Sam Altman's Crypto Startup World, Which Collects Iris Biometrics, Launches in the US

And announced a payment card in partnership with Visa.  

• World (formerly — Worldcoin) announced its launch in the USA, writes The Verge. The company will install Orb devices, which scan irises, record data as code, and create a World ID based on them, in World Spaces and partner locations, including Razer stores.
• World ID can be used to verify identity online. In total, the company will install over 7,000 Orb devices in the USA. According to its own data, the number of people who have undergone verification using the devices is 12 million.
• In exchange for scanning, the project gives native tokens — WLD. According to The Verge, those who have scanned their irises will receive 16 WLD. Those who registered in the World app in the USA will receive 150 WLD. As of 12:41 PM MSK on May 2, 2025, WLD is worth about $1. The token will be available in most US states, including on exchanges like Coinbase.
• World also announced a partnership with Visa: in 2025, they plan to release a debit card that will be linked to the in-app wallet and will allow payment for purchases in any stores that accept Visa.
• The project also announced the integration of ID verification with Stripe, Tinder, and the Razer platform. A pilot project with Tinder for age verification will take place in Japan, writes Bloomberg.

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman founded World Network with theoretical physics graduate Alexander Blania and Max Novendstern, who worked at the investment firm Bridgewater Associates and the fintech startup Wave.

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