Worldcoin shifts focus from Europe to Asia amid GDPR challenges

Worldcoin is shifting its focus from Europe to Asia, seeking markets more receptive to its biometric technology.

Worldcoin, the crypto biometrics initiative co-founded by Sam Altman, is shifting its focus from Europe to Asia in search of markets that are more open to innovative technologies.

In an interview with Sifted, Fabian Bodensteiner, managing director of the company’s European operations, noted that Worldcoin aims to target markets where local companies and governments are more receptive to emerging technologies.

“I would not say that [Europe] is a large focus. We just see a larger dynamic in other regions of the world and because we are not 1,000 employees we need to prioritize where we see the biggest business opportunities.”

Fabian Bodensteiner

The technology behind Worldcoin, developed by Tools For Humanity, now faces regulatory scrutiny, with Bavaria’s data protection authority expected to announce a decision later this month that could impact its operations in Europe, the report notes.

In May, Hong Kong’s privacy regulator found that Worldcoin contravened local privacy laws, saying the San Francisco-headquartered startup poses risks to privacy associated with the way how it handles biometric data. The Privacy Commissioner, Ada Chung Lai-ling said the face and iris images collected by the Worldcoin project were “unnecessary and excessive,” violating local rules.

In a commentary to crypto.news, a spokesperson for the Worldcoin Foundation said the company “operates lawfully and is designed to be fully compliant with all laws and regulations governing data collection and use.”

Despite these challenges, Worldcoin has expanded into Poland and Austria this year and continues operations in Germany. While Europe is no longer the company’s primary focus, Bodensteiner stressed that Worldcoin is not pulling out entirely, saying “we want to stay in the conversation and we want to stay committed to the market.” As of press time, (WLD) is up 4.44%, trading at $1.92.