On Monday, ALT5 Sigma, a fintech company specializing in blockchain infrastructure, unveiled plans to establish a crypto treasury focusing on the World Liberty Financial (WLFI) project—a venture backed by the Trump family.
The announcement, however, was met with a swift and negative reaction from investors, resulting in a significant drop in the company’s stock price.
First Crypto Treasury Focusing On World Liberty Financial
ALT5 Sigma, which trades on Nasdaq under the ticker name “ATLS”, aims to raise $1.5 billion to become the first publicly traded company to hold WLFI, the governance token associated with World Liberty Financial.
In a press release dated August 11, the company disclosed that it plans to raise these funds through a registered direct offering and a private placement, which will involve selling up to 100 million shares at a price of $7.50 each.
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Notably, the private placement will be conducted using WLFI tokens, which are currently non-transferable and will be treated as an over-the-counter (OTC) transaction.
In its regulatory filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), ALT5 Sigma stated that acquiring WLFI directly from World Liberty Financial is currently the only option, as the tokens remain locked and cannot be traded.
The filing also warned that if the company fails to acquire the tokens on favorable terms or at all, it may impair its ability to execute its digital asset treasury strategy, potentially requiring a reallocation of assets within the treasury.
ALT5 Sigma Shares Plunge 26%
Prior to the announcement with World Liberty Financial, ALT5 Sigma’s shares had been performing well, nearing $20 in pre-market trading and more than doubling in value. However, the news of the treasury plans reversed this momentum dramatically.
By the close of trading on Monday, shares had plummeted by 26.42%, settling at $6.60. As of the latest reports, ALT5’s stock continues to hover around $6, reflecting a decline of about 10% over the past week.
With the treasury acquisition, Zach Witkoff, co-founder of World Liberty Financial, is set to become ALT5’s chairman. Eric Trump, another WLFI co-founder, will join the board as a director.
Additionally, Zak Folkman, also a co-founder, will serve as a board observer, while Matt Morgan, CEO of Blockstreet, will take on the role of chief investment officer.
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It’s important to note that the WLFI token, designed as a non-tradeable governance token, was launched in October 2024, with a subsequent announcement of a USD1 stablecoin in March.
In mid-July, World Liberty Financial holders voted to allow the token to become tradable, facilitating peer-to-peer transactions and secondary market activity. However, for now, the movement of tokens remains limited, with trade eligibility constrained to a select group of early supporters.
Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com
