Asia, and previews upcoming products like their retail wallet and debit card integration. The episode explores how World Liberty Financial aims to bridge traditional finance with web3 in a compliant and user-friendly way while targeting mass adoption.

This episode is sponsored by Fireblocks, the leading stablecoin infrastructure for global enterprises. Learn more at fireblocks.com.

⏱️ Timestamps

(00:00) - Intro

(01:03) - Zak Folkman’s background and why he started World Liberty Financial

(02:00) - Early crypto journey: Ethereum, smart contracts & law school inspiration

(03:47) - The mission: merging crypto and traditional finance

(04:45) - Highlights from Mar-a-Lago Twitter Spaces with President Trump

(05:37) - Its ICO & the importance of KYC and AML compliance

(06:54) - Why regulation and guardrails are essential for mass adoption

(07:50) - USD1 becomes one of the fastest-growing stablecoins

(08:49) - WLFI governance token and community participation

(10:07) - Protecting holders during volatility: reserves & bankruptcy-remote backing

(12:55) - Proof of reserves with Chainlink and full transparency audits

(14:58) - Upcoming partnerships, debit card & retail fintech app

(17:45) - No plans for a WLFI chain

(19:50) - Global expansion: growth across Asia, Korea & Singapore

(22:02) - Governance rights, user voting & token holder influence

(24:00) - Balancing regulation, security & decentralization

(25:52) - Final thoughts: making USD1 the world’s most adopted stablecoin

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Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Guests may have financial interests in discussed entities or assets. Not investment advice.