Worldcoin to Expand Iris Scanning across the United States, backed by a $135 million funding round from top investors. The blockchain project, rebranded as World, aims to verify the identities of over 180 million Americans using its Orb devices by the end of 2025. This article explores the digital identity verification push and its implications for the biometric crypto project.
A $135 Million Boost for Growth
Worldcoin to Expand Iris Scanning with a significant $135 million infusion from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Bain Capital Crypto, announced on May 21, 2025. World Assets, a subsidiary of the World Foundation, sold WLD tokens at market prices to fuel this ambitious rollout. The funding has sparked a 15% surge in WLD’s price, with a 58% gain over the past month, though its $1.85 billion market cap remains 75% below its all-time high, per CoinGecko data.
The capital will accelerate World’s plan to deploy Orb devices—bowling-ball-shaped scanners that capture iris patterns for digital identity verification—to over half the U.S. population. This move marks a bold step for the biometric crypto project co-founded by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, despite ongoing global privacy debates.
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U.S. Embraces World’s Technology
Worldcoin to Expand Iris Scanning in the U.S., a market previously restricted due to stringent regulations and privacy concerns. The easing of legal barriers now allows Americans to use Orbs, access the World App, claim WLD airdrops, and engage with an ecosystem of mini-apps. World’s goal to scan 180 million Americans’ irises in 2025 represents the largest biometric crypto project in internet history, aiming to distinguish humans from AI in an increasingly digital world.
The project launched in the U.S. after debuting in cities like Atlanta, Austin, and San Francisco. It plans to deploy 7,500 Orbs across the country by year-end. Meanwhile, it has partnered with Visa to launch a crypto-linked debit card. It also teamed up with Match Group to enable age verification on Tinder. These moves expand the practical use of its blockchain identity solution.
Global Challenges Persist
WLD daily price movement, screenshot from CoinMarketCap taken at 5 PM on May 22, 2025.
Worldcoin to Expand Iris Scanning despite fierce global criticism. Countries like Kenya, India, Brazil, France, Germany, the UK, Hong Kong, and Spain have scrutinized or banned World’s data practices, citing risks to personal privacy. Spain’s 2024 order to delete iris data underscores these concerns. World counters that its Orbs convert scans into anonymized IrisCodes, deleting raw data to protect users, yet skepticism persists, as noted in online discussions.
Led by Sam Altman, who helped reshape AI through OpenAI, World now targets digital identity. The project uses its financial strength and Altman’s vision to redefine ID verification. So far, it has attracted 26 million users globally. Among them, 12.5 million users have verified their IDs through the Orb. However, regulatory challenges persist. In particular, New York poses significant hurdles.
Conclusion
Worldcoin to Expand Iris Scanning in the U.S., fueled by $135 million from a16z and Bain Capital. Targeting 180 million Americans, World’s biometric crypto project seeks to revolutionize digital identity verification via Orbs. Despite a 58% WLD price rally and partnerships with Visa, global privacy concerns challenge this blockchain identity solution. Altman’s bold vision could reshape the biometric crypto project landscape, but trust and compliance are critical.
