- Sam Altman’s eye-scanning crypto project World has launched in six U.S. cities, offering users a verified digital identity through Orb scans and partnering with Visa to release a crypto-enabled payment card.
- Despite privacy concerns and regulatory scrutiny, the project is expanding with global partnerships and aims to combat bots and fraud in digital spaces.
Sam Altman’s futuristic crypto and digital identity venture World has officially launched in six major U.S. cities, marking a pivotal moment for the eye-scanning project formerly known as Worldcoin. The rollout includes innovation hubs like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Miami, Atlanta, and Nashville.
The World project aims to address the growing challenge of verifying human identity in an era increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence. At the heart of the project is the Orb—a metallic sphere that scans users’ eyes and faces to confirm their humanity. In return, users receive the project’s native cryptocurrency, WLD.
Eye-Scanning for Identity in the Digital Age
By using biometric data to create a World ID, the platform seeks to offer a secure and universal identity system that can integrate with services like Reddit, Telegram, Shopify, Discord, and even Minecraft. The project’s goal is not just about digital ID—it’s about making sure the people behind online profiles are real humans.
The concept has already attracted scrutiny from privacy watchdogs, and the project has been suspended in countries like Spain and Portugal over concerns about data handling. Despite this, World now boasts 26 million users globally, with nearly half of them verified through Orb scans.
New Partnerships: Visa and the Dating World
In a bold move to extend utility, World announced a partnership with Visa to release the World Visa Card later this year. This crypto-enabled card will allow users who’ve scanned their eyes to make payments using WLD and other digital currencies.
Meanwhile, Match Group—the parent company of dating platforms like Tinder and Hinge—will pilot World ID as a tool to verify real users on dating apps. The idea is to improve trust and transparency in online dating by ensuring that each profile is tied to a real, verified person.
World has also teamed up with blockchain-based prediction market Kalshi and decentralized lending platform Morpho to explore further use cases for its identity solution.
Token Price Slips After Brief Surge
Following the U.S. launch news, WLD token prices spiked by roughly 15%. However, that momentum didn’t last. The token has since dipped more than 5% in 24 hours and is currently trading just above $1—down over 90% from its all-time high.
Despite price volatility and ongoing privacy concerns, World’s expansion into the U.S. marks a bold step forward in the blending of crypto, identity, and real-world utility.
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