What is a World Operator, and how can I become one?

World Operators are a vital part of the World ecosystem. 

Operators and their team members are often a person’s first point of contact with World. This means that they’re uniquely positioned to help increase access to digital identity and introduce digital finance in their local communities. 

Conversations between Operators’ teams and members of the general public looking to learn more about World can range from World Network and cryptocurrencies to decentralized financial systems and more.

But what exactly does a World Operator do, and how can you become one?

World Operators are a local business owners or entrepreneurs who work to enable all individuals to participate in the global economy through World’s highly-accessible identity and financial network. 

Operators and their teams do this in multiple ways.

• Often they will actively engage with their local community in high traffic areas, raising awareness about World, providing important information and education and assisting individuals in securely verifying their World ID using the Orb.
• Operators can also operate from participating private businesses, catering to individuals who actively seek out these locations to verify their World ID using the Orb.

Locations, operating hours and other details are chosen with input from World Network contributors to ensure compliance with local laws and regulations. Such compliance is essential in order to facilitate orderly and efficient operations.

Importantly, each World Operator is their own independent commercial company, meaning they have full control over their work, schedules and operations. They often manage their own teams and work with multiple clients. While not employing or managing individual workers or controlling day-to-day activities, Tools for Humanity contracts directly with these companies and provides support (see below).

World Operators operate Orbs globally and can earn WLD tokens* by introducing World to their communities and helping people verify their World ID via the Orb.

Qualified Operators have access to: 

• Comprehensive training (product, policy, etc.), as well as on-the-ground support to set up their operations 
• Custom built ops management tools to provide metrics and insights
• Regular communication updates from World contributor teams
• A dedicated Community Forum for connecting with peers who share the same vision globally
• Mystery shopper audits to help enable team compliance

To become a World Operator, a person must first have a registered local business in their country of operation. 

• Apply
  Local business owners and entrepreneurs can apply to become a World Operator here.
• Interview
  The World contributing team will review, respond to and interview qualified candidates.
• Get onboarded
  Selected candidate businesses are taken through the onboarding process, including due diligence and verification (e.g., KYC), compliance training, data protection principles and World Network education. 
• Secure a location
  After onboarding, new Operators go through location selection and permitting and receive a kit of materials to get started (including the Orb). Each new Operator starts with a single location and can grow from there. 
• Begin operating
  Once new Operators have completed all required training and received the necessary hardware and materials, they’re ready to start operations!

In addition to being passionate about World’s mission to give everyone access to the world’s largest identity and financial network, the most successful Operators have a strong entrepreneurial spirit and are able to build, manage and motivate teams.

“Actively participating as a ‘World Operator’ in its mission has helped strengthen our entrepreneurial spirit before the flourishing opportunities in this digital financial era, which go hand in hand with the dynamic growth of our groups.”

• Optimistic Group, World Operator in Chile

“The opportunity to become a World Operator has been nothing short of life-changing for me, my team and our business. As builders in the space, we rarely get an opportunity to interact with a large amount of Web3-curious people in the real world. 

Running our own World orb has allowed us to pick their brains, understand what pain points future consumers might face, as well as get a glimpse of the situation on the ground.”

• Zac, Based App, World Operator in Singapore

“Serving as a World Operator has helped me bring people of any age and background in my community closer to digital finance through education and access. As a World Operator, I’ve also had the opportunity to further develop my business while providing economic and career advancements to my family, friends and former colleagues.” 

• Alejo, World Operator in Argentina

For more information about becoming a World Operator, check out additional FAQs here. You can also click the link to apply to become a World Operator.

Looking for something else? Visit the World website or join the daily conversations on Twitter/X, WhatsApp, Discord, YouTube, Telegram and LinkedIn, or sign up for the blog newsletter at the bottom of this page. Additional important information concerning the project is available in the World protocol whitepaper.