Cryptocurrency
Worldcoin launch divides opinions – crypto community has its say

The launch of blockchain-based digital passport platform Worldcoin has had a polarizing effect on the cryptocurrency community, with questions around its centralization, privacy and security highlighted.
Worldcoin released its protocol token on July 24, with major exchanges like Binance announcing support for the token. The project consists of a privacy-preserving digital identity (World ID) and its associated ecosystem token (WLD) which users receive upon creation of a wallet.
The Worldcoin project is now live. pic.twitter.com/xZXG4w56Ps
— Worldcoin (@worldcoin) July 24, 2023
In order for users to join the ecosystem, they have to provide a scan of their iris through one of Worldcoin’s specialized Orb hardware devices. This step provides proof-of-personhood that is cryptographically secured and used as a World ID, Worldcoin founders Alex Blania and Sam Altman wrote in a letter at launch.
“This lets you prove you are a real and unique person online while remaining completely private.”
The global digital passport is set to be stored locally on user’s mobile devices and used to prove their identity in a privacy-centric manner. The concept aims for World IDs act as a “proof of personhood” that make use of zero-knowledge proofs (ZK-proofs) to protect the underlying data, including biometric, KYC and AML data.
Related: OpenAI co-founder’s ‘World ID’ project launches, along with SDK waitlist
Worldcoin will also enable users to “reserve” their respective IDs with a phone number in select countries, with an iris scan required to complete the process and receive a World ID.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin was among a number of industry figures to comment on the launch of Worldcoin, given the potential for biometric proof of personhood.
What do I think about biometric proof of personhood?https://t.co/yozo1buW24
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) July 24, 2023
In a lengthy blog post unpacked by Cointelegraph, Buterin delved into the technicalities of proof of personhood blockchain protocols and the potential benefits and pitfalls of projects that are blazing a trail for the use case.
Buterin highlighted a key raison d’être for proof of personhood protocols in being able to prove human identity and be used to distribute universal basic income in the future.
“Worldcoin is unique in that it relies on highly sophisticated biometrics, scanning each user’s iris using a piece of specialized hardware called “the Orb”.”
As Buterin explains, Worldcoin Orbs are set to be distributed around the world to allow users to create their respective digital ID. He also highlighted privacy and security concerns around the Orb, design issues regarding its native token and some ethical concerns around whether biometrics “are a good ideal at all”.
“Risks include unavoidable privacy leaks, further erosion of people’s ability to navigate the internet anonymously, coercion by authoritarian governments, and the potential impossibility of being secure at the same time as being decentralized.”
Twitter co-founder and Bitcoin proponent Jack Dorsey had one word to describe Blania and Altman’s “attempt at global scale alignment” that Worldcoin aims to deliver:
“Worldcoin is an attempt at global scale alignment…”
— jack (@jack) July 24, 2023
Bitcoin advocate Anita Posch also suggested that the centralized nature of the Worldcoin project and the amount of data it is managing could be a potential point of failure:
A global database of human IDs issued after an eye scan, paid for with useless Worldcoin token, connected with all financial transaction data of each individual managed by a centralized non-profit collecting sensitive data for KYC/AML.
WHAT COULD GO WRONG? https://t.co/8K6R17vBb0
— Anita ⚡️ Bitcoin for Fairness (@AnitaPosch) July 24, 2023
EthHub co-founder Anthony Sassano provided food for thought, suggesting that the likes of bankrupt FTX and Three Arrows Capital (3AC) could refund all creditors with the appreciation of their early-stage investments in the Worldcoin project:
FTX and 3ac both invested in Worldcoin which is currently worth $30bil fdv
Ergo, FTX and 3ac can now pay back all creditors using their Worldcoin gains
Supercycle intact
It’s just that simple
— sassal.eth (@sassal0x) July 24, 2023
eToro founder Yoni Assia intimated that Worldcoin was emulating his own GoodDollars digital universal basic income platform:
They say imitation is a form of flattery, so I’m flattered @worldcoin are launching a similar project to @gooddollarorg
It will be interesting to see how UBI on the blockchain expandsIn @gooddollarorg you can simply use the wallet face identification to start collecting… https://t.co/mNvlZRRXYd
— YoniAssia.eth (@yoniassia) July 24, 2023
As per Worldcoin’s white paper documentation, the protocol was originally deployed on Polygon in its beta phase, while the current version runs on the Ethereum mainnet using a scalable batching architecture through layer 2 protocol Optimism. The project has over two millions users enrolled.
