World Foundation

World Foundation

Open-source digital-identity and wallet platform

Overview

Worldcoin.org provides a universal digital identity and a global financial network built on an open-source protocol. Users get World ID to verify identity and use the Worldcoin Wallet to send and receive funds through the World App, with the protocol and network maintained by the Worldcoin Foundation. Unlike centralized identity systems, it relies on a public protocol and a worldwide community of developers, economists, and technologists. Its goal is to enable anyone to participate in the global economy, regardless of location or socio-economic status.

About World Foundation

Simplify's Rating
Why World Foundation is rated
C-
Rated C on Competitive Edge
Rated C on Growth Potential
Rated D+ on Differentiation

Industries

Data & Analytics

Fintech

Crypto & Web3

Company Size

501-1,000

Company Stage

ICO

Total Funding

$337.5M

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Founded

2019

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • World claims 17.9 million verified humans across 160 countries as of April 2026.
  • April 2026 launches added Tinder, Zoom, Docusign, Shopify, Okta, and Vercel integrations.
  • World Foundation raised $65 million on March 28, 2026, funding Orbs and R&D.

What critics are saying

  • Colombia’s SIC permanently shut World Foundation operations on June 18, 2026, and ordered data deletion.
  • Spain, Kenya, France, Germany, and Brazil have restricted World over biometric-consent failures.
  • WLD fell 97% from March 2024; financing now depends on token sales and adoption.

What makes World Foundation unique

  • World ID 4.0 uses Orb-backed biometric proof-of-humanity, not passwords or devices.
  • World opened-source World ID on April 17, 2026, inviting third-party integration.
  • Tinder, Zoom, and Docusign partnerships embed World into consumer and enterprise workflows.

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Funding

Total Funding

$337.5M

Above

Industry Average

Funded Over

5 Rounds

Notable Investors:
Ico funding comparison data is currently unavailable. We're working to provide this information soon!
Ico Funding Comparison
Coming Soon

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

1%

1 year growth

1%

2 year growth

3%
CoinDesk
Jul 24th, 2026
World Network raises $52.5M to combat AI deepfakes with human verification

World Network, the Sam Altman-backed digital identity project formerly known as Worldcoin, has raised $52.5 million in fresh funding. The protocol uses custom hardware called an Orb to verify unique individuals and distinguish humans from AI bots without compromising privacy. The investment arrives as World shifts from building to scaling utility. The network now has over 39 million members, with more than 18 million humans verified by an Orb. Since launch, it has processed over 475 million World ID proofs. In April, World unveiled a major upgrade positioning its system as "full-stack proof of human" infrastructure for consumers, enterprises, and AI agents.

Yahoo Finance
Jul 7th, 2026
Sam Altman's World opens flagship iris-scanning store on London's Oxford Street as WLD token drops 30%

World, the digital identity network co-founded by Sam Altman, has opened a flagship store at 48 Oxford Street in London. The location offers visitors iris scans via spherical "Orb" devices, issuing World ID credentials that verify users as unique humans rather than bots. The company reports over 18 million verified humans globally. World ID integrates with platforms including Tinder and ticketing services. A Tools for Humanity survey found 79% of UK adults believe proving real identity online is increasingly important. The opening comes amid regulatory challenges. Authorities in Kenya, Portugal, Spain, Brazil and Hong Kong have banned or suspended operations over biometric data concerns. The UK's Information Commissioner's Office has not publicly cleared the iris-scanning model. World plans expansion to Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Belfast and Glasgow.

Yahoo Finance
Jul 5th, 2026
Solana launches World, its first native prediction market platform to challenge Kalshi and Polymarket

Solana has launched World, its first native prediction market platform, on 1 July. The on-chain marketplace allows users to trade predictions using Solana blockchain wallets and settles trades in a Solana-native stablecoin, with outcomes verified by Chainlink's oracle network. Currently, World offers limited options including short-term Bitcoin price predictions and FIFA World Cup match outcomes. The platform plans to expand into sports, politics, and macroeconomic events this summer. The initiative could position prediction markets as Solana's "killer app". Investment firm VanEck previously predicted Solana's price could reach $3,200 if it finds an application capable of scaling to 100 million users. With Phantom wallet already boasting 20 million users, the blockchain may have infrastructure to support rapid growth in this emerging market.

