The Worldcoin project aims to establish the world’s largest identity and financial network as a public utility, ensuring universal ownership. At its core is **World ID**, a privacy-focused global identity network. It allows users to verify their humanness online ("Proof of Personhood") while safeguarding privacy through **zero-knowledge proofs**. To participate, users first download **World App**, the first wallet supporting World ID creation. They then visit a physical imaging device called the **Orb** to obtain an **Orb-verified World ID**. Most Orbs are managed by independent local businesses known as **Orb Operators**. The Orb uses multispectral sensors to confirm humanness and uniqueness, with all images deleted on-device by default unless users opt into **Data Custody**. Orb-verified World ID holders may claim periodic grants of free **WLD tokens** (not available in the U.S.). The token distribution model is detailed in the project’s **whitepaper**. WLD is a utility token with governance features, allowing users to influence the protocol’s future. While traditional governance follows a "one-token-one-vote" model, World ID enables "one-person-one-vote" mechanisms. These approaches can also be combined for innovative governance solutions. The **Worldcoin Foundation** will collaborate with the community to refine governance interactions between World ID and WLD. Potential use cases for WLD include governance, payments within **World App** or other wallets, and supporting initiatives. WLD is an **ERC-20 token** on **Ethereum**, with user grants distributed on **Optimism Mainnet**, where most transactions are expected to occur. For further details, refer to the project’s **whitepaper**. Worldcoin was founded by Sam Altman, Alex Blania, and Max Novendstern, who left the project in 2021. Sam Altman, the most prominent co-founder, is also the CEO of OpenAI and previously served as president of Y Combinator, a startup incubator. The project was initially developed by Tools for Humanity (TFH) and other collaborators. Worldcoin has secured over $250 million in funding from investors, including a16z, Khosla Ventures, Bain Capital Crypto, Blockchain Capital, and Tiger Global. **Worldcoin: Building a Global Identity and Financial Network** Worldcoin is designed to create the world’s largest identity and financial network, aiming for widespread adoption on a global scale. Unlike many other cryptocurrency projects, the majority of WLD tokens are distributed to individuals—simply for being human. Through **World ID**, users can verify their identity as a real, unique person on any platform that integrates with the protocol. This includes web3 systems, social networks, and government programs. World ID enables fair airdrops, protects against bots and Sybil attacks, and helps ensure equitable distribution of limited resources. Additionally, it has potential applications in global democratic processes, governance models (such as quadratic voting), and may one day support AI-funded universal basic income (UBI). During its pre-launch phase, over two million people across 30+ countries and five continents verified their identity using Worldcoin’s Orb. The project is now expanding its Orb network to more than 35 cities in 20+ countries to meet growing demand for World ID verification. *(Note: Links to external sources have been removed for evergreen content.)* ### Worldcoin Token Supply and Allocation Worldcoin has a fixed total supply of 10 billion WLD tokens at launch. This supply cap is enforced by the smart contract for the first 15 years. After this period, governance may introduce an annual inflation rate of up to 1.5% if deemed necessary for the protocol's sustainability. Any newly minted tokens would be allocated as determined by governance. By default, the inflation rate remains at 0% unless modified through governance. #### Token Distribution The 10 billion WLD tokens are allocated as follows: - **75%** – Worldcoin community - **9.8%** – Initial development team - **13.5%** – TFH investors - **1.7%** – TFH reserve The Worldcoin Foundation has set an aspirational goal to distribute at least **60% of all WLD tokens** (from the community pool) as user grants to individuals. Further details can be found in the project's [Tokenomics section](https://whitepaper.worldcoin.org/tokenomics). For real-time on-chain data, refer to this [Dune dashboard](https://dune.com/worldcoin/worldcoin). The WLD token contract is deployed on the Ethereum Mainnet and is also bridged to the Optimism layer 2 network. This setup leverages the security features of both blockchains. For more details about World ID, the Orb, and the Worldcoin protocol, refer to the [Worldcoin Whitepaper](https://whitepaper.worldcoin.org/). To learn about Worldcoin's tokenomics, visit the [Worldcoin Tokenomics](https://whitepaper.worldcoin.org/tokenomics) section of the whitepaper.