A charitable campaign to enable the direct transfer of $1 million in crypto donations to Venezuelans has registered around 60,000 verified beneficiaries and raised $272,000 to date. The news was revealed in an interview with the campaign’s leader, Steve Hanke, with National Public Radio on April 21. Professor Hanke is a professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University who reportedly served as economic adviser to former Venezuelan president Rafael Caldera between 1995 and 1996. Professor Hanke outlined that the campaign, dubbed “Airdrop Venezuela,” is using the existing blockchain and bank-connected e-wallet infrastructure from Mexico-based startup AirTM. Alongside a native …

France’s Minister of State for the Digital Sector, Cédric O, has said he is open to cooperating with cryptocurrency platforms to enable crypto donations for the reconstruction of the Notre Dame cathedral. The news was reported by Bloomberg on April 17. The medieval cathedral suffered a blaze on April 15 that nearly destroyed the world-renowned landmark. Within just two days, donations for the monument’s reconstruction are reportedly approaching 900 million euros (over $1 billion). Cédric O — whose ministry works under the aegis of France’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire — noted that the government’s newly-launched website …

Major global crypto exchange Binance has launched a crypto donation program to support the reconstruction of the Notre Dame cathedral, the firm tweeted on April 16. Binance has initiated a donation program “Rebuild Notre-Dame,” calling the crypto community to support their campaign to restore the medieval cathedral that suffered “colossal damages” from a major fire that nearly destroyed the landmark on April 15. In the post accompanying the new crypto-fundraising channel, Binance stated that the recent event was a “great moment of loss for culture, arts, and history shared by all humankind.” The exchange launched the new donation channel on …

BlockShow, an international blockchain event powered by Cointelegraph, has started a campaign to raise cryptocurrency for the Notre Dame cathedral reconstruction. The news was announced on BlockShow’s official Twitter account on April 16. In the tweet, the team behind BlockShow revealed that it has initiated a fundraising campaign for the Notre Dame reconstruction following the devastating fire that engulfed the cathedral yesterday, April 15. The BlockShow team posted two digital currency wallet addresses where everyone interested can transfer donations in both bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH), as well as a link to the Foundations Du Patrimoine, which is raising donations …

Charity-focused organization Bitcoin Venezuela tweeted on April 10 that the so-called Lightning Torch had reached its final destination, with all accumulated Bitcoin (BTC) donated to the group. By the time it got to the organization, the Lightning Torch had grown to exactly 0.4108021 BTC, which is currently equivalent to over $2,000. The Torch is an experiment first initiated by anonymous Twitter user Hodlnaut. The Lightning Torch is passed by sending the same BTC from user to user adding a little every time via the scalability solution, Lightning Network (LN). Bitcoin Venezuela is reportedly responsible for the humanitarian initiative “Bitcoin for …

The charity arm of the world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, has launched its pilot blockchain-based lunch program in African schools, according to a blog post on Feb. 21. Binance Charity Foundation (BCF) has rolled out its charity campaign “Lunch for Children” in the capital of Uganda, Kampala. According to the program, the organization is set to provide two meals a day during the full year of 2019 to more than 200 students and school staff. The recently launched pilot in Uganda is a part of a larger campaign by Binance that intends to benefit one million students in schools across …

The ALS Association has partnered with the TRON Foundation to launch a blockchain-enabled charity campaign, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Feb. 11. The campaign, called #VoiceYourLove, aims to build awareness around amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and raise donations for research into treatments and finding a cure. According to the press release, TRON’s (TRX) participation in the campaign will include using blockchain technology to track donation distribution. The ALS Association plans to release data tracked by TRON to the public at the end of the campaign, the press release notes. TRON …

United States crypto payment processor BitPay and the non-profit and charitable organization that operates Wikipedia, the Wikimedia Foundation, have partnered to accept crypto donations, according to the official press release published on Jan. 29. The Wikimedia Foundation had already accepted Bitcoin (BTC), but the aim of the new partnership with BitPay is to be able to accept donations in Bitcoin Cash (BCH), the press release states. BitPay’s chief commercial officer, Sonny Singh, commented on the new partnership: “Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash are one of the cheapest payment options available so more money goes to charity rather than paying fees. Wikimedia …

Chinese non-profit Zhiyuan Hui — reportedly the world’s largest volunteer service platform — has announced its partnership with token economy infrastructure firm EveriToken. The news was announced Jan. 12 in an official EveriToken blog post. As of December 2018, Zhiyuan Hui reportedly serves over 430,000 non-profits, and its 71 million users are reported to have worked over 100 million service hours via its platform. According to the blog post, the United Nations-issued China Volunteer Service Economic Value Measurement Report has valued the platform at over $500 million. In order to manage this astonishing volume of users and service hours, Zhiyuan …

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has become the first crypto entrepreneur to join billionaire-backed charity program The Giving Pledge, CNBC reports Friday, Dec. 21. Founded by moguls Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, the Giving Pledge campaign is now for the first time supported by a representative of the crypto industry, with Armstrong joining more than 180 pledgers including Elon Musk, Ray Dalio, Bill Ackman and Michael Bloomberg. Aiming to inspire wealthy people all over the world to give at least half of their net assets to philanthropic causes, The Giving Pledge was established in 2010. In 2018, the pledge has amassed …

A Dublin-headquartered startup has teamed up with the Irish Red Cross to use blockchain technology in a new app that improves transparency for charitable donations. The partnership was reported by local daily broadsheet The Irish Times on Dec. 19. The startup, dubbed AID:Tech, is partnering with the Red Cross for use of its consumer-oriented mobile app “TraceDonate,” which has been designed so that donors know exactly how their contributions to charitable causes are being spent. By improving transparency around the distribution of charity, the app aims to boost trust and engagement in social causes. It allows retail or institutional users …

Top crypto exchange Binance’s philanthropic arm, the Binance Charity Foundation (BCF), has opened a new fundraising channel on its blockchain-powered donation platform. The new program is conducted in support of terminally ill patients and disadvantaged children in Malta and Gozo. The news was shared with Cointelegraph in a press release Dec. 19. Dubbed the “2018 L-Istrina Campaign,” the new channel will raise funds in aid of national charity, The Malta Community Chest Fund (MCCFF), which works to improve the lives of Maltese and Gozitan individuals and families affected by sickness, disability, or economic vulnerability. The Foundation’s provision encompasses medical assistance, …