What Is Worldcoin? Why Did WLD Surge Suddenly, and What’s Next?
Introduction
TradingKey – On September 5, Worldcoin (WLD), a project spearheaded by OpenAI founder Sam Altman, began showing unusual price movement. Within just one week, its price skyrocketed by over 130%, topping gainers lists across major exchanges and becoming the most searched crypto asset globally.
Why did Worldcoin, long dormant, suddenly surge? Is this a temporary bounce or a true reversal? What does the future hold? This article breaks it down and explores WLD’s unique appeal and potential risks.
What Is Worldcoin (WLD)?
Worldcoin was co-founded in 2019 by Sam Altman, Alex Blania, and Max Novendstern. It began as a decentralized identity (DID) protocol aimed at supporting the digital infrastructure of the AI era.
In October 2024, Worldcoin underwent a major upgrade, rebranding as World Network (“World”) and launching its Layer 2 blockchain, World Chain. In essence, Worldcoin is a dual-core crypto project built around decentralized identity and public blockchain infrastructure.
What Are Worldcoin’s Core Products?
Worldcoin offers four key products: World ID, Worldcoin (WLD), World App, and World Chain. Each plays a distinct role:
Product Name | Core Function | Purpose & Vision |
World ID | Digital Identity | Solves the challenge of distinguishing real humans from bots online. Provides a global, privacy-preserving identity protocol as foundational infrastructure for the future internet and economy. |
World Chain | Scalable Network Base | A Layer 2 blockchain designed for real humans, aiming to support 1 billion users with low fees and smooth UX. Envisions becoming the largest on-chain population hub. |
World App | Ecosystem Gateway | A wallet app serving as the main entry point for billions of users into crypto and decentralized finance, especially for the unbanked. |
Worldcoin (WLD) | Digital Asset & Incentive | A token used to promote and reward World ID registration, experimenting with Universal Basic Income (UBI) to enable fairer wealth distribution. |
These four products form a tightly integrated ecosystem:
- World ID is the foundation, ensuring user authenticity and uniqueness.
- World Chain provides the infrastructure to scale transactions for hundreds of millions globally.
- World App offers a user-friendly interface to access complex technologies.
- WLD token powers the economic layer, incentivizing users, covering fees, and enabling future governance.
WLD Tokenomics and Circulation Mechanism
Worldcoin allocates 75% of its tokens to global users, with a 15-year release schedule to maintain long-term incentives. While this reflects an ambitious vision, it also introduces significant risks — namely, team/investor unlocks and large uncirculated supply hanging over the market.
Category | Details |
Total Supply | 1 billion WLD |
Circulating Supply | Initially ~143 million (14.3% of total); currently ~202 million WLD |
Allocation | • Community: 75% (airdrops, ID rewards, ecosystem incentives) • Team: 9.8% • Investors: 13.5% • Reserve: 1.7% |
Unlock Schedule | • Team & investor tokens locked for 12 months, then linearly unlocked over 24 months• Community tokens released daily via smart contracts |
Inflation Model | • No inflation for first 15 years • After 15 years, DAO may vote to enable inflation (max 1.5% annually) |
WLD Price History Overview
Worldcoin (WLD) officially launched in July 2023 and has experienced significant volatility across three phases: initial listing, peak rally, and decline.
WLD Price Chart – Source: TradingView
Phase 1: Hype Launch & Rapid Cooldown On July 24, 2023, WLD debuted on major exchanges at $1.90, quickly rising to $2.35 amid excitement around Sam Altman and OpenAI. However, regulatory scrutiny — especially over biometric data in Europe and Africa — led to a prolonged pullback, with prices consolidating between $1.20 and $1.80.
Phase 2: AI Mania-Driven Epic Rally In February 2024, OpenAI released its groundbreaking video generation model, Sora, igniting AI market frenzy. WLD surged from $2.30 to an all-time high of $11.92 by March 10 — over 500% growth in just over a month.
Phase 3: Profit-Taking & Value Reset After March 2024, WLD entered a steep decline, bottoming at $0.60 in April 2025. Key drivers included fading AI hype, profit-taking, looming token unlocks, and persistent regulatory concerns over biometric data.
Why Did WLD Surge Suddenly?
On September 5, 2025, OpenAI announced three major developments: • Mass production of proprietary AI chips with Broadcom (AVGO) • Launch of an AI-powered recruitment platform • Forecast of $10 billion in ChatGPT revenue for 2025
Following the news, WLD posted modest gains for three consecutive days.
WLD Price Chart – Source: TradingView
On September 8, Eightco announced a $250 million private placement and received a $20 million strategic investment from BITMINE. The funds will be used to initiate a treasury investment strategy, propelling WLD to $2.14 on September 9 — an 8-month high.
WLD Outlook: What’s Next?
In just five days, WLD surged over 145%, thrilling investors but also raising questions about sustainability. Despite AI’s long-term promise, WLD remains under regulatory pressure, especially around biometric data. Still, its strengths in ecosystem expansion, policy partnerships, and market positioning suggest a promising future.
Positioning as Global Identity Infrastructure
Worldcoin’s core vision is to build a “global unique identity system” using Orb iris scanners to generate World IDs. This “Proof of Personhood” model is critical for AI, DAOs, and GameFi — especially in an era of rampant AI-generated content, where verifying real humans becomes foundational to digital society.
User Growth & Network Effects
As of September 2025: • Over 16 million users have verified World IDs • World App downloads exceed 34 million, with 100K+ daily active users • Orb devices deployed in 35+ countries
This global footprint drives sustained token demand and ecosystem vitality.
Institutional Capital & Strategic Partnerships
World Foundation has secured $135 million from a16z, Bain Capital Crypto, and others — directly purchasing WLD as a reserve asset. Eightco Holdings announced a $250 million private placement, adding WLD to its portfolio. Rumors suggest World Foundation is in talks with Visa to develop a stablecoin-based global payment wallet. These moves enhance WLD’s financial credibility and open doors to mainstream payment and enterprise use cases.
Conclusion
Worldcoin is evolving from a “hype token” into a foundational layer for global identity. Its fusion of biometrics, blockchain, and financial inclusion has earned growing recognition from users and institutions. If it can overcome technical hurdles, launch real-world payment use cases, and stabilize governance, WLD may well reclaim its $12 all-time high.
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