{"id":5073,"date":"2026-07-21T11:29:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T11:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nile1.com\/en\/?p=5073"},"modified":"2026-07-21T16:28:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T16:28:55","slug":"grayscale-files-for-first-us-worldcoin-etf-to-bring-sam-altmans-crypto-token-to-nasdaq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nile1.com\/en\/2026\/07\/21\/grayscale-files-for-first-us-worldcoin-etf-to-bring-sam-altmans-crypto-token-to-nasdaq\/","title":{"rendered":"Grayscale Files for First US Worldcoin ETF to Bring Sam Altman’s Crypto Token to Nasdaq"},"content":{"rendered":"

Digital asset manager Grayscale<\/a> has taken the first step toward bringing Sam Altman<\/a>‘s controversial biometric cryptocurrency project to Wall Street. The firm has filed an S-1 registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)<\/a> to launch the Grayscale Worldcoin ETF, which would mark the first exchange-traded fund in the United States tied directly to Worldcoin’s native token, WLD.<\/p>\n

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If approved, the investment vehicle will list on the Nasdaq<\/a> stock exchange under the ticker symbol GWLD. According to the regulatory filing, the fund is structured as a passive investment vehicle designed to hold WLD and track its price performance using the CoinDesk Worldcoin Benchmark Rate. To manage the operational side of the trust, Grayscale has tapped BitGo Bank & Trust to serve as the custodian for the digital assets, while the Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) will act as both the transfer agent and administrator.<\/p>\n

The news of the filing triggered an immediate market reaction. The price of WLD surged by approximately 8% over a 24-hour period, reaching an intraday high of $0.387. Despite this sudden spike, the token remains down about 5.5% over the past seven days. According to data from CoinGecko<\/a>, Worldcoin currently ranks as the 55th-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, valued at roughly $1.4 billion.<\/p>\n

This filing represents a unique regulatory pathway. Grayscale is seeking to list the ETF under Nasdaq’s generic listing standards for commodity-based trusts. This specific structuring means that if WLD meets the exchange’s established eligibility criteria, the fund could potentially launch without requiring a separate, formal rule change from the SEC. However, the registration statement must still be declared effective by federal regulators before trading can commence.<\/p>\n

Worldcoin, which rebranded simply to “World” in 2024, was co-founded by OpenAI<\/a> chief executive Sam Altman with the goal of establishing a global “proof of personhood<\/a>” network. The project utilizes a custom-built, spherical hardware device known as the Orb to scan individuals’ irises. This biometric scan generates a unique digital identity, or “World ID,” which is intended to distinguish real human users from artificial intelligence bots. Users who undergo the biometric verification process are rewarded with WLD tokens.<\/p>\n

Despite its ambitious technological goals, the project has faced significant geopolitical and regulatory headwinds. Government watchdogs and data privacy regulators in several jurisdictions, including the European Union, Brazil, and Kenya, have scrutinized or suspended the project’s biometric data collection practices over privacy and consent concerns.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, institutional interest in the token has slowly built up over the past year. In 2023, the Nasdaq-listed firm Eightco became one of the first corporate entities to build a treasury around WLD, securing a substantial disclosed stake in the digital asset.<\/p>\n

Grayscale’s latest filing is part of a broader, aggressive campaign to expand its suite of single-asset crypto investment products. Following its landmark legal victory against the SEC, which forced the regulator to allow the conversion of its flagship Bitcoin trust into a spot ETF, Grayscale successfully launched an Ethereum ETF. Since then, the asset manager has aggressively filed for or launched investment products tracking a variety of alternative cryptocurrencies, including Solana, XRP, Dogecoin, Litecoin, and Chainlink.<\/p>\n

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