San Francisco-based lender Divine Research has issued approximately 30,000 unbacked short-term crypto loans since December 2024, leveraging OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s iris-scanning identity verification platform, World ID. The firm targets underserved international borrowers, offering microloans under $1,000 in USDC stablecoin with interest rates ranging from 20% to 30%. Founder Diego Estevez described the platform as “microfinance on steroids,” emphasizing its accessibility to individuals like teachers and vendors who lack traditional credit access [1]. To mitigate risks, Divine employs World ID to prevent borrowers from creating multiple accounts after defaulting and issues World tokens that can be partially reclaimed if repayments…