Worldcoin’s WLD Jumps 8% on Grayscale ETF Filing

In brief Grayscale has filed with the SEC to launch the first U.S. ETF tied to Worldcoin, the biometric crypto project co-founded by OpenAI's Sam Altman. The Grayscale Worldcoin ETF would hold WLD and trade on Nasdaq under the ticker GWLD, with BitGo as custodian and BNY Mellon as transfer agent. WLD rose around 8% on the news, though it remains down about 5.5% on the week. Worldcoin's WLD token jumped after asset manager Grayscale filed to launch the first US exchange-traded fund tied to the biometric crypto project, moving to bring Sam Altman's eye-scanning venture a step closer to Wall Street.WLD climbed about 8% over 24 hours following the filing to an intraday high of $0.387, trimming a rough week that still left it down around 5.5% over the past seven days, per CoinGecko data.On Monday, Grayscale filed an S-1 registration statement for the Grayscale Worldcoin ETF, a "passive" vehicle that would hold WLD—the native token of the World Network—and track its price through the CoinDesk Worldcoin Benchmark Rate, according to the filing.If approved, the fund would list on Nasdaq under the ticker GWLD using the exchange's generic listing standards for commodity-based trusts—meaning it could launch without a separate SEC rule change once WLD meets Nasdaq's eligibility criteria. BitGo Bank & Trust would custody the tokens, while the Bank of New York Mellon would serve as transfer agent and administrator, the filing shows. WLD is the 55th-largest cryptocurrency, with a market capitalization of around $1.4 billion, according to CoinGecko.Sam Altman's eye-scanning projectWorldcoin—rebranded simply "World" in 2024—was co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to build a global "proof of personhood" system. It uses a spherical device called the Orb to scan people's irises, issuing a unique "World ID" meant to prove someone is a real human rather than an AI bot, and hands WLD tokens to verified users. The project has drawn regulatory scrutiny over its biometric data collection in the EU and in countries including Brazil and Kenya.The ETF filing is the latest sign of institutional appetite for the token. Last year, Nasdaq-listed Eightco built the first corporate treasury around WLD, amassing one of the largest disclosed stakes in the cryptocurrency.Grayscale's ETF expansionThe filing continues Grayscale's drive to broaden its crypto ETF lineup. The firm converted its flagship Bitcoin trust into an ETF after a landmark court win over the SEC, later launched an Ethereum fund, and has filed for or rolled out products tied to Dogecoin, Solana, XRP, Litecoin and Chainlink, among others.For now, the filing is only a first step: the fund can't trade until the registration takes effect and WLD clears Nasdaq's listing bar. But if it does, it would give everyday investors their first way to hold Worldcoin through a U.S. brokerage account.Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.