World Liberty Financial, a DeFi platform with ties to the Trump family, is introducing a new governance staking system. The proposal requires holders of unlocked WLFI tokens to stake them for voting privileges, offering rewards for active participation.
Under the new plan, WLFI holders must lock their tokens for a minimum of 180 days to vote. Those who cast at least two governance votes during their lock-up period will receive an estimated 2% annual return from the project's treasury. Voting power will be determined by stake size and remaining lock-up duration, using a formula designed to prevent concentration among the largest holders. This system also links staking to incentives for its stablecoin, USD1.
The proposal outlines Node and Super Node tiers for larger stakers. "Nodes" must stake at least 10 million WLFI, approximately $1 million, gaining access to market makers for 1:1 stablecoin conversions to USD1 and off-ramps to U.S. dollars. This aims to redirect arbitrage profits to committed token holders and boost demand for USD1, aligning governance with long-term capital commitments.
"Super Nodes" require a minimum stake of 50 million WLFI, offering priority access to partnership discussions with platform leadership, though commercial agreements will undergo separate review.
The proposal is set for a seven-day vote, requiring at least one billion eligible tokens to participate for validity. Staking-based governance models are increasingly adopted in DeFi to align long-term incentives without centralized control.