Humanity Protocol (H) Project Report

Project Report

Updated on2026-08-21

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I. Project Overview

Humanity Protocol is a decentralized identity infrastructure focused on "Proof of Humanity," positioning itself as Web3's "Human Layer." The project uses palm-vein biometrics combined with zero-knowledge proofs to verify that a user is a real and unique human being, without exposing their personal privacy data. The native token, H, follows the ERC-20 standard, with both total supply and maximum supply fixed at 10 billion.

II. Project Introduction

As generative AI and automated bots proliferate, the challenge of "proving that someone is a real person online" has become increasingly acute. Sybil attacks, bot-driven volume manipulation, and deepfakes are eroding the fairness of Web3 applications. Humanity Protocol seeks to provide a privacy-first, anti-Sybil identity layer that allows users to prove they are unique individuals without handing over documents or raw biometric data, while also enabling selective disclosure of attributes such as age or country of residence on demand.

The project was launched in February 2024 by Human Institute, in partnership with Animoca Brands and Polygon Labs, and was initially built on Polygon CDK. Its core philosophy is to return identity ownership to users: in contrast to government-led centralized biometric databases, Humanity emphasizes decentralization, user-controlled data, and Web3-native interoperability, aiming to build an open identity graph capable of carrying verifiable credentials for identity, KYC, education, employment, event participation, and more.

III. Product and Technology

On the technical side, Humanity Protocol is an EVM-compatible zkEVM Layer 2 network that employs zk-rollups to enhance throughput and scalability. Its flagship product is the Proof-of-Trust protocol, which provides developers with a unique human verification mechanism while allowing users to retain control over their identity data.

For biometrics, the project chose palm-vein recognition over iris or facial recognition. The team believes palm-vein biometrics strike an optimal balance between security, robustness, and usability: they can be conveniently captured via smartphones, and the vein patterns within the palm remain stable throughout life and are difficult to forge. Verification is carried out in two phases: Phase 1 (currently live) allows users to register by capturing palm biometric data via a mobile app, offering low friction and rapid scaling. Phase 2 will deploy proprietary palm-scanning hardware that uses near-infrared imaging to capture subcutaneous vein patterns, improving accuracy and liveness detection, while also supporting offline registration.

Privacy protection relies on zero-knowledge proofs. The system does not store raw biometric data; instead, it generates hashes bound to the Human ID that cannot be reverse-engineered, and users conduct zk verification based on these hashes. Within the network, zkProofer nodes verify verifiable credentials (VCs) and verifiable presentations (VPs), while Identity Validators—who must stake at least 100,000 H—issue the credentials.

IV. Economic Model

The H token serves as the network's utility and value-accrual token, fulfilling multiple functions: as the gas token for the Humanity mainnet, as verification rewards paid to zkProofer nodes, as staking collateral and staking rewards for Identity Validators, as governance votes in the DAO, and as incentives for community initiatives such as Fairdrops and the Humanity Scanner DePIN network. Verification fees generated by third-party DApps and ecosystem partners are also distributed to node operators and validators.

According to public whitepaper data, the distribution of the 10-billion total supply is broadly allocated as follows: Ecosystem Fund 24%, Early Contributors 19%, Identity Verification Rewards 18%, Community Incentives 12%, Foundation Operational Treasury 12%, Investors 10%, and Human Institute Strategic Reserve 5%. Most portions are subject to cliff periods followed by linear unlocking mechanisms, with the overall unlocking schedule extending to 2029. It is worth noting that the current circulating supply remains relatively low, with a large number of tokens still to be gradually released according to schedule, so the impact of unlocking timing on the supply side warrants close attention.

V. Team and Investors

The project's founder and CEO is serial entrepreneur Terence Kwok, who previously founded hospitality-tech unicorn Tink Labs and was named to Forbes Asia's 30 Under 30 in 2016. The project also features a "Founding Humans" advisory board, which includes Animoca Brands co-founder Yat Siu and Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal. The team collectively holds multiple patents in machine learning and identity verification.

On the fundraising front, the project completed a seed round of approximately $30 million in 2024 at a valuation of around $1 billion, led by Kingsway Capital, with participation from prominent institutions including Pantera Capital, Animoca Brands, Blockchain.com, Hashed, Shima Capital, and Jump Crypto.

VI. Roadmap

The project's roadmap broadly revolves around "two-phase verification + ecosystem expansion." Phase 1, centered on mobile app palm-vein registration, is already live; since its testnet launch at the end of September 2024, it has seen rapid growth, attracting millions of verified users and issuing millions of Human IDs. Phase 2 will focus on developing proprietary palm-scanning hardware and infrastructure to advance vein-recognition accuracy, liveness detection, and offline registration capabilities. In terms of application expansion, the project has established partnerships with Mastercard, Kaito, and others to explore use cases in finance, education, gaming, and more, and has launched Fairdrops—anti-Sybil airdrop tools—for other projects. Future priorities include restoring stable mainnet operations, expanding the node network in a decentralized manner, and driving greater ecosystem integration.

VII. Risks and Opportunities

On the opportunity side, the "Proof of Humanity" sector addresses a pressing need for authentic human identity verification in the AI era. Humanity, with its relatively non-invasive palm-vein approach, strong institutional backing, and rapid user growth, has carved out a position in the decentralized identity (DeID) space. If its verification services are widely integrated into finance, social media, airdrops, and other scenarios, this could generate genuine fee revenue and token demand.

Risks, however, are equally significant. The foremost is security risk: in June 2026, the project suffered an on-chain attack resulting in a loss of approximately $36 million. The team subsequently "sunset" the old token, deployed a new, audited ERC-20 contract, and conducted a 1:1 snapshot-based migration airdrop to holders, while also planning to restart the mainnet. This incident exposed smart contract and fund security vulnerabilities, and the recovery and execution status still require ongoing observation. Second is token supply pressure: with a low circulating supply ratio and large future unlock volumes, price volatility may result. In addition, biometrics inherently carry privacy and regulatory controversies; the acceptance of palm-vein data and regulatory attitudes remain uncertain. The community has also raised questions about the fairness and transparency of early airdrop allocations. The sector also faces direct competition from rivals such as Worldcoin.

VIII. Conclusion

Humanity Protocol addresses a growing demand for verifiable human identity in the age of AI. Its technology stack, which combines palm vein biometrics, zero-knowledge proofs, and zkEVM Layer 2 infrastructure, provides meaningful differentiation, while its strong backers and rapid user growth have helped establish an early presence in the decentralized identity sector. However, the project remains at an early stage, and its fundamentals and token performance will ultimately need to be validated through successful mainnet operations, ecosystem adoption, and sustained user engagement.

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Catalogs

I. Project Overview
II. Project Introduction
III. Product and Technology
IV. Economic Model
V. Team and Investors
VI. Roadmap
VII. Risks and Opportunities
VIII. Conclusion
About Us
Risk Disclaimer
Connect with Us