Worldcoin to integrate tech into Malaysia’s infrastructure

Sam Altman’s crypto startup Worldcoin has signed a deal with Malaysia’s research arm to integrate its technology into the country’s digital infrastructure.

The Worldcoin Foundation, Tools for Humanity and MyEG have signed a memorandum of understanding with MIMOS Berhad, the research and development arm of the Malaysian government, to integrate biometric technology into Malaysian infrastructure.

Malaysia plans to leverage the Worldcoin (WLD) protocol and TFH technologies to “enhance ongoing and future work on digital credentials,” the foundation said in a blog post on August 16. The partnership will also introduce Worldcoin’s iris imaging technology to Malaysia, allowing individuals to undergo human verification.

“The Worldcoin Foundation will work to ensure its technology is open source and freely available, while TFH will provide technical expertise and support for both the Orb and the World App.”

Worldcoin Foundation

Under the agreement, the parties pledged to jointly produce Worldcoin’s globe devices, integrate them into the Malaysian National Blockchain Infrastructure, and have MyEG contribute to the technical integration and hardware distribution.

Worldcoin grows internationally despite privacy concerns

The latest deal follows Worldcoin’s recent expansion into Europe and Latin America. Worldcoin’s proof-of-personhood system, which uses iris scans to create unique biometric identifiers, is already operational in Germany and it recently expanded its services to Austria with new verification points in Vienna. The foundation says that more than 6.4 million people have “verified their humanity globally with Worldcoin.”

Despite these developments, Worldcoin has also faced privacy challenges. The project has faced regulatory issues in Hong Kong, Portugal, and Spain due to concerns about the processing of biometric data. Despite this, Worldcoin continues to expand internationally and attract investor support.

Founded in 2019 by Sam Altman, Max Novendstern, and Alex Blania of OpenAI, Worldcoin raised $115 million in a Series C funding round in May 2023. Blockchain Capital led the round, which also included Andreessen Horowitz, Bain Capital Crypto, and Distributed Global.