Supported by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and dedicated to building a 'real human network,' the cryptocurrency project World (formerly known as Worldcoin) officially announced its entry into the U.S. market, launching first in six major cities, including: Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco.
World stated that U.S. users can claim the native token WLD by verifying their human identity and establishing a World ID. This move is seen as an important step towards globalization for the project and represents its human verification technology entering the U.S. market for the first time. Under the new Trump administration, the U.S. has become more friendly towards the cryptocurrency industry, and the policy environment has clearly shifted to support Web3 and crypto innovation. World is considered to have timed its entry into the U.S. market perfectly, with hopes of gaining more policy space and funding support.
As AI-driven fake accounts, fake interactions, and scams become prevalent, the 'human verification system' proposed by World is considered one of the future digital identity infrastructures. Although the project has faced privacy controversies due to its iris-scanning technology, World emphasizes that it does not store biometric data, only using it to confirm that users are real people.
As of now, the World App has approximately 26 million registered users worldwide, of which about 12 million are 'independent human identities.' World hopes to achieve its goal of rapidly expanding to 1 billion users through the upcoming Mini-Orb scanner.
Besides identity verification, World recently announced several application scenario integrations. For example, World recently stated that it would follow in the footsteps of other cryptocurrency companies and launch a cryptocurrency Visa card, which will be directly linked to users' World App wallets, allowing users to easily use WLD tokens and other crypto assets for payments at merchants worldwide that accept Visa. This new card is expected to officially launch in the United States later this year.
In addition, World is also attempting to enter the online dating field. The project announced that it has partnered with dating app giant Match Group, which owns well-known platforms such as Tinder, Hinge, Match.com, and Plenty of Fish. This collaboration will initially pilot among Tinder users in Japan to help users verify whether their interaction partners' accounts are real and genuinely seeking connections.
Additionally, World has announced that its app users can now participate in prediction markets directly through the built-in Kalshi Mini App.
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