World Network—formerly Worldcoin—has unveiled several updates that signal a new era for digital identity, finance, and online trust.
With its recent U.S. launch, the introduction of the World Card, and a renewed focus on distinguishing humans from bots in an AI-driven world, World Network is positioning itself as a key player in creating a more inclusive, secure, and human-centric digital ecosystem.
These developments, announced in 2025, underscore the network’s mission to empower individuals globally while addressing the challenges posed by advancing artificial intelligence.
On May 1, 2025, World Network officially launched in the United States, marking a significant milestone for the largest human-centered identity and financial network.
The U.S., a global hub for AI innovation, is a critical market for World’s vision of scaling privacy-preserving digital identity and financial access.
Americans can now verify their World ID in six key innovation cities—Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco—using World’s NVIDIA-powered Orbs, available at standalone World Spaces and partner locations like Razer stores.
The process is straightforward: users download the World App, verify their unique humanness via an Orb’s iris-scanning technology, and unlock a suite of capabilities, including anonymous online verification and access to Worldcoin (WLD) tokens, where eligible.
Notably, WLD distribution is restricted in certain U.S. regions, such as New York, due to regulatory constraints.
This launch brings World’s tools—World ID, World App, and WLD—to the heart of the digital evolution, offering Americans a way to navigate the AI era with greater control over their digital presence.
A key announcement from World Network is the World Card, a Visa-powered crypto card unveiled on April 30, 2025, designed to make digital assets spendable anywhere Visa is accepted.
Integrated with the World App wallet, the card allows verified users to spend their crypto holdings online and in physical stores worldwide, with merchants receiving fiat currency without needing to navigate the complexities of cryptocurrency.
This eliminates the need for users to convert or transfer rewards, offering a streamlined crypto-to-fiat experience.
The card leverages World ID’s proof-of-human protocol, ensuring only verified individuals can access it, and introduces a rewards program optimized for the AI era.
Users can earn enhanced rewards on AI subscriptions and services, paid directly in WLD to their connected wallet.
The World Card represents a significant step toward mainstream crypto adoption, blending financial flexibility with robust identity verification.
World Network’s broader mission is to address a pressing challenge in the AI age: distinguishing humans from bots online.
In a blog post, the network emphasizes the growing difficulty of verifying humanness as AI models become more sophisticated. World ID, a privacy-preserving digital identity protocol, is central to this effort.
By using biometric data to confirm unique personhood without compromising personal information, World ID offers a more secure and private alternative to traditional verification methods like Google sign-in.
The protocol has already integrated with platforms like Minecraft, Reddit, Telegram, Shopify, and Mercado Libre.
World Network’s focus on combating bot-driven fraud, spam, and misinformation aligns with its goal of fostering trust and authenticity online, making the internet a safer space for real humans.
These updates—U.S. availability, the World Card, and a renewed emphasis on proof-of-humanness—reflect World Network’s vision to create a globally inclusive identity and financial network. However, it is too early in the project’s ongoing development to assess the effectiveness of its products.
By combining technology like NVIDIA-powered Orbs, blockchain-based World Chain, and partnerships with industry Visa, World is building infrastructure that reportedly prioritizes privacy, decentralization, and accessibility. But these are bold claims and it remains to be seen just how useful (or not) this project will actually be in the long-term.
However, challenges remain, including various regulatory hurdles and public skepticism about biometric data.
World Network addresses these through (what it claims to be) transparent communication, such as its privacy whitepaper, and by offering opt-in features like Face Auth for enhanced security.
As World Network expands, its innovations could redefine how we interact with the digital world.
The U.S. launch opens new opportunities, the World Card bridges crypto and everyday life, and World ID tackles the bot problem head-on.