BUILDon (B) Soars 500% After World Liberty Financial (WLFI) Invests Millions

BUILDon (B), a recently-launched meme coin on the BNB Smart Chain, has witnessed an explosive 500% surge in the past 24 hours.

Recently launched BNB Chain meme coin BUILDon (B) has seen an impressive 500% price surge within the past 24 hours. As per the data by CoinMarketCap, the token is trading around $0.218 at press time, gaining around $190 million in market cap, currently sitting at over $210 million.

This price spike follows a major buy-in by the Donald Trump family-backed crypto project, World Liberty Financial (WLFI). On May 22, WLFI purchased 636,961 B tokens, spending 25,011 USD1, its recently launched stablecoin, for the transaction.

Trump's World Liberty(@worldlibertyfi) spent 25,011 $USD1 to buy 636,961 $B 4 hours ago.https://t.coingecko.com/en/coins/buildon/price_charts

— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) May 22, 2025According to the reports, the acquisition aims to support the BUILDon team, which recently launched its token and gained traction after securing listing on Binance Alpha.

However, the move sparked criticism from crypto traders, who pointed out that B's price had already dropped significantly from its previous highs. Some expressed skepticism about the longevity of BUILDon's momentum.

Moreover, WLFI’s crypto portfolio has rapidly expanded in recent months. Data by Arkham Intelligence reveals that the firm holds a diverse crypto stash valued at around $1.09 billion, including $21.1 million in Ether ETH, $18 million in Wrapped Bitcoin BWB, and $13.2 million in staked ETH (STETH).

Despite its accumulating wealth and growing influence in the crypto market, WLFI continues to face legal and ethical troubles. The firm has long been the subject of scrutiny for its ties to individuals facing criminal charges, secretive dealings, and links to the Trump administration.

Its recent launch of USD1 and its listing on KuCoin have also sparked criticism. KuCoin was recently penalized with a $300 million fine after admitting to violations of U.S. anti-money laundering laws, making WLFI’s partnership with the exchange particularly controversial.

Earlier this month, a group of U.S. senators launched an inquiry into WLFI, aiming to examine the firm’s involvement in crypto-related fraud and its contributions to political campaigns.

However, WLFI co-founder Zach Witkoff has since rejected calls from U.S. lawmakers to investigate the firm’s operations and its ties to Trump. In a letter dated May 15 to Senator Richard Blumenthal, part of the group that launched the inquiry, Witkoff’s legal team dismissed the inquiry as “fundamentally flawed.”

The letter, seen by Blockworks, stated that WLFI is “too busy building the future of finance to be distracted by regulatory oversight at this time.” It highlighted that the firm is focused on supporting promising startups like BUILDon.

The timing of BUILDon's surge aligns with renewed optimism in the broader altcoin market. Bitcoin has now broken past its previous all-time high, which may be triggering expectations of a strong altcoin season.

Meanwhile, TOTAL3, a total crypto market cap excluding Bitcoin and Ethereum, continues to rise rapidly, especially when compared to the expanding U.S. money supply. This signals that investors are beginning to rotate capital from fiat into altcoins.

The memecoin market at large is also heating up. Over the past 24 hours, the market cap of memecoins has jumped by 8.7%, reaching $75.18 billion.