Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, has officially listed USD1, a politically charged US dollar-pegged stablecoin developed by World Liberty Financial (WLFI)—a DeFi protocol backed by President Donald Trump and his family. 

The listing has sparked a massive surge in market activity, propelling the stablecoin’s daily trading volume into triple-digit growth territory.

USD1 Goes Live on Binance

At exactly 12:00 UTC on May 22, Binance launched spot trading for the USD1/USDT pair, opening the stablecoin to the exchange’s massive global user base. Deposits for the stablecoin had already gone live earlier in the day, with withdrawals enabled starting on May 23 at 12:00 UTC.

In its listing announcement, Binance confirmed the move, stating:

“Binance will list World Liberty Financial USD (USD1) and open trading for the following spot trading pair at 2025-05-22 12:00 (UTC).”

Within hours of the listing, the coin’s 24-hour trading volume jumped from $72 million to over $95 million, reflecting a 31.9% intraday increase. According to CoinMarketCap, this listing also contributed to a 626.5% surge in daily trading activity—a staggering rise for a stablecoin that only launched two months ago.

Dual Listings and Institutional Traction

The Binance listing came just one day after crypto exchange KuCoin added USD1 to its own trading platform on May 21. The rapid adoption across major centralized exchanges has helped fuel USD1’s breakout momentum.

“KuCoin is extremely proud to announce yet another great project coming to our Spot trading platform. USD1 will be available on KuCoin!” the exchange stated.

With a current market cap exceeding $2.1 billion, USD1 has rapidly ascended into the upper tier of the stablecoin ecosystem, positioning itself as a strong competitor to established players like USDT and USDC.

Adding to the momentum, Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX used the stablecoin to settle a $2 billion investment on Binance, marking one of the largest single institutional uses of the stablecoin to date. The transaction was seen as a major vote of confidence in the token’s stability and regulatory structure, despite its political associations.

Airdrop Plans and Growing Adoption

World Liberty Financial is also preparing an airdrop of USD1 to eligible WLFI holders, following a successful governance vote earlier this month. The proposal, posted on May 7, passed a week later with overwhelming community support—6.8 billion token votes in favor. Full distribution details are expected to be released soon.

WLFI has emphasized its commitment to expanding USD1’s utility across DeFi and traditional finance, aiming to use the token not only for crypto-native use cases but also for cross-border settlement and remittance.

Political Ties and Regulatory Eyebrows

While market enthusiasm has been palpable, the Trump-backed nature of the stablecoin has not gone unnoticed. Several U.S. lawmakers have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest, especially with a sitting or recently former president backing a financial instrument with global trading implications.

Nonetheless, Binance’s endorsement of USD1 signals a strong show of market confidence, potentially opening the door for more politically affiliated stablecoin projects in the future. The exchange has not commented directly on the political affiliations of the token, focusing instead on USD1’s growing market demand and liquidity.

A New Era for Politically Backed Digital Assets?

USD1’s explosive debut is a rare example of a politically connected stablecoin gaining mainstream traction in crypto markets. With institutional adoption growing and DeFi engagement on the rise, the question now is whether the momentum can be sustained—or if regulatory heat will eventually slow its ascent.

Either way, May 22, 2025, may go down as the day USD1 officially entered the crypto big leagues.