The World Foundation has completed a $52.5 million targeted sale of WLD tokens, with participants including Pantera Capital, Bain Capital Crypto, Eightco Holdings, Selini Capital, and Susquehanna Crypto. The proceeds will be used to expand the applications of World ID, covering scenarios such as enterprises, consumers, and AI agents.
The tokens sold will be locked for one year.
A key arrangement in this transaction is that all purchased WLD tokens will be locked for 12 months, during which time they cannot be sold or transferred. World stated that this arrangement reflects the investors' support for the project's long-term development.
Unlike many token fundraising events, this sale did not leave investors with short-term trading opportunities. For World, this also allows them to focus the fundraising efforts on product expansion rather than secondary market volatility.
Funds will be invested in World ID expansion.
The focus of this fundraising is to move World ID from network infrastructure to practical applications. World ID is an identity system used to verify whether an account is backed by a real person, aiming to distinguish between humans, robots, and AI agents without directly exposing personal identities.
According to the project description, users need to complete an iris scan using an Orb device to obtain the highest level of authentication. The system will convert the biometric data into an encrypted identifier instead of saving the original image.
39 million members have joined the network.
World Network states that it currently has over 39 million members, of whom over 18 million have completed verification through Orb, and a total of over 475 million World ID certificates have been issued.
In April of this year, World ID released an upgrade, positioning it as a "human verification" infrastructure for enterprises, consumers, and AI agents. TechCrunch previously mentioned that relevant partners include Tinder, Zoom, and Docusign.
The project is run by Tools for Humanity
World is operated by San Francisco-based Tools for Humanity, whose co-founders include OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Alex Blania. The project was formerly known as Worldcoin before being renamed World.
According to reports, World ID also completed a $135 million private token funding round last May, led by a16z and Bain Capital Crypto. Compared to the previous round, this funding round was smaller in size but more focused on the commercial expansion of World ID.
Amid the rise of AI-generated content, bot accounts, and deepfakes, World is attempting to develop "human verification" into an infrastructure service available for enterprise purchase. This new funding round indicates that some institutional investors remain betting on the commercial prospects of this direction.