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Cryptocurrency
Ethereum (ETH) Price Decline, Recent Cardano (ADA) Predictions, and More: Bits Recap August 1

TL;DR
ETH slumped by 6% amid the broader market correction, but whale accumulation, a nine-year low in exchange balances, and steady ETF inflows hint at a possible rebound in the near term.
ADA dropped even more, yet analysts remain bullish, with some predicting a surge beyond $4 if the asset clears key resistance at $0.92.
BTC briefly dipped below $114,500, but an RSI near 30 suggests oversold conditions, while optimistic traders eye a breakout to $145K-$150K.
ETH Heads South
The past several hours have not been pleasant for the cryptocurrency market, which has registered a significant pullback following the latest tariffs implemented by the Trump administration.
Ethereum (ETH) is among the losers with its price dropping by 6% on a daily scale to around $3,600 (per CoinGecko’s data). Historically, August has tended to be a bearish month for the asset, with gains recorded only in 2017, 2020, and 2021. It will be interesting to see if this year proves to be among the exceptions.
On the other hand, some key factors suggest that this might be only a temporary correction, followed by another rally. Whales have scooped up thousands of ETH in the past days, signaling strong confidence and reducing the amount of coins available on the open market.
Additionally, the number of tokens stored on crypto exchanges plummeted to a nine-year low of under 19 million. This means that investors have shifted from centralized platforms toward self-custody methods, which reduces the immediate selling pressure.
The flow of capital into spot ETH ETFs remains solid, while those interested in exploring more bullish factors and optimistic price predictions can refer to our article here.
ADA’s Next Targets?
Cardano’s native token has performed even worse than ETH in the past 24 hours, slipping by 8% to approximately $0.72 (its lowest point since mid-July).
Despite the downtrend, many analysts foresee a renewed uptrend knocking on the door. The popular X user, Ali Martinez, believes ADA’s current price structure resembles that of the last bull cycle, which was later followed by a massive rally.
Cardano $ADA is showing the same price structure as the last cycle, only this time, it’s unfolding more gradually. And it feels like we’re right at the beginning of an explosive move. pic.twitter.com/xbg3phaz6x
— Ali (@ali_charts) August 1, 2025
Hardy and Smith are also among the optimists. The former claimed ADA’s bull run has yet to begin, while the latter argued that the valuation could skyrocket to a new all-time high above $4 once it surpasses the breakout target of $0.92.
What About BTC?
The primary cryptocurrency briefly dipped under $114,500 before recovering some of the losses. As of this writing, it trades at around $115,000, representing a 3.2% drop on a daily basis.
Its negative performance coincides with the broader correction of the cryptocurrency market, as well as the actions of retail investors who appear to have shifted into selling mode.
However, many members of the crypto community believe BTC’s bull run is far from being over. X user CRYPTOWZRD forecasted a pump to $145,000 if it breaks $120,000, whereas Grypto GEMs set a target of $150,000.
Bitcoin’s Relative Strength Index (RSI), which measures the latest speed and magnitude of price changes, supports the bullish thesis. Currently, the ratio is hovering around 30, meaning the asset is oversold and may be due for a resurgence. Conversely, anything above 70 could be interpreted as a precursor of a pullback.
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Cryptocurrency
ETH Price Falls, But Ethereum ETFs Keep Breaking Records

Ethereum spot ETFs have recorded net positive flows for 20 consecutive trading days.
This accumulation streak, highlighted by a $17 million net intake on July 31, stands in stark contrast to Bitcoin ETFs, which saw a $115 million exit on the same day, their first outflow after five days of gains.
Institutional Appetite
The latest run of 20 days surpassed an earlier one of 19 green days between May 16 and June 12, cut short by $2.18 million in outflows on June 13. This was followed by a few days of intermittent flows before the current spree kicked off in earnest on July 3.
