Catenaa, Saturday, July 25, 2026- Grayscale has filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to launch the first exchange-traded fund backed by Worldcoin’s WLD token, extending the race to bring emerging blockchain ecosystems into regulated capital markets.
If approved, the proposed Grayscale Worldcoin ETF would hold WLD directly and trade on Nasdaq, providing institutional and retail investors with regulated exposure to the digital identity-focused blockchain without requiring direct ownership of cryptocurrency.
The filing marks another step in the evolution of the crypto ETF market, which is rapidly expanding beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum into specialised blockchain networks.
According to the registration filing, the ETF will function as a passive investment vehicle designed to track the market value of WLD after expenses.
The fund would list on Nasdaq, with The Bank of New York Mellon serving as transfer agent and BitGo Bank & Trust acting as custodian for the digital assets.
Worldcoin’s native token currently has a market capitalization of approximately $1.3 billion, placing it among the larger digital assets by market value.
The filing now enters the SEC review process before any public launch can occur.
The proposed ETF represents more than another cryptocurrency investment product.
Unlike Bitcoin, which is primarily viewed as digital money, or Ethereum, which underpins decentralized applications, World has built its ecosystem around proof of personhood through biometric identity verification.
The network, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, combines blockchain technology with digital identity infrastructure using iris-scanning devices known as Orbs to create cryptographically verified digital identities.
By filing an ETF tied to WLD, Grayscale is effectively bringing a digital identity ecosystem into mainstream financial markets rather than simply another payment-focused cryptocurrency.
The filing illustrates the next phase of crypto ETF development.
Asset managers are no longer concentrating exclusively on the largest cryptocurrencies. Instead, they are creating investment products around blockchain ecosystems with distinct technological use cases.
If approved, the Worldcoin ETF would expose traditional investors to one of the industry’s most debated sectors, where blockchain, artificial intelligence and digital identity increasingly intersect.
The application also suggests growing institutional confidence that regulators may be willing to consider ETFs backed by a broader range of crypto assets beyond the market’s largest tokens.
That could encourage additional filings tied to specialized blockchain networks focused on artificial intelligence, decentralized infrastructure, gaming and tokenized real-world assets.
Grayscale continues to build one of the industry’s broadest digital asset ETF portfolios.
Following its landmark legal victory that enabled the conversion of its flagship Bitcoin trust into a spot ETF, the company has steadily expanded into Ethereum and submitted applications covering assets including Solana, Chainlink and Dogecoin.
The Worldcoin filing further demonstrates Grayscale’s strategy of positioning regulated investment products ahead of anticipated institutional demand for emerging blockchain sectors.
For the SEC, the proposal also presents another opportunity to define how crypto-specific investment products beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum should be evaluated.
Grayscale’s Worldcoin ETF filing highlights the rapid diversification of the regulated crypto investment market.
The focus is no longer solely on providing access to digital currencies but increasingly on offering exposure to blockchain ecosystems with specialised economic and technological functions.
If regulators approve the fund, it could establish an important precedent for ETFs linked to blockchain projects centered on digital identity and artificial intelligence, expanding the boundaries of institutional crypto investing.
World, formerly known as Worldcoin, is a blockchain ecosystem focused on decentralized digital identity and proof of personhood. Co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the project uses biometric iris verification through specialized Orb devices to create unique digital identities while distributing WLD tokens within its ecosystem. Grayscale is one of the world’s largest digital asset managers and has played a central role in the development of regulated cryptocurrency investment products. Following the approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US, asset managers have increasingly sought to launch ETFs linked to a broader range of blockchain networks and digital assets.
