WLD Price Surges as Worldcoin Acquires $135 Million for Expanding Its Network

WLD surged by 36% following a $135 million token sale supported by prominent investors including a16z and Bain. More than 12 million retina scans have been recorded, with plans to release an additional 7,000 Orbs, even amidst ongoing legal challenges. The native token of Worldcoin, WLD, experienced a 163% increase on Thursday after the World Foundation announced its fundraising initiative aimed at enhancing its digital identity network. The funding was obtained by selling 117 million WLD tokens to initial investors, including Andreessen Horowitz and Bain Capital Crypto. The World Foundation secured $135 million from @a16z and @BainCapCrypto to help boost the growth of the real human network. This financing was made possible through a direct acquisition of liquid, market-priced $WLD recently. — World (@worldcoin) May 21, 2025. The financial support will be used to develop World IDs, a system designed to verify an individual’s identity using biometric data. The company has announced that it is laying the groundwork to meet the increasing demand for its Orb-verified identity service, particularly as it plans to grow rapidly in the U.S. Central to this expansion effort is World Assets, a subsidiary responsible for managing the distribution and sale of tokens. According to the Foundation, the money they have raised aligns with their objective of creating one of the first self-sustaining protocols, which will serve as a groundwork for a future heavily influenced by advanced artificial intelligence. The increase in biometric identity usage boosts the WLD rally. To date, the World network has gained more than 26 million users, with 12.5 million of them creating a World ID by having their iris scanned using the Orb, which is a key part of the platform’s identity verification system. The rapid expansion suggests a heightened fascination with biometric identification systems, although it has sparked concerns among commentators and regulators. Worldcoin’s use of iris and facial recognition technology has resulted in legal investigations and bans in multiple countries, primarily due to worries regarding user privacy and data protection. However, the progress of the initiative has continued despite this.