The non-profit foundation raised $52.5 million through a locked token sale. The investment, led by Pantera Capital, will be used to integrate its biometric verification technology into business platforms and AI agents.
The World Foundation, an independent non-profit entity managing the World digital identity protocol, has closed a funding round of $52.5 million. The operation has been structured through a locked token sale to strategic investors, the organization announced on Friday.
The round was led by Pantera Capital, with participation from Bain Capital Crypto and Eightco Holdings. The capital raised will be used to expand World’s digital verification infrastructure, particularly to integrate its Orb device-based identity technology into business platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) agents.
The project, backed by Sam Altman, co-founder of OpenAI, aims to establish an identity layer that allows for the distinction between real humans and automated bots. The initiative is becoming increasingly relevant in a context of growing concerns over deepfakes and AI-generated identity theft.
“The need for proof of humanity is becoming clearly evident with the acceleration of AI development, and we see it reflected in the influx of business traction,” noted Cosmo Jiang, general partner at Pantera Capital, in a statement.
World, previously known as Worldcoin, relies on specific hardware, the Orb, to issue identity credentials without compromising user privacy. The technology is based on iris scanning to generate a unique code that certifies the person as a real human being.
To date, more than 39 million people have joined the World Network, of which over 18 million have been verified using an Orb. The network has processed more than 475 million World ID proofs since its launch, according to foundation data.
This capital injection comes after the network raised $135 million in May 2025 in a private token sale to funds a16z and Bain Capital Crypto. At that time, the operation focused on the digital currency World (WLD), which is currently trading around $0.37, with a market capitalization exceeding $1.3 billion.
The new round reflects a shift in strategy: World is moving from focusing on basic network expansion to scaling its utility. The integration of verification technology into business software packages and autonomous AI agents is now the priority.
“Global technology and proof of humanity and its variants are among the most important pillars to secure and verify interactions in an increasingly digital-driven world,” stated Tom Lee, board member of Eightco Holdings and chairman of Bitmine.
In April 2026, World had already launched what it called its most significant update to date for World ID, positioning the system as a “full-stack proof of human” infrastructure aimed at consumers, businesses, and AI agents. The update specifically sought to combat deepfakes and bots that mimic humans online.
The tech industry faces a growing challenge with the proliferation of AI agents capable of impersonating identities. World proposes a biometrics-based solution that, according to the foundation, preserves privacy by not storing iris images, but rather a hash code derived from them.
For companies interested in integrating humanity verification, World’s technology could become a standard. The foundation has already begun deploying its updated infrastructure ready for corporate environments, aiming for Orb and World ID to become a universal authentication layer.
The funding round, although smaller compared to the previous one, reinforces the confidence of investors specialised in crypto and technology. Pantera Capital, Bain Capital Crypto, and Eightco Holdings are betting on a market where digital identity verification will become increasingly necessary.
World has not provided details on the corporate integration timeline or the first corporate clients, but the foundation claims that business traction is growing. The network continues to add verified users, and the 475 million World ID proofs issued indicate increasing adoption.
For readers interested in crypto assets, the evolution of WLD will partly depend on the success of this new phase. The current price, below a dollar, reflects a market that still cautiously values the project, but the influx of capital from top-tier funds suggests long-term growth expectations.
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