World Network raised $135 million in funding led by A16z, advancing in the United States but still facing bans from multiple countries.

World Network, a digital identity initiative led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, recently announced a $135 million funding round led by well-known venture capitalists a16z and Bain Capital. However, privacy concerns have also exposed it to intense scrutiny from governments such as Brazil, Indonesia and Germany, raising questions about the ethics and legality of its “iris scan for cryptocurrency” model.

World financing 135 million USD: led by a16z and Bain

World’s official Twitter announced that it has completed a $135 million funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Bain Capital Crypto, and transactions will be conducted using the native token WLD.

World Foundation raised $135M from @a16z and @BainCapCrypto to accelerate scaling the real human network.

Funding was through a recent direct purchase of liquid, market-priced $WLD.

— World (@worldcoin) May 21, 2025

The World team stated that the plan will be used to promote international layout, striving to expand its coverage in global services:

This round of financing will mainly be used to expand its iris scanner (orbs) and infrastructure, and is expected to officially operate in six cities within the United States.

(World Network officially enters the United States! Visa debit cards and the Tinder verification program are ) launched simultaneously

As a kind of digital identity certificate used to prove the real existence of individuals through biometric verification, World tries to solve the challenge of artificial intelligence and “real and fake humans” in the online world through World ID. More than 12.5 million users in more than 160 countries have registered and obtained World IDs.

Token enticing iris? Multiple countries question violation of informed consent principle

However, this exchange of cryptocurrency rewards for sensitive information such as users’ iris has also continued to be criticized by regulators around the world, suspecting that its “coin bait” model violates users’ right to informed consent. These include:

Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD): Requested to cease operations this January, and if not complied with, a daily fine of 50,000 Brazilian Reais ( approximately 8,851 US dollars ) will be imposed.

The Indonesian Ministry of Digital Communication ( Komdigi ): suspended the World business license in May this year, stating that the registration procedure for digital asset service providers was not completed in accordance with regulations.

Bavarian data protection authority in Germany (BayLDA): Last December, it required compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), providing users with a simple way to delete personal biometric data.

(World Network biometric verification users exceed ten million! The intersection of digital identity and AI still faces a trust crisis)

According to reports, other countries including South Korea, Hong Kong, Kenya, Spain, and Portugal are also conducting investigations or have implemented response measures.

When great visions meet real-world risks

Even if the original intention of the World project is to create a fair and universal digital identity system with “blockchain + biometrics”, so that everyone can have verifiable proof of existence in the digital economy. However, when this vision was promoted through a highly centralized way of operating involving sensitive personal data, it attracted great controversy.

From users’ right to know, data security, to compliance with local regulations, these issues are likely to become the biggest obstacles to the global expansion of the World project.

Currently, World is actively engaging in investigative dialogues with multiple governments to clarify its business legitimacy and data processing issues. However, whether it can regain trust in the future remains a long-term battle with no visible end.

This article World Network raised $135 million led by a16z, advancing in the United States but still facing bans from multiple countries, first appeared in Chain News ABMedia.