World token jumps 27% as Sam Altman reportedly eyes a biometric social network to kill off bots

Finance Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email World token jumps 27% as Sam Altman reportedly eyes a biometric social network to kill off bots The WLD token surged after Forbes reported that Sam Altman's OpenAI is planning to use Worldcoin to fight bots online. By Aoyon Ashraf | Edited by Nikhilesh De Jan 28, 2026, 10:44 p.m. Make us preferred on Google What to know : World’s WLD token jumped sharply on Wednesday after a Forbes report said Sam Altman’s OpenAI is exploring a biometric social network to combat online bots. The report said OpenAI has considered using Apple’s Face ID or World’s iris-scanning Orb device to verify human users, though no formal partnership between OpenAI and World has been confirmed. World Network, which has raised $135 million and says it has verified millions of people, is pitching its World ID system as a privacy-focused way to prove personhood online even as it faces regulatory scrutiny in countries such as Kenya and the U.K. World Network (formerly Worldcoin) WLD token surged more than 27% on Wednesday after a Forbes report linked the controversial crypto project to OpenAI’s broader effort to fight bots online. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wants to build a “biometric social network” to help online platforms verify users and weed out AI-generated accounts, Forbes reported , citing people familiar with the matter. Sources familiar with the project's development told Forbes that the OpenAI team has considered using Apple’s Face ID or the World Orb, which scans a person's iris to provide a unique identity. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms & conditions and privacy policy . World is the crypto project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and raised $135 million in a token sale to a16z and Bain Capital Crypto last year. The core premise of the project is World ID , a decentralised and privacy-focused identity system that uses the orb, a custom-built biometric device that scans users’ irises and generates unique identifiers in compliance with privacy standards. WLD token price surge (CoinDesk data) The token spiked shortly after the report, briefly outperforming most major cryptocurrencies, even though it didn’t confirm any formal collaboration between OpenAI and World. The World Network has drawn both curiosity and criticism since its launch. While the project claims to have verified millions of people worldwide, it has also faced regulatory pushback, including a temporary suspension in Kenya and inquiries in U.K. on how it processes personal data. Still, the idea of tying biometric verification to online identity continues to gain traction, especially as generative AI tools flood social media with spam and misinformation. Read more: The Untold Story of Worldcoin's Launch: Inside the Orb More For You Pudgy Penguins: A New Blueprint for Tokenized Culture By CoinDesk Research Dec 30, 2025 Commissioned by Pudgy Penguins Pudgy Penguins is building a multi-vertical consumer IP platform — combining phygital products, games, NFTs and PENGU to monetize culture at scale. What to know : Pudgy Penguins is emerging as one of the strongest NFT-native brands of this cycle, shifting from speculative “digital luxury goods” into a multi-vertical consumer IP platform. Its strategy is to acquire users through mainstream channels first; toys, retail partnerships and viral media, then onboard them into Web3 through games, NFTs and the PENGU token. The ecosystem now spans phygital products (> $13M retail sales and >1M units sold), games and experiences (Pudgy Party surpassed 500k downloads in two weeks), and a widely distributed token (airdropped to 6M+ wallets). While the market is currently pricing Pudgy at a premium relative to traditional IP peers, sustained success depends on execution across retail expansion, gaming adoption and deeper token utility. View Full Report More For You Optimism governance approves OP token buyback plan tied to superchain revenue By Margaux Nijkerk | Edited by Stephen Alpher 3 hours ago The proposal links the OP token more directly to the economic performance of the Superchain. What to know : Optimism’s governance has approved a proposal that links the OP token more directly to the economic performance of the Superchain, marking a notable shift in how one of Ethereum’s largest layer 2 ecosystems approaches token value and revenue use. 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