Grayscale has filed an S-1 registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a spot Worldcoin exchange-traded fund, marking the latest push to bring a crypto ETF tied to biometric-identity tokens to Wall Street. The filing, dated July 20, 2026, was confirmed by Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart on social media, where he shared a screenshot of the document. The ETF is expected to trade under the ticker $GWLD on the Nasdaq exchange.
The $GWLD Filing Details
Shares of the proposed ETF would be issued and redeemed in standard 10,000-share creation blocks, following the same model Grayscale uses for its other crypto ETFs. The S-1 filing is just the first step. Grayscale still needs to submit a 19b-4 rule change and win SEC approval before the product can launch publicly. The regulator has not yet indicated a timeline for review.
Worldcoin’s Proof-of-Humanity Network
Worldcoin, powered by the $WLD token, underpins the World network — a system that uses the Orb device for biometric verification to create proof-of-humanity credentials. The project has grown to millions of verified users across dozens of countries. The ETF filing suggests Grayscale sees institutional demand for direct exposure to the token, which has been controversial in some regions over privacy concerns related to iris scanning.
What’s Next for the ETF
Grayscale now waits for the SEC to acknowledge the 19b-4 filing, which will trigger a formal review period. The agency can approve, deny, or extend the decision. The clock starts when the exchange — Nasdaq — files the 19b-4 on Grayscale’s behalf. No date has been set for that submission.
