World Foundation has raised US$52.5 million to expand its World ID infrastructure as demand grows for online identity verification.
Pantera Capital led the initial close, with participation from Bain Capital Crypto, Eightco Holdings, Selini Capital, Susquehanna Crypto and other investors.
The funding came through a WLD token sale, with all tokens locked for 12 months.
The capital will support wider adoption of World ID among businesses, consumers and AI agents.
World ID allows users to prove they are unique humans online without revealing their identities.
The digital credential is issued after a one-time Orb verification and stored on the user’s phone.
World has faced regulatory scrutiny over its handling of biometric data, with authorities in Spain, Portugal and Hong Kong ordering suspensions or restrictions.
Regulators in several other countries have investigated or taken enforcement action, while Singapore police have probed the suspected unlicensed buying and selling of Worldcoin accounts and tokens.
World ID Targets Wider Platform Use
World Foundation is positioning the technology as a way for digital platforms to distinguish people from automated systems as AI-generated accounts, deepfakes and autonomous agents become more common.
World ID is being integrated with Zoom, DocuSign, Okta, Vercel and Tinder.
The investment comes three years after the World network launched on 24 July 2023.
More than 39 million people have joined the network, including over 18 million verified through an Orb.
The network has processed more than 475 million World ID proofs since launch.
World Foundation has also released World ID 4.0, which is designed to support large-scale business integrations and allow developers to create additional credentials using zero-knowledge proofs.
Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by pvproductions via Magnific
