World, Sam Altman’s crypto-based human identity project, is launching in the U.S. with Visa card support and a Tinder partnership.
Background:
- Sam Altman’s World project, formerly Worldcoin, announced its official U.S. rollout starting in six cities: Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco.
- Users can verify their identity using the project’s iris-scanning device, the Orb, to receive WLD tokens and a “World ID.”
- The initiative aims to tackle the growing challenge of distinguishing between humans and AI bots online, framing itself as the “real human network.”
- The project has already amassed around 26 million app users worldwide, with 12 million identified as “unique humans.”
- Previous launches in other countries were met with privacy concerns, although World maintains it does not store biometric data.
Why should you pay attention?
- World is expanding its scope beyond identity verification by launching a crypto-linked Visa card for U.S. users later this year.
- The card will connect directly to the World App wallet, letting users spend WLD and other crypto anywhere Visa is accepted.
- The project has also teamed up with Match Group to introduce a Tinder pilot in Japan, allowing users to verify identities in dating apps.
- With AI bots increasingly prevalent online, human verification could become foundational to both social and financial platforms.
Who said what?
- The company explained:
“The World Card will connect directly to an individual’s World App wallet... while individuals can gain flexibility in how to use their digital assets."
- On its dating push, World noted:
“Meeting new people should feel exciting and secure, with tools that make it easier to trust and connect authentically.”
- World added in the launch statement:
“You can now participate in prediction markets directly from World App using the new Kalshi Mini App”
- The firm also said it is working with Razer to bring human verification to physical retail gaming spaces, aiming to show players when they're competing against other humans.
Zooming out:
- World’s entry into the U.S. comes as the country under President Donald Trump’s administration signals openness toward crypto innovation.
- Alongside the U.S. expansion, World is scaling its hardware through mini-Orbs and is experimenting with broader use cases in payments, gaming, and social apps.
- The project’s ultimate vision is onboarding 1 billion verified users to a decentralized global network.
- While some remain wary of its biometric approach, World’s continued integration across real-world platforms shows its ambitions reach far beyond Web3.
