Altman Partners with Visa for 'Worldcoin'... Launches Cryptocurrency Payment Card

Service Expansion After U.S. Launch in Second Half

Iris Recognition-Based Transactions Also Begin in U.S.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (CEO·photo), has partnered with Visa to unveil a cryptocurrency payment card. This means that cryptocurrencies like Worldcoin and USD Coin (USDC) can be used like cash at over 150 million Visa merchants worldwide. The payment method involves converting cryptocurrency into fiat currency simultaneously.

On the 30th (local time), Tools for Humanity (TFH), which operates World, announced at the 'At last' event in San Francisco, USA, that they will launch the 'World Card' in collaboration with global card company Visa. World plans to first introduce this card in the U.S. in the second half of the year and then expand the service to other countries. World is a blockchain platform created by CEO Altman with the goal of providing a basic income payment method in the AI era.

World also unveiled plans to start transactions of the cryptocurrency Worldcoin based on iris recognition. Worldcoin can be received only after verifying that one is human, not AI, by recognizing the iris with a device called 'Orb'. Due to concerns that World could collect iris data without consent, it had not been launched in the U.S. until now. World announced that from the next day, Americans can receive Worldcoin by recognizing their iris through Orbs installed in six cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles (LA), and trade it on cryptocurrency exchanges in the U.S. CEO Altman said, "It's unfortunate that the U.S., which should lead technological innovation, has shown a hostile attitude towards technology so far," adding, "We are pleased to contribute to correcting that wrong trend today."

The background that allowed World to start trading in the U.S. is interpreted as being influenced by the 'pro-cryptocurrency' stance of the Donald Trump administration and the influence of CEO Altman, who is a key figure in the AI infrastructure expansion project 'Stargate'. World also emphasized 'Made in America' by stating that they will mass-produce a new version of Orb at a new factory in Richardson, Texas, seemingly in line with the Trump administration's stance. Alex Blania, CEO who co-founded TFH with CEO Altman, said at a press conference in response to related questions, "Various factors played a role," adding, "The growing expectation for regulatory clarity in the U.S. was significant."

San Francisco = Correspondent Song Young-chan 0full@hankyung.com