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WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump reported more than US$1 billion in cryptocurrency-related income last year, according to a financial disclosure made public by the US Office of Government Ethics on Tuesday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
His stake in World Liberty Financial alone brought in well over US$500 million, according to the filing. World Liberty Financial is a company owned by the US president's family that operates in the cryptocurrency sector.
Trump received a further US$635 million in licensing fees from so-called Celebration Coins, according to the disclosure.
The president's cryptocurrency income is under scrutiny partly because his administration has aggressively promoted the trading of digital currencies. Trump has said he wants to turn the United States into a "Bitcoin superpower” and has been dismantling regulations since taking office.
Trump also retrospectively pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the founder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, who had been convicted of violating anti-money laundering laws. After Trump's re-election, Binance entered into close business ties with World Liberty Financial.
Trump's nearly 1,000-page disclosure also lists gifts, including 10 Super Bowl tickets worth US$50,000 from sports executive Gayle Benson. FIFA President Gianni Infantino also gave Trump 10 tickets to the World Cup final, worth a total of US$15,000.
Trump's unusually high income for a US president has drawn attention before. In mid-May, a similar disclosure showed that Trump had invested millions in technology giant Apple shortly before his trip to China. Apple chief executive Tim Cook accompanied him to Beijing.
The US administration has repeatedly rejected allegations of conflicts of interest, saying Trump's assets are not managed by the president himself. - BERNAMA
