Worldcoin (WLD) tokenomics

Worldcoin (WLD) is designed as a global digital identity and financial network, leveraging a unique "proof of personhood" mechanism. Its token economics are structured to incentivize the growth of this network by distributing the majority of its supply to unique human users.

Issuance Mechanism

Worldcoin was initially launched as an ERC-20 token on the Ethereum mainnet, with a significant portion of its activity and distribution occurring on the Optimism (OP Mainnet) layer-2 network.

• Total Supply: The total supply is capped at 10,000,000,000 (10 billion) WLD.
• Inflation: For the first 15 years following launch, the supply is fixed at 10 billion tokens. After this period, the protocol's governance may implement an inflation rate of up to 1.50% per year if deemed necessary for the long-term sustainability of the network.
• Network Security: Unlike networks like Bitcoin or Ethereum that issue tokens to reward miners or validators for securing the chain, Worldcoin does not need to issue tokens for security because it relies on the underlying security of Ethereum and Optimism. This allows the protocol to direct its issuance toward user acquisition and ecosystem growth.

Allocation Mechanism

The allocation of WLD is heavily weighted toward the community to support the project's mission of universal access.

Within the Community allocation:

• User Grants: At least 6.00 billion WLD (60% of total supply) is earmarked for distribution to unique individuals.
• Operational Costs: Approximately 1.00 billion WLD is set aside for operational expenses, including Orb Operator rewards, market operations, and bug bounties.
• Ecosystem Fund: 500 million WLD is dedicated to R&D, audits, and ecosystem grants.

Usage and Incentive Mechanism

The WLD token serves several core functions within the ecosystem:

• User Incentives (Grants): Individuals who verify their "uniqueness" via an Orb device are eligible for WLD grants. As of early 2024, this included a 1.00 WLD Welcome Grant and recurring grants (initially set at 25.00 WLD), which are intended to decrease over time as the network scales.
• Operator Incentives: "Orb Operators"—local businesses that manage the hardware and onboard new users—are rewarded in WLD for every successful verification they facilitate.
• Governance: WLD is intended to grant holders governance rights. The project aims for a "one-person-one-vote" system by combining token ownership with World ID verification to prevent the concentration of power among large holders.
• Utility: Future uses may include payments within the World App, signaling support for community initiatives, and potential integration with other World ID-compatible applications.

Locking and Unlocking Mechanism

To ensure long-term alignment and prevent immediate market oversaturation, tokens allocated to investors and the development team are subject to strict vesting schedules.

• Lock-up Period: Tokens for TFH investors and the initial development team were subject to a 12-month lock-up starting from the token launch or the exercise of warrants.
• Unlocking Schedule: Following the initial lock-up, tokens were originally scheduled to unlock daily over a 24-month period. However, in July 2024, Tools for Humanity (TFH) announced an extension of this schedule for approximately 80% of the team and investor tokens.
• Revised Schedule: The unlocking period for these contributors was extended from three years to five years in total. Under this revised plan, the daily unlock amount for these groups is approximately 2 million WLD per day.
• Community Unlocks: Community-held tokens, such as those in the "Community Token Unlock Contracts," represent the largest portion of the supply and are released according to the needs of the grant programs and ecosystem development.