Crypto market maker DWF Labs has opened a new office in New York City as part of its broader U.S. expansion strategy and disclosed a $25 million investment in governance tokens issued by decentralized finance protocol World Liberty Financial (WLFI).
The firm’s U.S. entry comes as it seeks to grow its presence in the world’s largest market for digital assets and deepen engagement with institutional players and regulators. The expansion includes hiring plans across compliance, trading, and business development, as well as partnerships with local educational institutions.
DWF Labs’s move signals an effort to position itself within key conversations around regulation and adoption of blockchain-based financial solutions in the United States.
Governance Token Purchase Tied to Strategic Collaboration
Alongside the opening of its New York office, DWF Labs has acquired $25 million worth of WLFI governance tokens in a private transaction. WLFI is a decentralized governance platform with ties to the USD1 stablecoin, a fiat-referenced digital asset designed for institutional use in DeFi applications.
According to the companies, the investment will allow DWF Labs to play an active role in WLFI governance and contribute liquidity to the USD1 ecosystem using its proprietary trading and liquidity infrastructure.
Zak Folkman, co-founder of WLFI, said DWF Labs is expected to support the protocol’s next-phase development, including efforts to scale infrastructure for decentralized finance and stablecoin adoption.
Focus on Regulation, Institutional Adoption
The New York office serves as a hub for DWF Labs’s efforts to connect with traditional financial institutions and policymakers. The firm plans to pursue regulatory outreach and support educational initiatives through collaborations with American universities.
In a statement, DWF Labs Managing Partner Andrei Grachev said the expansion reflects the firm’s belief in the U.S. as a leading market for institutional crypto growth. Grachev added that the company’s involvement with stablecoin infrastructure aligns with its broader efforts to contribute to financial innovation through blockchain technologies.
The firm’s interest in fiat-pegged assets like USD1 is consistent with a growing trend among crypto companies to develop tools that mirror traditional financial systems, particularly as regulatory scrutiny increases worldwide.
DWF Labs operates across both centralized and decentralized trading platforms and has become an active participant in the digital asset and Web3 investment space. The firm has not disclosed a timeline for additional expansion plans but signalled continued involve
