Eric Trump, son of former U.S. President Donald Trump, is advancing a real estate tokenization project aimed at democratizing access to high-value property investments for a global audience, allowing fractional ownership from as little as USD $1,000.
The initiative seeks to convert ownership of a specific building, currently under development, into digital tokens via blockchain technology. This process is designed to offer fractional stakes to investors worldwide.
Trump is co-founder of World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol that will underpin the project. The plan involves integrating the tokenized assets with the WLFI protocol and its USD1 stablecoin.
His vision is to bypass traditional lenders, such as large banks, and instead seek capital directly from a broad base of smaller investors. This model is intended to open investment opportunities to the Trump family’s extensive global following.
“We are working on it with relation to a specific building I am developing at this moment,” Trump said in an interview for CoinDesk TV, which is set to air on October 21. He added, “I think it’s going to be absolutely incredible.”
He questioned the traditional financing model, stating, “If I decide to build a hotel in Washington D.C., in Dubai, or in New York, why do I have to go to Deutsche Bank? Why can’t I go directly to the masses?”
Zach Witkoff, another co-founder of WLFI, had previously discussed the possibility of bringing the Trump family’s real estate portfolio to the blockchain at an industry event in Singapore in early October.
Tokenization involves transforming traditional assets like real estate into digital tokens that can be bought, sold, and transferred on a blockchain. This method is explored globally by financial institutions to increase liquidity and broaden investor access to historically exclusive asset classes.
Investors could participate with minimum investments of USD $1,000. Potential benefits for these fractional owners might include discounts on lodging or exclusive access to hotel services.
WLFI was launched last year with the goal of merging cryptocurrency infrastructure with traditional financial services. In September, the protocol announced plans for a debit card and a retail application, enabling the use of its USD1 stablecoin for everyday payments.
Trump suggested that the real estate tokenization could become a flagship use case for the WLFI ecosystem. He believes it will demonstrate how tokenization can democratize real estate investment and bridge the physical economy with digital assets.