World super app gets more crypto payment features

World was created by Altman, Alex Blania and Max Novendstern as a project to build an identity and financial network, pitched as a way to enable “universal access to the global economy regardless of country or background” and enable “global democratic processes” in the age of AI.

Having launched its app in 2023, it now claims 40 million users with almost 20 million verified World IDs. In September, World App became the most-used digital wallet globally by monthly active users, according to SensorTower.

Powered by Stripe-owned Bridge, the revamped app offers US Dollar virtual accounts in 18 countries, including the United States, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and across Latin America. Users can receive paychecks directly in the World app and add funds from their bank via supported partners, enabling them to spend USDC.

The app also boasts multi-asset support, with users able to hold a variety of stablecoins, including: USDC, EURC, wMXN, wARS, wCLP, wBRL, wPEN and wCOP with no in-app fees.

Meanwhile, in Argentina World users can now pay at over one million points of sale using QR codes. And, in the first quarter of next year, World Card will launch, bringing Apple Pay and tap-to-pay to the US and beyond.

The new version of the app also includes an encrypted messaging feature, support for third-party apps and Tinder integration.

Tiago Sada, chief product officer at the firm behind World, Tools for Humanity. says: “World App is a place where people can communicate, send digital assets, save, invest and use apps in one seamless experience. These features aren’t experimental – they’re useful today, and they’re only the beginning of what a human-centered digital ecosystem can unlock.”

World uses iris patterns to provide users with its private digital identity. According to Altman, this solves one of the biggest problems in crypto – the prevalence of pseudonyms and the vulnerability to spam bots and scams, as well as increasingly convincing deepfakes created by AI.

However, the project has been hindered by complaints over privacy violations. More specifically, parents have complained about Worldcoin collecting data from their children without consent.

There are also wider concerns about how the data is captured, stored and managed, leading to bans in several countries, including Portugal.