Sam Altman's World Foundation sells its tokens as WLD plunges

Sam Altman’s World Foundation has just raised 65 million dollars by massively selling its WLD tokens at a drastically reduced price. An operation that comes at the worst time, as the token hits historic lows. How much further can it fall?

A discreet sale, an immediate impact on the WLD price

The World Foundation formalized the operation on Saturday via a message posted on X. Its subsidiary, World Assets, completed during the week an over-the-counter (OTC) sale with four distinct counterparties, with the first payment occurring as early as March 20. The average price stands at $0.27 per WLD, which corresponds to the issuance of about 239 million tokens.

The foundation fully assumes this fundraising: “This sale finances the core operations of the project, R&D, orb manufacturing, ecosystem development, and more.” A classic justification, but one that struggles to dispel market questions.

In detail, $25 million worth of tokens are subject to a six-month lock-up period. The rest was immediately injected into the market, mechanically increasing selling pressure in an already weakened environment.

The reaction was immediate. Upon announcement, WLD briefly dropped to $0.24, an unprecedented low since its launch. The token now trades around $0.27, with a marginal 0.28% increase over 24 hours according to CoinMarketCap. A technical bounce, far from signaling a real trend reversal.

A project under pressure on all fronts

The context worsens the situation. Last May, World raised $135 million at an average price of $1.13 per token, with support from major players like Andreessen Horowitz and Bain Capital Crypto. Today, the foundation is reselling those same tokens for less than a quarter of that level. The signal is harsh.

Subsequently, other factors darken the outlook. According to DefiLlama, a massive unlocking of community tokens will occur on July 23. It will concern about 52.5% of the total supply, over half of the 10 billion units. Such a liquidity injection risks intensifying selling pressure and further burdening an already fragile market.

On the regulatory front, World is facing multiple difficulties. Last October, Thai authorities raided an iris recognition center linked to the project, suspecting it of operating without a license in the digital assets sector.

At the same time, other countries have expressed concerns. Indonesia, Germany, Kenya, and Brazil have raised warning signals, particularly about biometric data management. This succession of tensions increases uncertainty around the project.

A token that has lost 97% since its peak, a foundation scrambling to sell at a reduced price, and a colossal unlocking approaching: World is clearly going through a critical period. Sam Altman’s ambition to build a universal digital identity remains intact on paper, but the markets seem to have reached their verdict.