World Foundation via its subsidiary World Assets, Ltd has completed $65 million in over-the-counter (OTC) sales of WLD tokens last week, selling roughly 239 million tokens at an average price of about $0.2719 each.
The sales involved four counterparties, with the first settlement on March 20, 2026. About $25 million worth of the tokens roughly 38% of the total are subject to a six-month lockup, while the rest became liquid sooner. Settlements flow through a designated World Assets multisig wallet.
The foundation stated the proceeds will support: Operations, R&D, Orb manufacturing (the iris-scanning devices central to Worldcoin’s biometric identity system). This is presented as strategic fundraising to scale the project amid ongoing development.
WLD hit a new all-time low of around $0.2444 shortly after or around the announcement period, before partially recovering to trade near $0.27–$0.28. The token remains down roughly 97% from its March 2024 peak near $11.82, reflecting heavy selling pressure and broader challenges for the project.
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WLD has been trading in a downtrend, with notable declines in late March amid this sale news, a broader altcoin pullback, and anticipation of future supply events. For context, prices hovered higher around $0.35–$0.40 earlier in March before sliding. Large token distributions from the foundation and team often signal supply overhang, even via OTC which aims to minimize spot market impact compared to open exchange dumps.
Critics view repeated OTC sales as ongoing dumps, especially at steep discounts to prior raises; this was far below last year’s ~$1.13 levels. A major community unlock is scheduled for July 23, 2026, potentially releasing ~52.5% of the 10 billion total supply—adding significant future dilution risk.
Ongoing regulatory scrutiny in various jurisdictions like privacy and biometrics concerns, raids on Orb-related sites, plus general crypto market conditions, weigh on confidence. Buyers in this deal reportedly include prop traders and hedge funds doing basis trades rather than long-term believers, which adds to the narrative of short-term positioning.
OTC sales are common for large holders to avoid slippage, and the partial lockup was likely intended to ease immediate concerns. Still, the announcement coincided with and amplified bearish momentum, pushing WLD to fresh lows before a modest rebound.
Worldcoin’s core vision—biometric proof-of-personhood via iris scans for global identity and potential UBI-like distributions—remains ambitious but highly controversial due to privacy, regulatory, and adoption hurdles. The foundation continues investing in Orbs and ecosystem tools, but the token’s extreme drawdown highlights how speculative crypto markets price in dilution, execution risks, and sentiment far more than long-term tech potential in the short term.
This was a sizable fundraising round executed discreetly via OTC, but it reinforced bearish narratives around supply and valuation, contributing to WLD’s recent weakness and all-time lows. The project has cash to push forward, yet token holders face ongoing dilution risks especially the July unlock and need clearer progress on real-world utility and adoption to reverse the downtrend.
Markets remain volatile—always do your own research and consider risk management. Even though executed OTC; to minimize direct exchange slippage, the scale ~239 million tokens at ~$0.2719 average reinforced narratives of ongoing team/foundation selling.
This amplified downward momentum amid an already weak March down ~23–30% for the month. Critics highlighted the steep discount relative to prior raises, viewing it as a sign of limited demand at higher levels.
The $25 million roughly 38% under a six-month lockup helped cap immediate post-sale dumping from those buyers, contributing to the stabilization and rebound. The remaining tokens became liquid sooner, but OTC structure aimed to avoid a full spot-market shock.
Overall, the sale acted as a near-term bearish catalyst, highlighting how large issuer distributions continue to weigh on a token already facing heavy dilution history.