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January 29, 2026

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The post Trump-Backed USD1 Stablecoin Explodes to $5B in Less Than a Year appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

The Trump-linked USD1 stablecoin has surged past a $5 billion market capitalization, quickly cementing its place as the fifth-largest stablecoin globally. In doing so, USD1 has overtaken PayPal’s PYUSD and climbed into the top 25 cryptocurrencies by overall market value, according to CoinMarketCap data. The rapid rise has caught the market’s attention, especially given that the stablecoin has achieved this scale in less than a year.

Donald Trump Jr., co-founder of World Liberty Financial, highlighted the milestone on X, pointing to growing institutional interest and accelerating adoption. The pace of growth has positioned USD1 as one of the fastest-scaling stablecoins the market has seen so far.

Growth Fueled by New Products and Treasury Moves

Behind USD1’s momentum is an aggressive expansion strategy by World Liberty Financial. Earlier this year, the firm unveiled “World Liberty Markets,” a new platform that allows users to borrow digital assets using USD1 as collateral. The platform also supports major stablecoins like USDT and USDC, along with tokenized Bitcoin, broadening its appeal to both retail and institutional users.

At the same time, World Liberty has moved to strengthen USD1’s supply through governance. A recent community vote approved using part of the project’s treasury to expand stablecoin issuance, helping meet growing demand. The firm has also signaled plans to launch real-world asset products backed by USD1, further embedding the stablecoin into on-chain financial infrastructure.

Banking Ambitions Spark Regulatory Debate

USD1’s rapid rise comes alongside a controversial push into traditional finance. Earlier this month, WLTC Holdings LLC, an affiliate of World Liberty Financial, applied with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish a national trust bank focused on stablecoin issuance.

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The move immediately drew political scrutiny. Senator Elizabeth Warren urged the OCC to halt its review, citing concerns over the project’s ties to former President Donald Trump. The OCC responded by stating that World Liberty’s application would be evaluated under the same standards as any other filing.

World Liberty co-founder Zach Witkoff has defended the application, arguing that a national trust bank would build on USD1’s rapid growth and provide a stronger regulatory foundation for future expansion.

Security Concerns Add Another Layer

Warren has also raised alarms about USD1’s connection to PancakeSwap, a decentralized exchange where the stablecoin is actively traded. She previously warned the Treasury Department that the platform has been linked to illicit fund flows, questioning whether the partnership could pose national security risks.

World Liberty maintains that its operations remain compliant and that USD1’s growth reflects legitimate market demand rather than political backing.

As USD1 continues its climb, it now sits at the center of both market excitement and regulatory debate. Its rise highlights how quickly politically linked crypto projects can scale, but also how fast they can attract scrutiny as they push deeper into the financial system.

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FAQs

How did USD1 grow so fast compared to other stablecoins?

Its growth was driven by new lending products, treasury-backed issuance expansion, and early institutional interest boosting liquidity.

What regulatory concerns surround USD1 right now?

Lawmakers have questioned its banking ambitions and DeFi exposure, though regulators say it’s being reviewed like any other applicant.

Does USD1 pose risks to users or the crypto market?

Like all stablecoins, risks include regulation and platform exposure, but USD1 claims compliance and demand-driven growth so far.

Microsoft stock (NASDAQ: MSFT) plunged over 11% on Thursday despite beating Wall Street on revenue and earnings in the second quarter.

The sharp sell-off came despite a record surge in AI capital spending.

But, investors seem more concerned about the modest cloud growth that raised serious questions about timing and returns on its massive infrastructure bet.

The Microsoft stock dropped more than 7% in after-hours trading on Wednesday and fell over 11% as the markets opened on Thursday.

For a company that has beaten earnings five straight quarters, this reaction signals that Wall Street’s appetite for “beats” has fundamentally shifted.

AI CapEx: The bill comes due

The central tension is around Microsoft’s spending of $37.5 billion on capital expenditures in the October-December quarter alone, a staggering 66% year-over-year increase and roughly $3 billion higher than expected.

About two-thirds of that spending went to GPUs and other compute chips for data centers.

In just the first two quarters of fiscal 2026, Microsoft has already invested $72.4 billion in infrastructure, more than Amazon spent annually on capex in most years.

Management framed this as long-term positioning. CEO Satya Nadella told investors:

We are only at the beginning phases of AI diffusion across the enterprise.

CFO Amy Hood emphasized that not all capex flows to Azure, as some funds are internal AI products like Copilot for Microsoft 365, GitHub Copilot, and Copilot Security.

Yet that explanation didn’t ease investor nerves about near-term returns. The real issue: Microsoft is spending massive amounts now on infrastructure it may not fully monetize for months or years.

Azure growth: Barely enough to beat

Here’s where investor disappointment crystallized.

Azure cloud services grew 39% in the quarter, solid by any normal measure, but it only narrowly exceeded the expected 38.8%, a whisper-low margin of comfort.

Management guided Azure to grow 37%-38% next quarter, suggesting deceleration from the current run rate.

For a cloud business that commands premium valuations precisely because of rapid expansion, that’s a red flag.

Morgan Stanley’s Keith Weiss, the research head covering software, made the blunt case:

Capex is growing faster than we expected, and maybe Azure is growing a little bit slower than we expected.

Weiss dropped Microsoft from his “Top Pick” list, a signal that even bullish analysts see the trade-off as problematic.

Goldman Sachs cut its price target to $600 from $655, citing “higher capex without faster Azure acceleration.”​

The new bar: Margin risk

Microsoft crossed $50 billion in quarterly cloud revenue for the first time and boasts a $625 billion backlog of future revenue.

On paper, the business looks pristine, but the market reaction tells you otherwise. Rich valuations become liabilities when growth stalls or investment intensity accelerates.

Investors want to see capex flatlining or declining as new data centers come online, while Azure accelerates.

Instead, they see capex rising alongside merely adequate cloud growth, exactly the opposite signal.

Microsoft has to prove the AI gamble transforms into operating leverage, not just balance sheet depreciation.

The post Why did Microsoft stock crash 11% after earnings despite beating estimates appeared first on Invezz