Worldcoin’s WLD token, the biometric-identity project co-founded by OpenAI chief Sam Altman, surged this week after the World Foundation disclosed a US $135 million private token sale to venture-capital heavyweights Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Bain Capital Crypto.
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Price action. WLD jumped from an intraday low of US $1.24 to a high of US $1.63 on 23 May, a 31 % move, before settling near US $1.36 early Monday in Asia. The burst leaves the token up roughly 27 % on the week and 164 % above its all-time low set in April.
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Catalyst. The $135 million raise increased circulating supply but also armed the project with capital to deploy 7,500 iris-scanning “Orbs” across the United States as it pushes for mass “proof-of-personhood” adoption.
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Market context. Despite lingering privacy probes in Germany, Brazil and Singapore, the funding round signals sustained institutional appetite for Altman’s vision of bot-resistant digital ID. WLD outperformed the broader crypto market’s 6.5 % weekly gain and most smart-contract tokens, according to market data.
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What’s next. Analysts now watch the US $1.65 resistance flagged in recent technical reports; a decisive break could open a path toward the psychological US $2.00 level. Conversely, any slowdown in Orb roll-outs or fresh regulatory setbacks could test support at the US $1.20 area.
Worldcoin launched in July 2023 promising to distribute tokens in exchange for biometric verification, positioning itself as infrastructure for AI-era universal basic income and sybil-resistant governance. The latest cash injection lifts total funding above US $385 million since inception.