Grayscale files for first US Worldcoin spot ETF

Grayscale Investments has submitted an S‑1 registration statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to launch a spot exchange‑traded fund that would hold the Worldcoin (WLD) token directly. The proposed fund, to be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker GWLD, would use BitGo Bank & Trust as custodian, the Bank of New York Mellon as administrator and transfer agent, and CSC Delaware Trust Company as trustee.

The ETF would be a passive vehicle with no leverage or derivatives, issuing and redeeming shares in 10,000‑unit “baskets” that can be created by delivering WLD or cash. The filing leaves the management fee, seed investment and some operational details blank for future amendment. Following the filing, WLD’s price rose about 4‑5% to roughly $0.37.

Worldcoin, founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Alex Blania, uses biometric iris scanning for digital identity verification. The token ranks among the top‑50 crypto assets by market capitalization, with a circulating supply of around 3.5 billion tokens and a market value near $1.4 billion at the end of June. Grayscale’s move expands its crypto‑ETF lineup beyond Bitcoin and Ether, aiming to give institutional investors exposure to WLD without requiring direct custody of the token.