Sam Altman’s ambitious crypto and digital identity initiative, now rebranded as World, has officially launched in six major U.S. cities: Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco. The project—originally known as Worldcoin—uses biometric orbs to scan users’ irises and faces, generating a unique World ID in exchange for WLD tokens.
World Visa Card and Crypto Payments on the Horizon
World announced a strategic relationship with Visa, marking a significant step toward widespread acceptance. The World Visa Card, which will let users to make purchases using WLD tokens and other cryptocurrencies, will be introduced by them jointly. Later this year, the card should be accessible, marking World’s transition from a unique identity project to a more comprehensive financial platform.
From Cryptocurrency to Cupid: World Taps into Online Dating
World has made an unexpected foray into the dating app market. In order to confirm user legitimacy, Match Group, the parent company of Tinder, Hinge, and Match.com, is testing World ID integration. The objective is to eradicate bots and phony profiles, which are a recurring problem in online dating.
In addition to dating, World ID will be included into well-known websites like Shopify, Reddit, Telegram, Discord, and Minecraft, providing identity verification capabilities that are widely used throughout the digital ecosystem.
Privacy Concerns Shadow Global Expansion
World has encountered regulatory obstacles, especially in Europe, despite its quick expansion. Concerns over data collecting and privacy led authorities in Portugal and Spain to suspend its operations. The site currently has 26 million users worldwide, 12 million of whom were confirmed by the Orb scan, proving that these problems haven’t stopped user uptake.
Founded in 2019 and renamed in 2024, World aims to become a digital gateway for identity verification and crypto engagement.
New Alliances and Market Reactions
World has partnered with decentralized lending protocol Morpho and prediction market platform Kalshi in addition to Visa. These collaborations show a wider desire to move beyond ID verification and into new Web3 applications.
WLD tokens saw a 15% increase after the news of the U.S. launch, but the gains were fleeting. According to the most recent data, the token is trading more than 5% lower than it was a day ago, hovering just above US$1—much lower than its peak of US$11.74 in March 2024.
Looking Ahead
Whether World’s expansion into the U.S. and other sectors will rejuvenate its market value and silence critics remains uncertain. But with bold partnerships and controversial tech, Sam Altman’s vision for a decentralized, ID-verified internet is fast becoming reality.
