World ID comes to Zoom with 'human' badges and a bank suite

World, the Sam Altman-backed identity project that started as Worldcoin, has made World ID for Zoom available in the Zoom App Marketplace and launched a separate set of World ID tools for banks and other regulated firms. Both products aim at the same problem: proving that the person on a video call is a real, unique human and not an AI deepfake. Cointelegraph, The Block and Crypto Briefing covered the rollout.

How the Zoom check works

World ID for Zoom compares three images: a reference image captured when the user scanned their iris at one of World's Orb devices, a live selfie taken on the user's own device, and the participant's video feed in the call. If all three match, other participants see a "Verified Human" badge next to that person. The check only works for people who have already been verified at an Orb.

From beta to general availability

World first showed the Zoom integration in April, when it was in limited beta testing with VanEck Funds, through Zoom's ISV Exchange programme for outside software vendors. The feature is now available to Zoom enterprise customers worldwide.

A suite for banks

The bigger enterprise push is a World ID package for regulated industries, which World markets as "full-stack Proof of Human" infrastructure. Early design partners named in the reports include Bain Capital, Pantera Capital, VanEck Funds, OpenExchange and Outtake. World says the suite is meant to sit alongside existing know-your-customer (KYC) checks as an extra, privacy-preserving layer, not to replace them. Wire transfers and executive approvals are the use cases it highlights.

Why deepfake calls are a crypto problem

Fake video meetings have already cost companies real money. In 2024 an employee at engineering firm Arup transferred about $25 million after scammers impersonated executives on a video call. In February, suspected North Korea-linked hackers used fabricated video feeds in fake Zoom meetings to trick crypto and fintech firms into installing malware. Our guide on how to spot crypto scams covers the warning signs, including urgent requests to install software during a call.

The open questions

World's system depends on people agreeing to an iris scan, and its user base is limited to those who have visited an Orb, even though the project says it has enrolled millions. Iris scanning has drawn privacy scrutiny from regulators in several countries over the years. For companies, the badge is one more signal, not a guarantee: a verified human can still be a scammer, so payment approvals still need a second channel. For a look at how organised crypto fraud is tackled offline, see our report on the FBI seizing crypto scam servers in Brooklyn.