Worldcoin is now in Singapore as its iris biometrics project grows globally

Following the launch of the World ID 2.0 digital identity passport in December 2023, which added face biometrics for verification, Worldcoin has established operations in Singapore, continuing global expansion of its biometric proof-of-personhood project.

A post on the company’s blog says four locations in Singapore are now playing host to the Orb, Worldcoin’s spheroid biometric enrolment device. Those wishing to verify their World ID can have their irises scanned to “verify their unique humanness.”

Worldcoin’s parent firm Tools for Humanity (TFH) has demonstrated further national buy-in by attaining membership in two of Singapore’s most respected startup and tech associations: ACCESS and the Singapore Fintech Association (SFA).

More expansion for Worldcoin in Europe and South America

The Orb has been popping up with increasing frequency in countries around the world, as TFH looks to put the Kenyan debacle of 2023 in its rearview. The Singapore deal is the fruit of a multi-city tour through Asia by the firm’s development team. Enrollment options have also expanded in Japan, including the city of Fukuoka on Kyushu Island.

In Europe, Worldcoin recently set up shop in the Spanish cities of Sevilla and Bilbao, and doubled Germany’s Orb count to four with launches in Cologne and Leipzig, which join Berlin and Nuremberg. South America also continues to be a hot spot for the company, with Orbs deployed to Chilean cities Concepcion, Curico and Viña del Mar, and Argentina setting a new national record for biometric verifications in a single day, with a tally of more than 10,000 users’ irises scanned.

Worldcoin is even planning to resume operations in Kenya, after reportedly reaching an agreement with the country’s government.

The big picture is not entirely without blemishes. At the end of 2023, Worldcoin shut down iris biometrics collection in India, Brazil and France after operating for just a few months, though the company tells Biometric Update in an email that it plans to resume Orb operations in each in the future.

“World App continues to experience broad adoption in India where thousands download the app each week. Orb-verified proof of personhood services have been temporarily scaled back as the protocol works to develop and roll out a bespoke, safe and orderly process that sufficiently meets the demand for World ID in India.”

Since launching Worldcoin in July 2023, TFH has been steadily knocking down milestones in its bid to provide global proof-of-personhood, with its World ID-compatible wallet, World App, climbing to 5 million users by the end of the year and adding new ones at a pace of about a million per month. The app boasts monthly active users of around 1.7 million, and total transactions exceeding 30 million. It also executed its first retail integration, partnering with Shopify for a pop-up shop that gave Orb-level users free sweatshirts for biometric enrollment through iris scans.

This post was updated January 3, 2023 at 1:30PM to include comment from the Worldcoin Foundation.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  iris biometrics  |  proof of personhood  |  Singapore  |  World  |  World ID  |  World ID Orb