Sam Altman’s World App has taken crypto by storm, ditching those annoying seed phrases and replacing them with something straight out of sci-fi: eyeball scans. Users simply stare into an Orb device, get their irises scanned, and boom – they’re verified humans with access to a whole new financial universe.
The numbers are staggering. A whopping $4.5 billion in DeFi assets has already been accessed through the platform by verified users. No more fumbling with 24-word passwords or living in fear of losing your crypto keys. Just your unique eyeballs and face, creating a World ID that works across Reddit, Telegram, Minecraft, and more. Experts recommend using cold wallet storage for securing large cryptocurrency holdings long-term.
The US launch in April/May 2025 marked a major milestone, targeting six tech-savvy cities including Miami, Austin, and San Francisco. Early birds who jumped on board got a sweet deal – $150 worth of WLD tokens just for showing up. The company’s biometric verification system has already successfully verified over 12 million individuals worldwide.
And now there’s a Visa-powered World Card in the mix, letting users spend their crypto like regular money.
But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Some countries got spooked by the whole “scanning eyeballs” thing. Spain and Portugal hit the pause button, citing privacy concerns. Because let’s face it – having your biometric data collected does raise some eyebrows, pun intended.
The system’s pretty clever though. It’s designed to tell humans apart from AI bots and other digital imposters, creating a more trustworthy online environment. The new Orb Mini device is making the scanning process even more streamlined, potentially heading to retail stores for point-of-sale verification.
What’s really turning heads is how World App is bridging the gap between traditional finance and DeFi. No technical expertise required. No crypto jargon to master. Just scan, verify, and start accessing financial services.
It’s like traditional banking got a sci-fi makeover. Whether this biometric-based approach becomes the new standard remains to be seen, but one thing’s clear – seed phrases are so 2023.