Rest of World
Apr 27th, 2026
US firms adopt World ID despite global privacy bans

World, a biometric identification project co-founded by Sam Altman, has announced partnerships with Tinder, Zoom and Docusign to verify users and reduce fraud. The companies will use World's iris-scanning technology to distinguish humans from bots. Despite gaining traction with US corporations, World has faced widespread international rejection. Governments across Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America have halted or banned operations over privacy concerns and questionable data collection practices. Kenya, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand have all imposed restrictions or bans. Critics, including Edward Snowden, have condemned the project for "cataloguing eyeballs". A 2022 MIT Technology Review investigation revealed deceptive marketing and collection of data beyond iris scans without proper consent. World claims to have verified over 18 million people across 160 countries.

Altcoin Buzz
Apr 20th, 2026
The new World ID just dropped. And it's proof of human.

The new World ID just dropped. And it's proof of human. Worldcoin's World ID is now live and updated. It's out to prove you are human when on the web instead of dealing with a bot. April 20, 2026 Something quietly happened in the identity space this week. Most people haven't processed it yet. World just released the biggest upgrade to World ID since the protocol launched. And I think it matters more than the headlines suggest. Here's why. The old problem. The internet has a bot problem. You know this. Dating apps filled with fake profiles. Concert tickets snatched by automated scalpers before a human can click "buy." Gaming leaderboards where you're competing against scripts, not people. Existing systems verify devices and accounts. But they don't verify humans. If someone has your phone or your password, they *are* you as far as the platform knows. That's a real vulnerability. World ID was built to solve this. Nearly 18 million people across 160 countries have already verified their humanness at an Orb. But at that scale, new requirements emerge. Enterprises need production-grade systems: recoverable if you lose access, compatible with existing security infrastructure. Consumers want something private by default, but also intuitive and portable. The new World ID is built for both. What actually changed. The upgrade introduces a new architecture. One-time-use nullifiers prevent your interactions from being linked together. No personal data is exposed or stored. And for the first time, you can recover access if you lose your device. That's a big deal. Previous proof-of-human systems didn't have recovery. Lose your key, lose your identity. Now World ID supports multi-key authentication, key rotation, and formal session management. That's what production deployment at scale looks like. Here's the kicker. The new World ID introduces something fundamentally new. World calls it "human continuity." Today's security systems can verify that a device is trusted. They can't verify that the same unique human is behind the device across multiple interactions. World ID now enables that and without compromising privacy. Think about what that unlocks. Deepfake detection on video calls. Authenticity verification for communications. Governance systems that can't be gamed by bots. Tinder already integrated World ID globally after a successful pilot in Japan. Yoel Roth, Head of Trust & Safety at Match Group, said it gives users a "privacy-preserving way to help know the person on the other end is real." What about AI agents? This is the part I find most interesting. As AI agents act on behalf of real people, proving a verified human stands behind each agent becomes critical. The new World ID lays the protocol-level groundwork for human-backed AI. That's not a distant future problem. That's a next-year problem. World ID is becoming the trust layer for the internet. Not because of hype. Because nearly 18 million verified humans already use it, and the new protocol finally meets enterprise security requirements while remaining private by default. The SDK is now open source. Any app can be a World ID authenticator. And the dedicated World ID app puts proof of human at your fingertips. If you're building platforms where real humans need to prove they're real such as dating, events, gaming, AI agents, then this is worth your attention. Check the docs at docs.world.org. See if it fits. And if you're finding this useful, subscribe to our site and YT channel. We dig into these infrastructure shifts every week. We look at what's real, what's hype, and what actually matters for your portfolio. The information discussed by Altcoin Buzz is not financial advice. This is for educational, entertainment, and informational purposes only. Any information or strategies are thoughts and opinions relevant to the accepted levels of risk tolerance of the writer/reviewers and their risk tolerance may be different than yours. We are not responsible for any losses that you may incur as a result of any investments directly or indirectly related to the information provided. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are high-risk investments so please do your due diligence. This post is sponsored by Market Across

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