Tools for Humanity hired two law firms to probe bribery and financial misconduct

Tools for Humanity, the startup behind World ID digital identity and Worldcoin cryptocurrency, hired two law firms last year to investigate financial irregularities and bribery of officials in Thailand, according to reports.

Sidley Austin, the first law firm engaged, investigated the company’s business activities in Thailand, which ultimately drew it into dealings with an internationally notorious money launderer. The second law firm, O’Melveny & Myers, investigated potential misuse of company funds to boost the value of the Worldcoin token, which could amount to a violation of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules.

News of the company’s legal issues comes as the firm is making an effort to move away from its crypto roots. Earlier this month, Tools of Humanity officially announced that it’s shifting its focus to enterprise security and is planning to downsize its footprint in most of its global markets.

The Thai saga

The company currently has 18 million users enrolled in its services with iris biometrics across 160 countries.

It arrived in Thailand early 2025, offering Worldcoins (WLD) in exchange for iris scans to the local population and establishing ties with Asian business entities. One of these entities, however, was later reported to be linked to a company controlled by a man named Ben Smith, who turned out to be the South African money launderer Benjamin Mauerberger.

Sidley Austin’s task was to assess whether Tools of Humanity’s business in Thailand could violate the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits offering payments to foreign officials to obtain or retain business, according to Business Insider.

Mauerberger is wanted in several jurisdictions for laundering hundreds of millions of dollars and paying bribes to Thai politicians and bureaucrats. Using a shell company, he reportedly secured an official government partnership with Thailand, influencing the country’s digital finance and crypto regulation.

In December, the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs added Mauerberger to a list of foreign nationals who could be subject to sanctions for alleged involvement in transnational “pig butchering” scams.

The Sidley Austin investigation found that the firm said it is not aware of any facts establishing a violation of the law. Tools of Humanity also says that it did not know Mauerberger’s real identity nor the allegations connected to him, Business Insider reports.

“Once the company learned of the allegations, it retained Sidley to look into the matter, severed ties, and implemented more robust due diligence measures for vetting business partners,” the firm says.

The events have deeply affected World’s business in Thailand. In November last year, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) ordered TIDC Worldverse, which represents Tools of Humanity in Thailand, to suspend the collection of iris biometrics and delete biometric data already collected from 1.2 million Thai citizens.

At the beginning of this year, Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations (DSI) executed search warrants at five locations linked to TIDC, which reportedly represents Tools for Humanity.

Boosting the WLD crypto token

O’Melveny & Myers, on the other hand, investigated potential misuse of company funds, which was flagged by a company staffer. According to the accusations, senior company leaders approved six- and seven-figure payments to a foreign firm to boost the value of the Worldcoin token.

In addition, O’Melveny looked into allegations of personal expenses and corporate housing charged to company credit cards, as well as the misclassification of full-time employees as contractors. Tools of Humanity’s auditing firm BDO also looked into the concerns, according to sources cited by Insider.

​”We are committed to conducting business ethically around the world and adhering to the law wherever we operate,” says a Tools for Humanity spokesperson. “We maintain robust policies and practices designed to support that commitment, we enforce them, and we strengthen them when we identify areas for improvement.”

​Tools of Humanity is facing regulatory pushback for collecting biometrics in exchange for crypto in many other jurisdictions, including Indonesia, Spain, Germany, Brazil, Hong Kong, Portugal, Kenya, and South Korea.

​As part of its shift, the company plans to adapt its Orb iris-scanning device for self-service use. offering its digital ID to industries that suffer from bots, AI-generated impersonation, fraud and synthetic identity attacks. This includes social media and dating platforms, ticketing, gaming and more.

Article Topics

cryptocurrency  |  digital ID  |  Thailand  |  Tools for Humanity  |  World  |  World ID