It has since pushed cumulative allocations to $9.64 billion, per SoSoValue data, with July alone seeing $5.41 billion in net capital directed toward ETH ETFs, more than the combined total of the previous 11 months.
BlackRock’s ETHA remains the market leader, attracting $18.18 million on July 31 and now holding $11.37 billion in assets, representing 2.52% of ETH’s market cap. Meanwhile, Grayscale’s ETHE reported $6.8 million in withdrawals, though its $4.22 billion asset base shows its continued relevance. Fidelity’s FETH recorded a $5.62 million boost, bringing its net assets to $2.55 billion.
The momentum is striking when viewed against historical trends. The last recorded outflow was on July 8, after which funds posted some of their largest single-day gains, including $726.7 million on July 16, $602 million on July 17, and $533.8 million on July 22. These inflows helped Ethereum ETF assets climb to $21.52 billion, roughly 4.77% of the cryptocurrency’s market cap.
Ethereum Price Action
Despite the ETF-fueled demand, ETH slipped 2.4% in the last 24 hours to around $3,786, following a brief rally to $3,933 earlier this week. However, the token is up 53% in the past 30 days, outpacing Bitcoin’s rangebound movement between $116,000 and $119,000.
Industry analysts see these ETF flows as structurally bullish. Recently, QCP Capital cautioned that overheated funding rates could introduce near-term resistance around $4,000, but it stressed that continued institutional demand, paired with corporate treasuries like SharpLink Gaming and BitMine accumulating billions in ETH, may underpin further upside.
Meanwhile, on July 31, the total value traded across ETH ETFs stood at $1.28 billion. If this pace holds, it could help ETH challenge its November 2021 all-time high of $4,878 sooner than expected, potentially cementing its role as the frontrunner in an altcoin-led cycle.
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Cryptocurrency
BlackRock Ripple (XRP) ETF Coming Soon? Here’s What You Need to Know

Nate Geraci, President of The ETF Store, believes that the world’s largest asset manager – BlackRock – will file for an XRP ETF.
If true and if history is any indicator, this could have a long-term positive impact on XRP as an asset, following in the footsteps of ETH and even BTC.
BlackRock XRP ETF a Possibility According to Expert
Geraci believes that it’s only logical for BlackRock to file for an XRP ETF. He cited the asset manager’s attempt to position itself as a “thought leader,” and thinks that it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for the financial behemmoth to ignore a top-five non-stablecoin cryptocurrency by means of total market capitalization. He also thinks the firm will file for a spot Solana (SOL) ETF.
He also believes that they will be filing for an index-based crypto ETF:
If launching index-based crypto ETF (which I’m highly confident they will), then you’re launching individual spot ETFs. I get the “BlackRock is all in on ETH,” or “they think XRP is scam.” This is all about business. They open up flank not pursuing additional spot ETFs IMO.
To this, he also added that by failing to add more individual spot ETFs, BlackRrock would essentially send a message to their clients and prospective investors that “there will only ever be two winners in crypto: BTC and ETH.”
He also said that they are still early because one of their main competitors is still following the “blockchain, not bitcoin” meta.
Sticking w/ prediction that BlackRock will launch both xrp & sol ETFs…
Doesn’t make sense that world’s largest asset manager (& current leader in both spot btc & eth ETFs) would ignore two top 5 non-stablecoin crypto assets.
I also expect them to launch index-based crypto ETF.
— Nate Geraci (@NateGeraci) August 1, 2025
XRP ETFs The New Meta?
It’s perhaps safe to assume that a major deterrent for large-scale asset managers to file for XRP ETFs was the ambiguity surrounding its legal status amid the case between the US Securities and Exchange Commission and Ripple Labs.
Now that this has almost been resolved, and following the Commission’s newfound crypto-oriented focus, investors and asset managers are far more confident in the US-based crypto company. This has also largely been reflected in XRP’s price, which is up by a staggering 400% in the last year.
Multiple companies have already filed for a spot XRP ETF, including Franklin Templeton, Bitwise, Canary Capital, Grayscale, 21Sharse, and WisdomTree.
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