Layer-1 blockchain Aptos announced a partnership with the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial (WLFI) to deploy the USD1 stablecoin. The collaboration seeks to use Aptos’s technology to expand the stablecoin’s presence and compete for market share.
Aptos CEO Avery Ching stated that discussions with the DeFi project have been in progress for some time. Speaking at the TOKEN 2049 conference in Singapore, Ching said of WLFI, “they view us as some of the best tech partners they could work with.” He elaborated that WLFI is developing a suite of future products for retail and banking. According to Ching, the initial step in this strategy is the introduction of a stablecoin structured so that “the yield goes back to the people.”
The USD1 stablecoin is scheduled to go live on the Aptos Network on October 6, with extensive ecosystem support planned from its inception. A number of leading Aptos DeFi protocols will feature liquidity pools and incentives. Wallets and exchanges will also support the asset’s integration onto the network. The participating platforms include:
- DeFi Protocols: Echelon, Hyperion, Thala, and Tapp.
- Wallets and Exchanges: Petra, Backpack, OKX, OneKey, Bitget Wallet, Nightly, and Gate Wallet.
Ching explained that World Liberty Financial selected Aptos due to its network performance. He described transaction costs as “incredibly cheap,” specifying a price of “less than a hundredth of a cent.” He also highlighted the network’s speed, noting that transactions are finalized in under half a second, which he characterized as being “way faster than any blockchain out there.”
This deployment positions the proof-of-stake blockchain to compete directly with Ethereum and Tron for stablecoin activity. Ching referenced the launch of Tether (USDT) on Aptos earlier in the year, which he said has experienced “tremendous growth” in a short period. He added that he anticipates exponential growth for stablecoins on the network. Tether data indicates there is currently $1.3 billion in USDT on Aptos, compared to $78.6 billion on Tron and $94.8 billion on Ethereum.
The USD1 stablecoin itself currently has a market capitalization of $2.68 billion. According to data from DefiLlama, the majority of this value is concentrated on the BNB Chain. Aptos currently holds approximately 0.35% of the total stablecoin market share, based on figures from RWA.xyz. Despite this, Ching reported that the network processes more than $60 billion in monthly volume and already supports Tether, USDC, Ethena USD (USDE), and PayPal USD.
Ethereum maintains a dominant position in the stablecoin market with a 59% share. This figure increases to 69% when including its layer-2 and EVM-compatible networks. During the conference, Ching also announced new products in the Aptos pipeline. One is “Decibel,” a high-performance decentralized exchange optimized for stablecoins, perpetual contracts, and spot trading. A testnet for Decibel is slated for October, with a mainnet launch expected before the end of the year.
A second product, “Shelby,” was also introduced. Described as a “hot decentralized storage” system, it is being designed in partnership with Jump Crypto for use cases such as real-time social media applications and training data. The launch for Shelby is projected for 2026. Avery Ching previously served as the head of Meta’s Diem crypto project. Aptos is backed by investors including FTX Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Apollo, Franklin Templeton, and Circle Ventures.
