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's market price, Business Insider reported on June 22, 2026. WLD was trading at roughly $0.44 on June 28, down about 31% over the prior seven days, per CoinGecko.

FCPA inquiry found no violation

The first probe hired 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 whom the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs named 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.

Token-market probe remains unresolved

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 the O'Melveny probe has not been publicly disclosed.

The unresolved token-market probe leaves Tools for Humanity with a governance overhang as it positions World ID as verified-human authentication for AI agents through World AgentKit.

Hayes exit added to WLD scrutiny

WLD was already falling before the Business Insider report was published. On June 6, Arthur Hayes disclosed that his crypto fund Maelstrom had sold its full WLD position.

Blockchain analyst ZachXBT challenged Hayes, asking "how much exit liquidity was created from your followers," and noting Hayes had publicly promoted WLD, HYPE, NEAR, and ZEC before selling each in quick succession. Hayes replied that he "just happened to call it right this time as it regards to my trading goals."

WLD issuance drops July 24

A supply change arrives 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 launch.

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 reduced issuance lowers daily new supply, but WLD remains in a heavy unlock period. With the O'Melveny probe unresolved, Tools for Humanity carries an open governance question as it works to establish World ID as identity infrastructure for AI agents.