Ukrainian Government Partners with FTX, Kuna, and Everstake to Launch Crypto Donation Site

Cryptocurrency exchanges FTX and Kuna and staking platform Everstake have partnered with Ukrainian government officials to launch a donation site for users who want to send cryptocurrencies to help Ukraine and its people.

In a statement on Monday, Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation said the Ukrainian government has launched Aid for Ukraine, a platform that accepts donations in BTC, ETH, USDT, DOT, SOL, DOGE, XMR, ICX, and NEO “to support People are fighting for freedom." Many parts of the country have been under attack by Russian troops since February 24.

According to the site, as of this writing, users have sent over $48 million in cryptocurrency, roughly 24 percent of the platform’s $200 million goal. The funds will be sent to the National Bank of Ukraine to be used to buy "ammunition and necessities" to support the country's armed forces and humanitarian aid projects. The Central Bank of Ukraine also accepts donations in various fiat currencies.

Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, said: “Aid For Ukraine shows how the global crypto community and the traditional financial system can work together. Cryptocurrency donations to the DAO are stored and managed on-chain, and then transferred to the centralized exchange FTX, The sale is sent to the Ukrainian government via SWIFT for fiat dollars.”

Cryptocurrencies have proven to be a real lifesaver due to their ease of use. We @mintsyfra make crypto donations easier. Together with @everstake_pool and @FTX_Official we are announcing the launch of a site where you can donate crypto to save Ukraine.

— Alex Bornyakov (@bornyakov) March 14, 2022

The platform incorporated a list of wallet addresses previously provided by the Ukrainian government using its Twitter account. However, since Russia invaded Ukraine, some crypto companies have also announced that they will donate to Ukraine. Kraken pledged to hand out $1,000 to every user who created an account in the country by March 9, while Bored Ape Yacht Club said it would donate $1 million in ETH.

Cointelegraph reported that as of March 9, wallets operated by various organizations and governments had received more than $108 million in funds to help Ukraine. This comes at a time when Russia is under economic pressure due to US and EU sanctions. A host of private businesses have cut ties to the country over the past two weeks, including major banks Goldman Sachs, Visa and Mastercard.

Cointelegraph reached out to FTX but had not heard back by the time of publication.

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