US President Donald Trump and his family’s cryptocurrency project, World Liberty Financial (WLFI), continues to be at the center of controversy. This time, WLFI is in the spotlight because of the person behind one of its largest investors, the Aqua 1 Foundation.
Aqua 1, which attracted attention with its $100 million WLFI investment, is said to be controlled by Chinese businessman Zhou Guren, whose debt records in China and connections to a money laundering investigation in the UK have raised new questions.
The Name Behind Aqua 1 Remained a Secret for a Long Time!
As you may recall, Aqua 1 became the largest public investor in the project in June 2025 by purchasing $100 million worth of governance tokens issued by WLFI. This investment surpassed Tron founder Justin Sun, who reportedly invested a total of $75 million.
When Aqua 1 announced its investment in WLFI, the true investor behind the company was not publicly known.
According to Caixin, a China-based financial institution, recent investigations have revealed the identity of the person who actually controls Aqua 1: Chinese businessman Zhou Guren.
Although Zhou Guren is not listed as one of the Aqua 1 Foundation’s executives, he is ultimately the beneficiary.
Zhou’s background, however, has raised questions about the source of funding for the $100 million investment.
China Has Millions of Yuan in Debt!
According to Caixin news agency, Zhou Guren is listed as an unreliable debtor in Chinese enforcement records. His name appears on a publicly available “debtor list” maintained by Chinese courts.
The report also states that Zhou’s total debt in the six separate cases he is involved in amounts to tens of millions of yuan.
This situation raises questions about the financial picture between China’s debt records and Zhou’s recent $100 million WLFI investment in Aqua 1.
However, the existence of these records about Zhou in China alone does not prove that the $100 million used in the investment is linked to these debts.
Money Laundering Investigation in the UK Too!
The news report also mentions another notable aspect of Zhou Guren’s past: a money laundering investigation in the UK.
According to Caixin, a document provided by the UK Royal Crown Prosecution Service links Zhou Guren to a money laundering investigation in the UK.
However, the fact that Guren has not yet been convicted on this matter raises further questions.
*This is not investment advice.
