Tools for Humanity, the Sam Altman-backed startup behind the World ID iris-scanning network, retained two law firms in 2025 to investigate alleged bribery of Thai officials and alleged misuse of company funds to support the Worldcoin token price, Business Insider reported around June 23-24, 2026. WLD traded around $0.47 on June 28, down roughly 23% over the prior seven days.
The first probe assigned Sidley Austin to assess whether the company's Thai operations violated the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The inquiry traced to Benjamin Mauerberger, a South African national placed on a U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs list in December 2025 over alleged "pig butchering" scams. Biometric Update, citing Business Insider, reported that Sidley Austin found no facts establishing an FCPA violation. Tools for Humanity severed ties with the Thai partner and tightened internal controls.
A second probe retained O'Melveny & Myers to examine what employees described as "six- and seven-figure payments to a foreign firm" that executives allegedly directed to support WLD's market price, a potential SEC rules violation. The same inquiry covered allegations of personal expenses on corporate cards and employee misclassification. The outcome of that probe has not been publicly disclosed.
The investigations create a governance overhang for Tools for Humanity as it pitches World ID as verified-human authentication for AI agents through World AgentKit. The FCPA inquiry found no violation. The token-manipulation inquiry remains unresolved.
WLD was already under pressure before the Business Insider report drew wider attention. On June 6, Arthur Hayes disclosed that his crypto fund Maelstrom had sold its full WLD position. Blockchain analyst ZachXBT challenged Hayes over how much "exit liquidity was created from your followers," noting Hayes had publicly promoted WLD, HYPE, NEAR, and ZEC before selling each position in quick succession. Hayes said he "just happened to call it right this time as it regards to my trading goals."
A scheduled supply reduction arrives next month. On July 24, 2026, daily WLD issuance will drop 43%, from 5.1 million to 2.9 million tokens per day, under a schedule encoded in the token's on-chain contracts at inception. Community unlocks fall 50%, from 3.2 million to 1.6 million per day. Team and investor allocations fall 32%, from 1.9 million to 1.3 million per day.
The lower issuance may reduce new daily supply, but it also confirms that WLD remains in a heavy unlock period while Tools for Humanity tries to turn World ID into identity infrastructure for AI agents. For searchers and investors, the immediate question is no longer only token supply. It is whether the company can sell verified-human credentials while unresolved token-market allegations hang over the project.